What the public can reasonably help with
Inviting people to contribute can add a great deal to an online exhibit, but only if the request is specific. “Tell us what you think” tends to produce little. “Help us read this handwritten letter” or “Add a memory of this street” produces something usable.
The common types of contribution fall into a few groups.
- Transcription. Typing out handwritten or printed documents so they can be searched and read by people who cannot decipher the original.
- Tagging and description. Adding keywords or short notes to images, such as the objects, places or activities visible in a photograph.
- Correction. Fixing errors in text produced by automated recognition of scanned pages.
- Identification. Naming people, places or items in historical photographs, where local knowledge is often better than the institution’s.
- Stories and memories. Personal accounts connected to an object, place or event, sometimes with a photograph.
Each has different risks. Transcription has a clear right answer and can be checked. Memories have no right answer and need a different kind of care.
Start with a small, clear task
The most successful projects tend to have a narrow, well-defined first task. Pick a limited set of material, write brief instructions with an example, and make the first action take a minute or two. Long sign-up forms discourage casual helpers, so consider whether an account is really needed before someone can try the task.
Explain why the work matters in plain language. People are generally more willing to help when they understand what will happen with the result, who will see it, and whether their name will appear. Plain language in the instructions is as important as it is in the exhibit text itself.
Test the task before opening it. A short round of prototype testing with a handful of volunteers will show which instructions are unclear and where people get stuck. It is much easier to fix a confusing screen before a hundred people have used it.
Moderation is part of the design
Anything the public can submit needs a plan for review. Decide before launch:
- Whether contributions appear immediately or only after approval.
- Who reviews them, how quickly, and what happens when that person is away.
- What is not allowed, such as personal information about living people, offensive language or claims that cannot be checked.
- How contributors can report a problem, and how you will respond.
Approving before publication is slower but safer, particularly for story collection and for photographs that may show private individuals. For lower-risk tasks such as transcription, a common approach is to publish a contribution only after another person has independently confirmed it. Even then, someone on the team should look at the output regularly.
Some material needs extra caution. If an exhibit touches on loss, conflict or trauma, contributions may include distressing content, and the team should be ready to handle sensitive content respectfully. Where items concern particular communities, it is wise to talk with source communities about what is appropriate to invite and how to present it.
Privacy and rights
Collecting contributions means collecting information about people. Keep to what you need. Tell contributors how their text, images and any personal details will be used, stored and shown, and give a way to ask for removal. Following basic visitor privacy practice applies to online contributors as much as to people in the gallery.
Rights are equally important. Make it clear who owns a contribution and what permission the contributor is giving, in short and understandable terms. If people upload photographs, ask them to confirm they have the right to share them, and remember that a picture may include people who did not consent. The legal details vary by place, so it is worth getting advice for anything beyond a small pilot.
Keep contributors in the loop
Volunteers stay involved when they can see results. Show progress, even simply as a count of items finished. Thank people in a way that suits the project, whether by name, by a general acknowledgment page or by a short message. Share what the contributions made possible, such as a newly searchable collection or a new section of the exhibit.
When errors are fixed by staff, explain without blame. People who feel judged for small mistakes tend to stop contributing.
Consider who is not taking part
Online contribution tends to favor people with time, confidence, a decent device and a reliable connection. If the aim is to represent a whole community, the contributors may not reflect it. Offering other ways to take part, such as in-person sessions, a phone line or help from a library, can widen participation. Some projects work with older adults or with local communities through groups they already trust rather than relying only on a website.
Also be honest with readers. If an exhibit page mixes professional research with public contributions, label which is which, so that visitors can weigh the information appropriately.
Plan for what happens afterward
Decide in advance where the finished contributions will live and how they will be maintained. Will the transcriptions be added to the catalog entry? Will stories remain part of the exhibit once the show ends? Good records of what was contributed, by whom and under what terms will matter later, especially if the material is later archived or reused.
Start small, measure effort honestly, and stop or change course if moderation becomes more work than the team can sustain. A modest project that runs well is worth more than a large one that cannot be reviewed.