The public is invited to read some century-old gossip and learn about historic transcription through an event called "Transcribe the Archives: Jennie D'Ooge's Ypsilanti" in the meeting room at the Superior branch of the Ypsilanti District Library from 5:45 to 8 p.m. Aug. 16. The event is a collaboration with the Archives at Eastern Michigan University (EMU).

YDL Youth Librarian Stephanie Pocsi-Morrison says Jennie (Pease) D'Ooge was a leading lady of 19th-century Ypsilanti who kept journals for more than 50 years, from 1886 to 1934. Her husband was a professor at EMU (then the Michigan State Normal School).

Pocsi-Morrison says D'Ooge's journals mention streets and buildings that still exist today, though the businesses occupying the buildings have changed. 

"We can pinpoint where some of those are, and it's really interesting to think about that space when she was here and what's missing from her understanding of Ypsilanti," she says. 

Pocsi-Morrison describes D'Ooge as having "had her hands in everything," leading to some juicy comments about many prominent EMU faculty families. Some of D'Ooge's choice comments will be printed on buttons for participants to take home with them, Pocsi-Morrison says.

The event, aimed at teens and adults, also allows EMU students to gain "Learning Beyond the Classroom" (LBC) credits. 

Pocsi-Morrison says that while the event is a learning opportunity for EMU students, it's also open to community members who are curious about old documents for their own purposes, perhaps for genealogy research.

"We have a lot of amateur historians in the community," she says.

Participants will learn about transcription's role in archivists' and historians' work, best practices for handling archival materials like these journals, and practical skills like how to read, interpret, and transcribe old-fashioned cursive script. The transcriptions will "live" on the EMU Archives website when it's complete, Pocsi-Morrison says.

For more information, see YDL's page for the event here.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.