Aalst Calls for Volunteers to Help Index 42,000 Historical City Council Reports

Aalst (Eurotoday): Aalst seeks volunteers to index over 42,000 scanned city council reports, enhancing public access to historical records. No experience is required, approximately 50 volunteers have joined the effort.

The city of Aalst has a large collection of over 42,000 scanned reports from city council and board of aldermen meetings, including records from smaller areas. These documents contain historical information about the city’s decisions and policies. To make this information more accessible, Aalst plans to put these scans online. However, they need to create a detailed index with keywords to help people easily find specific topics, events, or decisions within the reports.

How can people help Aalst index 42,000 historical city council reports?

To create the index, the city is looking for volunteers to help review the scanned reports. This effort will help develop a useful search tool for researchers, historians, and the public. It has been said that by volunteering, people can help preserve Aalst’s history and make it easier for future generations to access it. This project offers an opportunity for anyone interested in local history or government records to make a positive impact.

The city says that no experience is needed, just a passion for history, as they seek volunteers to help with documents from the 18th century in French and Dutch. Volunteers will only need to note details like the language, document type, meeting date, and agenda titles, making it easier to find specific meetings. This allows people to access reports from home without damaging the original documents. So far, about 50 volunteers have signed up to help with this work through a crowdsourcing website, choosing their hours.