CatalogIt
{{Short description|Cloud-based software}}
{{Infobox company
| name = CatalogIt
| logo = CatalogIt Logo.png
| foundation = 2015
| location = Ann Arbor, Michigan, US
| founders = {{unbulleted list|Howard Burrows|Dan Rael}}
| industry = {{unbulleted list|SaaS|Museums}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.catalogit.app}}
}}
CatalogIt is a cloud-based software used for managing and sharing collections.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-08 |title=Virtual Art For The Museum-Starved: Oakland-Based App CatalogIt Lets Museums Share Collections |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Virtual-Art-For-The-Museum-Starved-Oakland-Based-16008376.php |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=SFGate |language=en}} Established in 2015 as a collections management system, CatalogIt was designed for museums, organizations, and repositories as a curation and digital preservation tool. CatalogIt offers users the ability to document, preserve, manage, and share their collections virtually. CatalogIt accounts start free with optional packages available for additional records, users, and storage. Users of CatalogIt have the added ability to record details about their items and link them to each other, creating digital collections as they go.
History
CatalogIt was established in 2015 by Dan Rael and Howard Burrows to document Rael's personal collection of Native American artifacts.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Virtual-Art-For-The-Museum-Starved-Oakland-Based-16008376.php|title=Virtual Art For The Museum-Starved |website=SFGate |language=en}} Rael needed a system to document the artifacts so Burrows created a cloud-based, mobile app to serve Rael's needs, having found no other system for documenting ethnographic collections.
In 2016, CatalogIt facilitated a release of the software to a limited, invite-only group within the private collector community. Exposure and review of the software in 2017 attracted the attention of Joy Tahan Ruddell, a museum registrar. Recognizing its potential utility for museum collections management, Ruddell joined Rael and Burrows to further improve the software.
As a result of their collaboration, CatalogIt has expanded its reach beyond individual collectors, and has been adopted by museums and organizations globally, including the Berkeley Historical Society, the National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture, Fort Adams Trust,{{Cite web |last=Dunning |first=Savana |title=Fort Adams takes first step toward establishing museum with new online artifact catalogue |url=https://www.newportri.com/story/news/local/2022/02/04/newport-ri-fort-adams-online-site-showcases-historical-artifacts-catalogit-hub-fort-adams-trust/6639482001/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=The Newport Daily News |language=en-US}} Kinsman Free Public Library,{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2023/07/kinsman-library-earns-grant-to-digitize-historic-collection/|title=Kinsman Library earns grant to digitize historic collection |website=Tribune Chronicle}} St. Joseph Museum,{{Cite web |last=NOW |first=Makayla Hancock News-Press |date=2021-06-07 |title=St. Joseph Museums adds new database |url=https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/museum/st-joseph-museums-adds-new-database/article_c64aa9ce-c7c1-11eb-b577-230165804117.html |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=News-Press NOW |language=en}} and the Basque Museum and Cultural Center.
Platform
CatalogIt's users are predominantly museums, historical societies, and other cultural and historical organizations.{{Cite web|url=https://localnewsmatters.org/2021/03/04/virtual-art-for-the-museum-starved-oakland-based-app-catalogit-lets-museums-share-collections/|title=Virtual art for the museum-starved: Oakland-based app CatalogIt lets museums share collections|first=Gina Gotsill, Bay City News|last=Foundation|date=March 4, 2021|website=Local News Matters}} The software enables the cataloging of a range of items, including artwork, letters, and various forms of three-dimensional objects. A built-in classification system prompts users to provide details about their uploaded items, such as the type and origin of photographs.
CatelogIt provides an option to the user to either share their collections on the public CatalogIt HUB or maintain private databases.{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyassociates.com/how-one-museum-got-over-45000-items-out-of-storage-published-to-the-web-and-discoverable/|title=Museum Collection Storage | Museum Storage of Small Items|first=Addison|last=Williams|date=February 23, 2022}} It also enables users to browse or search thousands of entries across multiple topics and categories on the CatalogIt HUB.
CatalogIt also supports QR code look-up and process management.{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyassociates.com/using-qr-codes-to-improve-your-collections-access-and-boost-virtual-interactivity/|title=QR Codes: Improve Collection Access & Interactivity|first=Addison|last=Williams|date=September 22, 2022}}