In this ex. it's relatively easy to make out the #s, so you could carry out financial analysis but have no idea what they refer to. 'This guy's total debts were X'. Fine, but only the tip of the iceberg! (PS I would *love* to have help, mechanical or otherwise, with docs like this one!)

…filled not just w numbers but w names, which as we know, are some of the toughest things to read w/o context. So yes, there may be reasons to let a computer help ‘read’ your mss., but it cannot properly interpret them. These datasets need historians & guidelines & context!!

… the related narrative documents. My experience w trying to read 18C French business records shows that the all-important context for certain events is often in a completely different ledger, and …

www.uu.nl/en/special-c...

Take a look at the Utrecht univ library website—there’s a neat Georeferencing section that lets you overlay modern coordinates on old maps— lots of Blaeus there!

Please share widely, & consider attending, all levels of training & fields of study welcome - you don't have to be a 'maritime historian'! We also welcome those interested in marginalized identities broadly conceived - gender is just one intersectional consideration! See the CFP:

#maritimehistory

Amazing progress! Can’t wait to read more of your version of her story!

this is what i propose: we get a lot of huge funded projects to use AI but actually use the money to pay historians it’s the perfect scam