We’ve selected three manuscripts from our archives and omitted key words and phrases, allowing you and your friends and family to fill in the blanks to create your own unique version of each text.
Download "Fill in the Archives," our new Mad Libs-inspired booklet, and get started!
“Fill in the Archives” draws on material from three different archival collections: a collection of personal letters by Willa Cather, a manuscript journal by 19th-century Bostonian Daniel Haskell, and a body of letters by Connecticut-born Henry Perry written while en route to California during the Gold Rush.
After you download the booklet, you can either print and fill out a hard copy, or fill in the blanks digitally. Once you’re done, you can compare your version with a transcription of the original manuscript, as well as an image of the manuscript itself.
"Fill in the Archives" is made possible by Newberry Transcribe, a crowdsource transcription site where members of the public help preserve the voices of the past by transcribing letters and diaries from the Newberry's collections.