This discussion will present the work of two 2025-2026 Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) Graduate Student Fellows and a 2025 Penn Libraries Data Science and Society Research Assistant exploring Handwritten Text Recognition technologies for use on a variety of historic and archival documents for future in-depth research. This conversation will highlight the challenges and opportunities for using automated tools such as Kraken and eScriptorium to produce machine-readable textual corpora in an informal setting, with discussion focusing on the benefits and limitations of some tools and techniques currently extant. This event will be of interest to researchers of all levels investigating historic textual corpora and interested in applying cutting-edge research techniques to assist in their scholarship.

Event registration is highly encouraged. Hybrid meeting options available. The in-person meeting will take place in the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, Williams Hall 623.