- Begins with an empty form
- Assumes the user knows every field
- Treats every object the same way
- Makes missing evidence easy to overlook
Guided collection documentation
Catalog cultural heritage with confidence, whatever your background.
Turn photographs and what you know into a structured, reviewable record. Live Gemini guidance helps registrars, researchers, students, volunteers, collectors, and community teams capture the evidence their chosen schema needs without starting from an empty form.
A workflow, not a keyword generator
From object photographs to a usable record
Documentation improves step by step. The system proposes; the person responsible for the collection verifies.
- 01
Choose a plan
Select the extraction schema that defines the fields and evidence needed for this object.
- 02
Follow live guidance
Gemini observes changing views and prompts you for the angles, details, and scale references the plan needs.
- 03
Share what you know
Reply with collection knowledge, context, and corrections while you work. Useful remarks become session notes.
- 04
Complete the views
A coverage checklist tracks the photographs and information still needed for the selected schema.
- 05
Build the draft
CurioAI combines the photographs, conversation, and extraction plan into one structured proposal.
- 06
Review and save
Verify every field, correct uncertainty, and decide what enters the catalog record.
A live working conversation
Gemini guides the person behind the camera.
CurioAI does more than analyze a finished upload. During capture, Gemini observes changing views and checks them against the selected extraction plan. It can ask for the reverse, an inscription, a clean scale view, or another detail needed to complete the record.
- Prompts adapt to the object and selected schema
- Spoken or typed replies add collection knowledge
- A coverage checklist makes missing evidence visible
- Session notes support the draft and remain reviewable
Live schema guidanceManuscript documentation plan
- GeminiThe front is captured. Please show the reverse and hold it steady so I can check the condition.
- YouThe accession note is written along the lower edge.
- GeminiThank you. Move closer to the lower edge, then remove your hand from the frame. I will add your remark to the session notes.
Schema coverage4 of 6 views captured
Guidance supports documentation. A person reviews the proposed record before it is saved.Guidance instead of guesswork
Start with the object. Skip the wall of metadata fields.
- Begins with photographs and notes
- Proposes object-relevant information
- Surfaces uncertainty and follow-up views
- Keeps the final decision with the user
One workspace, many perspectives
Useful across institutions, projects, and personal collections
Useful documentation should not be limited to people who already know collection-management terminology.
Museums and collection teams
Accelerate accession backlogs, object documentation, condition notes, and record enrichment.
Libraries and archives
Describe manuscripts, bindings, inscriptions, photographs, ephemera, and special collections.
Archaeology and field projects
Create consistent finds records from multiple views while contextual knowledge is still fresh.
Universities and students
Learn a repeatable method without beginning with an intimidating blank database form.
Conservators and laboratories
Capture visible condition, damage areas, handling concerns, and follow-up documentation.
Private and family collections
Organize inherited objects, books, art, memorabilia, and historical material.
Auction and appraisal teams
Prepare consistent preliminary descriptions and photographic evidence for specialist review.
Religious and community heritage
Document locally meaningful objects with collection-specific language and human oversight.
Flexible by design
Document the object in front of you
Use a standard record or create an extraction plan for the vocabulary, evidence, and fields your collection needs.
- Manuscripts and rare books
- Coins, medals, and seals
- Ceramics and glass
- Textiles and costume
- Paintings and works on paper
- Sculpture and metalwork
- Archaeological finds
- Natural and teaching collections
- Religious and ceremonial objects
- Family and local-history material
Better evidence, better records
Capture views that answer real cataloging questions
Combine overall views with close-ups of marks, damage, construction, decoration, bindings, and a scale reference. CurioAI can suggest additional views when the evidence is incomplete.
01Front or principal view02Back or reverse03Side profile or thickness04Inscriptions and maker’s marks05Damage, repairs, or losses06Binding or construction details07Ruler or scale reference
Practical questions
What people need to know before documenting a collection
How can I catalog cultural heritage objects faster?
Begin with photographs instead of a blank record. CurioAI proposes a structured draft from visible evidence, then you review and correct it. Reusable extraction plans keep the same fields across similar objects.
Can I document archaeological finds from photographs?
Multiple views can support a preliminary description of object type, material, technique, dimensions, condition, and visible marks. Excavation context and specialist conclusions should still be supplied by the project team.
Can it create metadata for manuscripts and archives?
You can create an extraction plan for fields such as script, language, binding, decoration, inscriptions, foliation, condition, and shelfmark. The plan remains editable before use.
Do I need to be a museum professional?
No. Clear prompts help students, volunteers, researchers, and collectors document what they can observe, while uncertainty remains visible for later expert review.
Does the AI replace a curator, registrar, or conservator?
No. CurioAI produces a proposal, not an authority statement. Users review every field, confirm measurements and provenance, and decide what enters the saved record.
Can the fields match my existing catalog?
Yes. Extraction plans support text, long-text, number, date, yes-or-no, and list fields. Approved plans become reusable schemas in Catalog Studio and are stored with the record.
Can I talk with the AI while I take photographs?
Yes. Gemini can guide the capture as the view changes, ask for evidence required by the selected extraction plan, and respond to information you provide. The conversation supports the draft, but you still review the record before saving it.
Your collection, your terminology
Request access