BY RUTH CHENEY AND JERRY GARDNER
OAKLAND, California - Volunteers around the world are helping Pathfinder convert its arsenal of Marxist works to digital format. The books, most of which were originally produced in the pre-computer era, are being carefully scanned and proofread, making it possible to more easily produce new editions in modern type. As resources permit, new covers will be added as well, along with indexes for those books that do not already have one.

Currently 87 of the more than 200 Pathfinder books exist in digital format, with more being added each month. The process begins with using a scanner to electronically "read" the book into a computer; software then converts the scan into a word processing file that can be "massaged" (cleaned up) and printed out as pages for proofreaders to check. Proofreaders compare the original book pages to the new manuscript and mark the errors for correction. This process is repeated a second time to reduce errors to an absolute minimum. The corrected text is then e-mailed to Pathfinder, where it becomes the basis for a newly typeset edition.

Examples of books that have been reprinted recently with new type as part of this process are Socialism on Trial, Socialist Workers Party (SWP) leader James P. Cannon's testimony during a World War II frame-up sedition trial, explaining the ideas of socialism; and two basic works of Russian revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky, In Defense of Marxism and The Third International after Lenin.

In the San Francisco Bay Area a dozen volunteers are actively working week in and week out. So far, we have digitized eight books and scanned several books for volunteers in other cities to proofread.

Volunteers are working in places as far as Ramat (Israel), Miami, Cleveland, and Seattle. Some have no experience with computers, but are able to proofread - which is the most labor intensive aspect of the project.

The Pathfinder staff in New York is working daily on the project as well. Editor Michael Baumann reports that so far this year the three volumes of Trotsky's Challenge of the Left Opposition have been completed by Pathfinder, along with Evelyn Reed's Sexism and Science. In addition, with some help from the field, the staff is also closing in on the third and final volume of Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution.

We would definitely like more volunteers on this project, including those with the ability to work in Spanish and French. There are 115 more books to digitize. If you would like to participate, or to find out more about the project, contact Michael Baumann at Pathfinder (212-741-0690, E-mail 73321.414@compuserve.com). A computer helps but is not necessary.  
 
 
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