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HIST 3159: US-Latin America Relations Since 1800 (Ana Calderón; Fall 2025): Decoding Handwritten Documents

Decoding and Transcribing Handwritten Documents

Many materials in Special Collections include handwriting. Handwritten elements in collections can be extensive or minimal, cursive or printed. Some handwriting is relatively easy to read, but  many scripts are not. Reading handwriting can be challenging, especially if you spend most of  your time reading typed text or if you never learned cursive script. The attached sheet outlines  some reading strategies and note-taking tips for decoding handwritten documents.