Usage Guidelines & Transcription Conventions
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Usage Guidelines
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If an individual uses a reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that individual may be liable for copyright infringement.
Users of the Wilson eLibrary agree to comply with the terms and conditions of this notice. They further agree to request permission of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library if they plan to publish, broadcast, or otherwise distribute any reproductions obtained from the eLibrary and to indemnify and hold harmless the Presidential Library if their use of any such copies gives rise to any third-party claims. For more information, see the United States Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov/.
Transcription Conventions
Transcription procedures for documents appearing in the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library eLibrary are derived from the professional standards set by the Association of Documentary Editing, and specifically from those developed by the Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series. Transcriptions conform to a literal standard and will resemble as closely as possible the format and content of the original document, retaining authorial additions (appearing in green text), deletions (appearing in red text), punctuation, spelling, and grammar. When the intent of the author is ambiguous, modern practice will be followed. Original line breaks will not be retained; the text will break where it falls naturally in the transcription. Full Document Processing Guidelines and Digital Archive Management Procedures are available to download below.
Naming Conventions
While names of people and places retain the author's original spelling in the text of documents, regularized names will be used in document headings and are incorporated in electronic code for searching purposes. Regularized names follow the formula of first name followed by middle initial and last name for men and unmarried women. Married women will be represented by first name followed by maiden name and married name. In some special situations, if a person is widely known by a variation on the above, that variation is respected. For example, though Woodrow Wilson was christened Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the eLibrary uses Woodrow Wilson rather than T. Woodrow Wilson. For individuals with multiple middle names, such as a number of foreign individuals, the middle initial is sometimes omitted. Complete names, however, will always appear in the biographical sketches.
Proofreading and Annotation
Documents are proofread three times, but feedback is appreciated if errors are noticed ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). When available, annotation to provide context or clarification for a document will appear in endnotes, which are linked to the appropriate location in the text. Source notes describing the text type and location of the original document appears in a note at the end of the transcription. The text types are as follows.
ALI Autograph Letter Initialed
ALS Autograph Letter Signed
AD Autograph Draft
CC Carbon Copy
CCL Carbon Copy of Letter
CCS Carbon Copy Signed
DB Date Book
DE Diary Entry
Dft Draft
ENC Enclosure
ENV Envelope
HW Handwritten
HWCL Handwritten Copy of Letter
HWMS Handwritten Manuscript
HWN Handwritten Notes
NP Newspaper Clipping
P Pamphlet
PS Press Statement
SP Speech
T Typed
TC Typed Copy
TCL Typed Copy of Letter Signed
TG Telegram
TI Typed Initialed
TL Typed Letter
TLI Typed Letter Initialed
TLS Typed Letter Signed
TMS Typed Manuscript
TN Typed Notes
For more complete information about navigating and interpreting the transcriptions appearing in the eLibrary, please see the User Guide.
