National Library of Wales: Crowdsourcing the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition - Highly Commended - ARA Archive Volunteering Award 2025
Crowdsourcing the Welsh Women's Peace Petition - National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales in partnership with Academi Heddwch Cymru, Welsh Centre for International Affairs, Welsh Government
Link to Welsh language website: https://torf2.llyfrgell.cymru/s/peace-petition
The project was Highly Commended by the judges of the ARA Archive Volunteering Award 2025. The judges comments on the project were:
This is an ambitious project which delivered a significant level of participation from a range of groups and the transcription of the names on the petition enabled and supported a range of community activities across Wales as part of the commemoration activities marking the centenary of the peace petition. The project made innovative use of technology (the crowd sourcing platform), which can be applied to future projects, and the support and infrastructure put in place for the volunteers was impressive. The facebook group was clearly popular and the in-person editing days gave at least some of the virtual volunteers the opportunity to meet up in person and work collaboratively. As a national body, the National Library clearly has access to greater resources to support volunteers than a local archive service but this should not take away from the achievements of this project.
One of the largest projects we have considered in terms of scale, this is an excellent example of using volunteers to explore a hidden history. Peace movements garnered enormous public support but their reach is often underestimated. This is a project which takes a local history into an international context, and I would have been interested in hearing more about the connections to the US.
Really landmark activity and on a national scale, crowdsourcing and engaging spectacularly. There is a lot to be learned from this example.
The project engaged over 450 online and 30 on-site volunteers in transcribing a historically significant archive. Volunteer quotes reflect strong emotional connection, pride, and enjoyment. Participants gained insight into women’s history, digital skills, and felt part of a meaningful collective effort. The project also encouraged long-term involvement, with some volunteers continuing in other roles at the National Library of Wales. The National Library of Wales demonstrated innovation by using digital crowdsourcing and in-person events to manage a large transcription effort. The development and refinement of a bespoke crowdsourcing platform, ongoing volunteer training, and structured support via a Facebook group show strong project management. The project also expanded the library’s volunteer base and internal capability for digital participation. The project has brought a lost piece of Welsh history to public attention. The creation of a freely accessible website with search tools and interactive features supports family historians, educators, and researchers. The work has sparked intergenerational dialogue and broadened awareness of Welsh women’s role in peace activism.
Impressive crowd-sourcing project bringing greater visibility to an important national, even international, record. Large numbers involved but less opportunity for face-to-face contact and social opportunities, although support via social media makes sense for a ‘virtual’ project.
Project case study
In 1923, following the devastation of the First World War, 390,296 women from Wales—around 30% of the female population—signed a petition urging American women to encourage the United States to join the newly formed League of Nations. Known as the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition, this document was preserved and later returned to Wales as a gift from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to mark its 100th anniversary.
The National Library of Wales undertook an extensive project to catalogue, digitise, and transcribe the petition. With the help of the Academi Heddwch, a mass crowdsourcing effort was launched to transcribe all the names and addresses listed on the petition. Volunteers from around the world contributed to this project, and in just 15 months, over 360,000 signatures were carefully transcribed.
Now, as the transcription phase comes to an end, a dedicated team of volunteers is reviewing the records to ensure accuracy before they are published on the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition website. So far, more than 120,000 names have been made available on the site, with more being added regularly. The goal is to complete the process by the end of 2025.
This effort allows people to search for their ancestors’ signatures and explore this important piece of history.
30 onsite volunteers and 450 online volunteers were recruited from people interested in volunteering at National Library of Wales, family historians and Genealogy clubs and individuals, Welsh history societies, local heritage, women’s activism and individuals looking for family members.
Members of NLW staff travelled to the U.S.A. and presented the project at various events. This initiative successfully recruited volunteers from the U.S.A. to participate in the project.
The project aims to make the transcribed data freely available through an interactive website and datasets for researchers and genealogists.
The website will encourage schools, local heritage groups, and the general public to learn more about the role Welsh women played in the country’s peace movement and heritage, contributing to the collective knowledge of the 1923 Peace Petition. This lesser-known story of Wales, once a lost and forgotten archive, is now being brought back to the attention of the people of Wales. The project represents a circular moment, using modern technologies to replicate the original women's efforts to crowdsource signatures for peace. The website provides access to Welsh heritage for a modern audience.
This project presented an ideal opportunity to utilise the Library’s crowdsourcing platform for one of the largest projects undertaken in Wales to crowdsource a historic archive. We developed and tested four to five versions of the platform to determine the most effective method for data capture, using internal volunteers during the cataloguing phase. These volunteers also helped crowdsource place names for the petitions.
The digital crowdsourcing aspect was central to a broader schedule of activities organised by the WCIA to commemorate the 100th anniversary. The WCIA employed project officers to engage community groups, inviting them to participate in the transcription effort online. These officers also conducted training and workshops for the transcription process.
We organised several in-person transcribe-a-thons, with online participation at the National Library of Wales. Over 20 new volunteers participated in the events, where they had an opportunity to transcribe on the platform. Staff members and how to guides were available to provide guidance and assistance.
NLW staff members also conducted training and refresher sessions three or four times a month. And a Facebook group (now with 738 members) was formed as a forum for volunteers to share their thoughts and ideas and to receive support.
Through their efforts, the volunteers have unearthed and preserved an important moment in history, and have amplified the voices of women during a time when they were often overlooked in historical narratives. By bringing their stories to light, they have successfully paid tribute to their courage and dedication.
Thanks to the efforts of the volunteers, the National Library of Wales was able to create a website featuring interactive maps and various filters that allow users to explore signatures by location, view the original handwritten signatures, and share them on social media. These features were made possible by the transcription work, which forms the foundation of the platform. The website has become an invaluable resource for historians, genealogists, and educators, offering new opportunities for research into social movements, women's rights, and post-war history.
The transcription work done by the volunteers has also bridged generational gaps, enabling the younger generation to discover the values and achievements of their ancestors. This connection has fostered a sense of pride in their heritage. It has also serves as an educational tool, sparking discussions about peace and activism.
One challenge identified for us was that even though we carried out user testing before the project, we still had issues with the quality of the data and the duplication, mainly due to the quality of handwriting.
Thanks to this project, the Library has welcomed new long-term in-house volunteers to the scheme, who are also participating in other tasks.
Volunteer comments:
“It’s quite moving as well to see some names with an X after them showing that the lady singing it couldn’t write....These women singed the petition in hope of a better world for their children...It was something they could do in a time when the woman’s voice was not heard as much as today.”
Beti-Wyn
“I’ve really enjoyed it, and it’s been a really rewarding process.”
Bleddyn
“This petition was …you know, it was something that they could do in a time where the women’s voice was not heard as much as today. One thing they could do to try and campaign for world peace.”
Beti-Wyn, Volunteer from Carmarthenshire
“I did my degree in history and education and I was amazed that I had never ever heard about the petition… so I was fascinated that there could be something so big as this that I’d never heard about. Seeing the numbers go up… and the fact there’s a Facebook page where you can ask other people what they think”
Linda, Volunteer from Powys
Volunteer share their experiences: Welsh Women's Peace Petition Centenary, 1924-2024 - Volunteers share their experiences - YouTube
Reflecting on the project the team from the National Library of Wales had the following tips for others embarking on similar projects:
Ensure training is clear and provide sufficient workshops.
Set up a Facebook group for volunteers to assist each other and create a community. https://www.facebook.com/groups/deisebheddwchpeacepetition
Enable easy access to support.
Holding in-person events can enhance well-being, foster friendships, and build a sense of community united by a common goal.
To improve transcription accuracy, it would have been beneficial for the system to allow two or three contributions per line, given the difficulty in understanding handwriting
The project is nearing completion, and the final transcriptions will soon be added to the searchable public website. Lessons learned and experiences from this project will help develop future crowdsourcing initiatives. The work from this and other crowdsourcing projects using the platform is aiding NLW in developing a crowdsourcing strategy and platform towards the aim of a national crowdsourcing initiative for Wales’ archives and communities.
This project has showcased how our crowdsourcing not only captures the imagination of the Welsh public, but also internationally, with volunteers participating in the U.S.A.
Transcription Tuesday (Event organised in collaboration with Who Do You Think You Are?)
Volunteers at National Library of Wales
Volunteer at National Library of Wales