Proofreading for Project Gutenberg

Posted on April 30, 2007
Filed Under Working for yourself |

I have started volunteering as a proofreader for Project Gutenberg. This is an enormous online library of etexts that have been transferred to computer by volunteers.

Proofreading for Project Gutenberg is not exactly the same as normal proofreading as the idea is not to change what the author wrote but to make the text accessible by practically any computer. However it gives you an idea whether you enjoy scanning text looking for misplaced commas and the like! It is also a worthy cause, to be part of a global effort to make non-copyright books available on the web so that they can be accessed for free by anyone.

You proof one page at a time, and you can do as many as you like. I have only proofed a few pages so far and I quite enjoyed the process, it appeals to my pernickety side. I don’t know whether this will ultimately help me to get any proofreading work but at least I now have practical experience of part of the process.

My idea isn’t to earn a living exclusively from something like this, but to include it as part of a portfolio of activities. I would also like to include volunteering as part of that portfolio. Being able to choose to give your time for free is a kind of freedom.

Stumble it!

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