This week the Library of Congress announced some new features of the By the People website. The most significant of those features is an updated image viewer. The image viewer now includes filters that can be used to help people more closely analyze the details of primary source documents housed in By the People collections that still need to be transcribed. Some other new features include updated profile pages for registered contributors and easier identification of documents that still need to be transcribed.
Applications for EducationFor years I've recommended using By the People as a means to get high school students to dive into primary sources to learn about the people and events featured in the collections while also learning about the importance of accurately transcribing primary sources. The LOC now has a page of resources for teachers who would like to have their students participate in transcribe-a-thon events that utilize the By the People collections.