Integrate Sourcery into your workflow
Sourcery integrates easily into your research workflow, no matter how you collect and review digital scans of archival materials. Sourcery is simply a new way to acquire scans of archival materials. For example, you may already download digital copies of archival materials directly from databases or websites. Perhaps archives have sent you scans over email for download from cloud storage. Or you may already be creating your own digital images when you are in an archive.
When you request scans of archival materials through Sourcery, you will receive a PDF that reflects the order of the materials. Receiving the scans in the PDF format will recreate the experience of sitting at the reading room table and opening the box, folder, or volume. It also helps to ensure proper citation for scanned materials.
After you receive the PDF of the materials, you may use the file however you choose. We recommend keeping a copy of the PDF to ensure you always have a reference point for the order of the materials. But after reviewing the contents, you may want to isolate single scans or distinct documents or sections from the larger file.
During beta testing, many of our participants mentioned using the scans received through Sourcery in the following ways:
- Renamed and saved the scans using their own system for their research materials, often using a cloud-based storage system like Dropbox or Google Drive to retain backups
- Added the scans to their Zotero libraries and documented the archival citations
- Use a PDF editor to break out certain images or isolate documents for closer inspection. Now sure how? We have some suggestions in our Research Handbook.
- Added the scans into Tropy, where they can manage and annotate their primary source scans, add transcriptions and metadata; and organize materials through tags and lists.
- Review the scans and made notes or transcriptions using their preferred digital notetaking tool, such as Obsidian, Scrivener, or OneNote.
- Transcribe or translate materials as needed, either by hand, through a transcription tool like Transkribus, Google Gemini, or through hired help.
No matter how you manage scans of archival material as part of your research process, Sourcery scans can fit right in!
