(8 Jan 2024) The National Library of Australia is breaking new ground, having successfully implemented a technology that turns handwritten documents into machine-readable text. This innovation, dubbed Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR), will unlock the words of both famous and everyday Australians, making them readily accessible on Trove, the library’s online database.
Approximately 10,000 digitized handwritten documents have already undergone this transformation. The Library has plans to gradually extend the application of HTR to other manuscript collections available on Trove. This move underscores the commitment of the institution to leveraging technology to democratize access to historical documents.
More can be found here.
