tom akerman reports. >> reporter: the shelves in this vast storeroom contain just a small fraction of artifacts gathered by the many museums and research centers of the smithsonian institution. items like the largest collection of bat specimens. or primary historical documents. the institution's staff has a big enough mission just scanning and digitizing its backlog of artifacts plus more than keep arriving, but transcribing the details of each item so they can be fully accessible to researchers, that's a task requiring many more hands. thanks to online crowd sourcing, fore than 3500 people have signed up. the volunteers aren't necessarily very knowledgeable in their fields of interest. >> it might be someone who liked signs when they were in high school, and said hey, i would like to transcribe this scientist's diary and pick it apart and see what i can share. >> my favorite would be the field books. >> reporter: volunteers like these sisters from new zealand who spending a few hours each week transcribing. >> a did a little bit of the art of handwriting, and i'm also recently [ inau

tom akerman, al jazeera, detroit. >>> all right. let's move on to the sport.oung gun on the grid. >> glute -- absolutely. he has made history byment coming the younger drive to take part in a formula one grand prix. max, who is the son of former f1 driver, was 12th fastest after 22 cars, before having to retire because of an engine failure. the team will be a spectator for the race, but will join the team full-time next season. >>> even then he will be younger than some of the sport's great big names: michael schumaker debuted at the 1991 belgian grand piece at age 22. sebastian was two weeks shy of its 20th birthday. he has won four championships since. while the current record holder is this man, who was 19 years old, and 125 days when he drove in 2009. he was axed two years later ending his career at just 21. we have talking to a correspondent for the reuter's news agency. we know he is young, but is he any good? how does he compare to the other drivers? >> i think he's clearly a special driver. he is not just beat ep the record. he has beaten it by two yea

that low since the recession of 2008, and yet many employers can't find enough skilled workers as tom akermans from detroit. >> reporter: in detroit, where the official jobless rate is nearly 10%, good jobs still go begging, just ask the staff at mccomb community college, a low-key school where graduates who earn a two-year degree can be in plenty of demand. >> for every student in my machining program and my welding program, and my robotic's program, there is probably two or three jobs waiting for them. >> reporter: tony already has a full-time job, but is taking classes to get better jobs. >> the facilities they have here are amazing. it's tough. i don't get much sleep, but i know it will be worth it in the end. >> reporter: according to a recent survey of hiring managers 30% say they are also having trouble filling financial positions, and 20% say it's difficult to find manufacturing personnel. at this small plant, the owner linked up with the community college to match up with the skills that are required. >> acquiring the p pen -- personnel that is needed to run the equipment and assist

tom akerman explains. >> reporter: as of last week, the number of this year's confirmed ebola cases worldwideod at 10,141, killing 4,922 people. compare those numbers with four confirmed cases in the u.s., ending in just one death. none the less, ebola fever has been rising in america. >> this is something that everybody in the country is thinking about. >> reporter: 24 hour media coverage of every case has elevated the anxiety, so the point that even some media figures are calling for more perspective in reporting. >> do not read the fear-provoking words on line. the people who say and write historical things are being very irresponsible. >> reporter: hiv aids activists protested what they called the excessive concern with ebola. >> this is an extreme exaggeration. this is an historical response. >> reporter: a gallup poll found that one in every four americans were worried about getting the disease, a percentage that has held stable over the past month. but confidence in the government's ability to handle ebola has fallen to just 50%. >> i would encourage panicked individuals to consult the

tom akerman explains. >> reporter: in detroit from the jobless rate is still at right around 10%, manystill go begging. >> employer are clamoring with the right type of skill level. for many student in my programs, there is probably two or three jobs waiting for them. >> reporter: tony already has a pull time job but he is taking classes to get better ones. >> i'm just trying to take advantage. it's tough. i don't get much sleep, but i know it will be worth it in the end. >> reporter: the worker shortage is not just apparent in technology fields, 30% say they are having trouble filling financial positions, and 20% say it's difficult to find manufacturing personnel. at this small plant, the owner linked up with the community college to match workers with the skills the business requires to stay competitive. >> acquiring the panel -- personnel that is needed to run the equipment, and assist with our vertical integrations, that's where mccomb community college really came into play, as far as one fantastic strategic partner for us. >> reporter: but half of the company managers also said t