In this presentation, I'm going to discuss the features that you can expect to find
and use on the site to explore the census records.
First up is Location Search. Website visitors will have the ability
to search the 1950 Census records by state, county or city, reservation, and enumeration district.
Here we see the website's main search page. In the left sidebar area, there are a number of search filter
options that are available, which visitors may use to explore the 1950 Census records.
These search filters include state, county or city name, reservation, and enumeration district.
Here we see the search results page, which will appear after you have selected one or more of the
filters to perform a search for census records. In this example search for census records from
the District of Columbia, we can see a number of results that were found, which are organized
in rows. We can also see information listed above those results, including the number of
results that were found, the number of pages that those results span across, and options to adjust
the number of results that are listed per page. You can also click on the page numbers or the
links titled First, Previous, Next, and Last to navigate through the pages of results.
Another area to take note of is the Your Search section that appears in the left sidebar above
the search results. Each time a search filter is used, it will be reflected in this section,
so you can keep track of all the active filters that are in use in your current search. You can
also clear your current search filters or view your recent search through the links that are also
available in this section. Here's a closer look at one of the results from our example search.
At the top, we can see the ED or enumeration district number, the state, county or city,
and the number of pages that are included in the associated population schedule. Below that,
we can see the enumeration district description, which also includes a link to view the digitized
copy of the description. At the bottom, we can see a Share button, which can be used to copy
and share a link to this particular record to various social media platforms or email.
Next, there's an ED Maps button, which can be clicked to reveal digitized copies of the
associated enumeration district maps. Followed by that, there's a population schedule button,
which can be clicked to reveal a digitized copy of the associated population schedule. Here we can
see a digitized copy of the population schedule. There are a collection of thumbnails that are also
included that can be used to navigate through the pages within the population schedule.
It's possible to zoom into an image to get a closer look, and you can do this by
clicking on it with your mouse or touch pad. Here, we see a closeup shot that shows the
level of magnification that is available. In addition, there's also a set of options
that can be used to make adjustments to the images while you're viewing them. This
includes options to rotate the image clockwise or counter-clockwise, to invert the colors, and
to increase or decrease the level of brightness and contrast. There's also an option that will
be available to allow you to download a copy of the current record that you are viewing.
The next feature that you can expect to find on the 1950 Census website, when it launches on
April 1st, is Name Search. Through the Name Search feature, you have the ability
to search for any known name that may appear within the 1950 Census population schedules.
Specifically, those that appear within the name column on the population scheduled forms.
To make this feature possible, our team used an artificial intelligence tool to extract names
and their associated line numbers from the 1950 Census population schedules. Searches may include
an individual's first and/or last name, and also the search engine has been configured to find
close variations or spellings of names as they appear within the site's name index.
There are some things to be aware of. As some of you may know, the names on the population
schedules are handwritten, and the tool that we use to extract the names from the schedules
essentially scan the handwriting and converted it to text. In instances where the writing wasn't clear,
or where ink may have faded, or were words may have been crossed out, those things greatly
impacted the quality of the text extractions. This was also the case when extracting line
numbers, as well. Here we see the search results page once again, In this example,
we've searched for the name "John Doe" and we can see here a number of results that were found,
which are organized in rows. Here's a closer look at one of the results from our example search.
At the top, we can see the ED or Enumeration District number,
the state, county or city, and names that were found in the associated population schedule
that match, or maybe close variations of the name that we searched for.
Once again, we see the Share button as well as the Population Schedule button.
Clicking the Population Schedule button in this instance will display the specific page
within the digitized copy of the population schedule where the match names are located.
This is unique to the name search results screen. At the bottom here, we see a list of all the names
and line numbers that were extracted from this particular population schedule page
through the use of our artificial intelligence text extraction tool.
So we realize that the name search feature will not be perfect.
As I mentioned, the quality of the text extractions from the population schedules
was greatly impacted in some cases by the quality of handwriting or the overall condition of the
original microfilm. And that brings me to our next feature: Transcription. Website visitors will have
the ability to transcribe names that appear within the 1950 Census population schedules.
As visitors submit transcriptions, they will also be incorporated into the website's name index,
which will improve the quality of the name search feature over time. There's also a moderation
component within the tool, which includes some quality control measures and will also allow NARA
community managers to review the transcriptions that are being contributed to the site.
Once again, we have the search results page here, and in this example, we can see the transcription
button labeled Help Us Correct Names, which will appear whenever you are viewing a digitized
population schedule on the site. Clicking on the button will prompt you to follow a simple
set of steps to get started, including entering a valid email address for verification purposes.
However, it is not necessary to create an account to submit transcriptions. Here we can see one of
the first screens that you'll see within the transcription tool after verifying your email address.
This is where you would select the line number that is associated with the name that you
would like to transcribe. After you've selected the line number, you'll be directed to this
next screen where you can transcribe the full name. You'll be allowed to enter a prefix,
first name, last name, middle name, or suffix. You'll also have the ability
to view the transcription history of a given name with any population schedule. In this example,
we can see that there were transcriptions previously submitted for the names that appear
on lines one and three within this particular population scheduled that I m viewing here.
In closing, we are excited about the upcoming launch of the 1950 Census website. And we also
hope that you will be pleased with the overall experience of the site and all of the features
that will be included to assist you in searching through the records. As noted earlier, the creation
of the site has been a fully user-driven effort. We received feedback from various stakeholders
throughout the project on everything from the layout of the site, to the colors that were used,
the placement of the text, to the function of various search features. And we believe that this
site will provide more ways for people to access and explore the census records on the first day of
the public release then perhaps ever before. As I mentioned, site visitors will be able to
search the records by state, county or city, name, reservation, and enumeration district.
There will also be a transcription tool available, and last, but certainly not least,
on April 1st, we will also make the entire 1950 Census dataset available for anyone to download.
When the site is launched, there will be a section included that will direct visitors to the location
where they can download the full dataset. I appreciate this opportunity to speak with
you all about the 1950 Census website. For more information about the release of the records and
the launch of the website, please visit the URL listed here: Archives.gov/1950Census.
Thank you.