Perhaps you, like millions of other people out there, have perused the books in the world’s oldest electronic library, Project Guttenberg. Founded in 1971, Project Guttenberg has put tens of thousands of books in the public domain on-line, on CDs, and on DVDs.
But they haven’t done it alone. In 2000, an organization called Distributed Proofreaders was founded to help Project Guttenberg with their work. Made up entirely of volunteers, Distributed Proofreaders catches the mistakes that computers often miss. And this month, they earned a place in the record books when their volunteer numbers reached 100,000. That’s right: 100,000 people around the world have now volunteered reading over 25,000 books all for the public good.
Who are these volunteers? And why do they do it?
Juliet Sutherland, the Former General Manger and Board Chair of Distributed Proofreaders, explains it all.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us raise $67,000 by the end of the year and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer to our goal!