The document summarizes work done on the Mason Family Account Book project. Students transcribed and annotated entries from the family's account book from 2012. Experts provided historical context on account books and the region. The project looked at comparable sites and interviewed researchers to optimize the user interface. Tools were developed to support transcription, annotation, mapping, and geotagging. Future work includes refining creation tools and developing search and data visualization interfaces.

1. Mason Family Account
Book
George Oberle
Andrew Stevens
All Staff, May 2021

2. Mason Family Account Book
2012: University Libraries acquired a Mason family manuscript account book.
● A digitized copy was created.
Spring 2020: HIST 688: Topics in History and New Media.
● Students started transcribing and annotating Account Book entries.

3. Account books as a source

4. Methods and Historical Context
Series of Readings that focus on the period and the region.
Invited guests to help with understanding the process
1. Alyssa Fahringer-Content Management Systems
2. Historical expert on Account books from early American history
3. Thomas Balch Library
4. Several workshops on source types

5. People of Loudoun County

6. Site Development
Looked at comparable sites.
Interviewed and observed researchers and site users.
● To help optimize the site’s user interface for researchers’ use of site content.
● And to create better interfaces for content creators to transcribe and annotate
content.

7. Transcription and Annotation Tools

8. Mapping/Geotagging Tools

9. What’s Next
● Continued development of tools to support student transcription and content
creation activity.
● Content search interfaces and data visualizations.
● Possible sharing pre-publication site code with specific interested parties.
● Open publication of code coming in late 2021/Early 2022.