B1.2.6 Review of cataloguing software
Hampshire Archives Trust: April 2025
Please note that price ranges quoted were based on research during 1Q 2025 and need to be checked before use
Types of cataloguing software
This document provides an overview of a selection of free or relatively low-cost cataloguing software that would be suitable for organisations with heritage collections in Hampshire.
There are various types of software available, which have been divided into the categories below. The list does not include professional-level collections management systems for cost reasons.
1. Cataloguing software which runs on a local computer.
You usually pay a purchase fee but there is no on-going cost.
2. Cataloguing software which is hosted on the provider’s own website.
There is usually no start-up cost, but you pay a regular subscription to upload your content to the website.
3. Open-source cataloguing software
You can download this software for free and install on your own web server. There is no cost involved other than your own web hosting fees. However, you will need technical knowledge to install the software, so may need to employ someone for the purpose.
4. Cataloguing software provided by special heritage software suppliers
These companies will create an online catalogue and/or website for you. They will also be able to give you guidance on the cataloguing process.
Things to consider when selecting cataloguing software
At the end of this document there are a set of notes about things to consider when selecting cataloguing software.
1. Cataloguing software which runs on a local computer
You pay a purchase fee but there is no on-going cost.
Modes
https://www.modes.org.uk
Modes cataloguing software is popular among small museums due to its affordability and support for the Spectrum collections management standard needed for museum accreditation.
There is a single-login version of the software called Modes Compact. This operates on a local Windows PC with a single login, allowing one person to edit at a time.
A more costly version, Modes Complete, can run on a local network (not the web) and supports additional users at an extra cost. It adheres to Dublin Core but not ISAD(G).
To publish a catalogue online, data must be exported from Modes and imported into a website since Modes is not web-based.
| Set-up cost | £500 – £1000 (for Modes Compact) |
| On-going cost | Nothing |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | Local PC or intranet |
| No. of user logins | Single user (Modes Compact) |
| How public can view catalogue | Need to export data and import into website. |
| Open source | No |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
Past Perfect (version 5.0)
https://museumsoftware.com/
This version of the Past Perfect catalogue software runs on a local Windows PC with a single login, allowing one person to edit at a time. It supports both Dublin Core and ISAD(G). To display records online, it is possible to purchase an add-on service called PastPerfect Online Hosting. Your records are then displayed via a landing-page at http://www.pastperfect-online.com/
| Set-up cost | £500 – £1000 |
| On-going cost | Nothing |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core and ISAD(G) |
| Runs on | Local PC |
| No. of user logins | Single user |
| How public can view catalogue | Can buy Past Perfect Online add-on. |
| Open source | No |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
2. Cataloguing software hosted on a centralized website
No start-up cost, but you pay a regular subscription to upload your records to the website.
eHive
eHive is a proprietary, web-based cataloguing system. Users can upload their records to the centralized ehive.com website, where they are displayed via a landing page. Additionally, selections of records can be showcased on a WordPress website through an eHive plugin. There is no initial set-up fee, and the annual cost is determined by the number of users, records, and storage requirements, ranging from $120 to $300 per year. The platform supports Dublin Core metadata standards, but not ISAD(G).
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | Very low or low (defined as less than £500 pa), depending on type of account. |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | eHive website |
| No. of user logins | Depends on type of account |
| How public can view catalogue | Landing page on eHive website. WordPress plugin. |
| Open source? | No |
| File storage limits | Depends on type of account |
| Limit on number of records | Depends on type of account |
Omeka.net
Omeka.net is a hosted service option for publishing digital collections and exhibits. By subscribing to an account at Omeka.net, you can use the open-source Omeka Classic software (see below) without worrying about installation or hosting. Natively, Omeka supports Dublin Core, rather than the hierarchical ISAD(G) cataloguing standard.
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | Very low or low (defined as less than £500 pa), depending on type of account. |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | Omeka.net website |
| Number of user logins | Unlimited |
| How make catalogue available to public | Landing page on Omeka.net website |
| File storage limits | Depends on type of account |
| Limit on number of records | None |
Past Perfect web edition
This version of the Past Perfect catalogue software runs only on the cloud (unlike Past Perfect Online, which is an optional add-on to the desktop software). There is a small set-up cost, and an annual subscription fee. Making the records available to the public involves an additional annual charge.
| Set-up cost | Low (defined as less than £2000) |
| On-going cost | Moderate annual cost (defined as £500 to £1000 pa), Varies by account type. |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | Past Perfect website |
| No. of user logins | Depends on type of account |
| How public can view catalogue | Landing page on Past Perfect website |
| Open source? | No |
| File storage limits | Depends on type of account |
| Limit on number of records | Depends on type of account |
CatalogueIt
CatalogueIt is a proprietary, web-based cataloguing system. It has no set-up cost and is inexpensive. An instant demo is available. Users can publish selections of their content to a WordPress website or the CatalogueIt Hub. The system also provides an API. It could support ISAD(G).
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | Very low (defined as less than £500 pa) to moderate (defined as £500 to £1000 pa) depending on account type. |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core or ISAD(G) |
| Runs on | CatalogueIt website |
| No. of user logins | Depends on type of account |
| How public can view catalogue | Landing page on CatalogIt HUB. WordPress plugin |
| Open source? | No |
| File storage limits | Depends on type of account |
| Limit on number of records | Depends on type of account |
3. Open-source cataloguing software
Available for free, but you need to install the software on your own web server. This requires technical expertise.
Some open-source cataloguing software has facilities for creating simple free-form web pages, so could be used as on your main website if your needs are not complex.
Omeka Classic
Omeka Classic is a web-based cataloguing system. It is open-source software, which means it is possible to download the software for free from omeka.org and install it on your own web server (though this would require technical expertise). Natively, Omeka supports Dublin Core, not ISAD(G).
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | Nothing except your own web hosting fees |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | A website set up by you, separate from your own website |
| No. of user logins | Unlimited |
| How public can view catalogue | At a web address of your choice, linked to your website |
| Open source? | Yes |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
ATom
https://www.accesstomemory.org
This open-source software is specifically designed to support the ISAD(G) cataloguing standard used by archives (not museums). Free online demo available.
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | Nothing except your own web hosting fees |
| Cataloguing standard | ISAD(G) |
| Runs on | A website set up by you, separate from your own website |
| No. of user logins | Unlimited |
| How public can view catalogue | At a web address of your choice, linked to your website |
| Open source? | Yes |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
Collective Access
https://www.collectiveaccess.org/
This is web-based software you would need to install on a web server. There is an optional add-on software module which enables the public to browse and search the records. There is an online demo available. A ready-hosted solution by the developer Whirl-i-Gig is available – price on enquiry.
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | Nothing except your own web hosting fees |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core or ISAD(G) |
| Runs on | A website set up by you, separate from your own website |
| No. of user logins | Unlimited |
| How public can view catalogue | At a web address of your choice, linked to your website |
| Open source? | Yes |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
4. Specialist heritage web design companies
These suppliers will create an online catalogue and/or website for you.
CommunitySites
https://www.communitysites.co.uk/
CommunitySites specialise in building websites and catalogues for community archives and local heritage groups.
| Set-up cost | High (defined as over £2000) |
| On-going cost | Low (defined as less than £500 pa) |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core or ISAD(G) |
| Runs on | A new website set up at an address you nominate. |
| No. of user logins | Unlimited |
| How public can view catalogue | Via the website |
| Open source? | Based on WordPress open-source software |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
The Museum Platform
https://themuseumplatform.com/
The Museum Platform specialises in supporting small museums.
| Set-up cost | High (defined as over £2000) |
| On-going cost | Moderate (defined as £500-£1000 pa) |
| Cataloguing standard supported | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | A new website or an existing WordPress website. |
| Number of log-ins | Unlimited |
| Open source? | Some but not all of the software used. |
| File storage limits | None |
| Limit on number of records | None |
PastView
https://pastview.townswebarchiving.com/
PastView is the publishing platform of Towns Web Archiving, which specialises in digitisation. You can set up an online catalogue or website at a web address of your choice based on the PastView software.
| Set-up cost | Nothing |
| On-going cost | High annual cost (defined as over £1000 p.a.) |
| Cataloguing standard | Dublin Core |
| Runs on | A new website set up at an address you nominate. |
| No. of user logins | Unlimited |
| How public can view catalogue | Via the website |
| Open source? | No |
| File storage limits | 50Gb |
| Limit on number of records | None |
Things to consider when selecting cataloguing software
How are you organising your collection at the moment?
- Cataloguing your collection using a spreadsheet or a local database such as Access
- Not having a catalogue, but simply storing your collection as a collection of digitised files in a set of folders on a local computer
- Commissioning a local software supplier to create an online catalogue, perhaps as part of a website
- Developing a home-grown cataloguing system with the help of a technically knowledgeable volunteer
What is the structure of your existing catalogue?
Museums and archives follow different international cataloguing standards. Most museum catalogues are based on the Dublin Core cataloguing standard. Most record office and archive catalogue are based on the ISAD(G) cataloguing standard.
These two types of catalogues have many fields in common (e.g. title, date, creator etc) but are structured differently. This affects your choice of cataloguing software, because most cataloguing software is natively designed to support one or other of these standards. Only a few systems support both.
If you have an existing catalogue, it may follow one of these standards, so that will influence your choice of software.
You can find out more information about the difference between museum and archive catalogues in the Community Archives Cataloguing Guidelines. This can be downloaded from the Resources section of the Community Archives website at www.communityarchives.org.uk.
Can you import your existing catalogue data?
If you have already have a catalogue in the form of a spreadsheet or a database, this can usually be imported into cataloguing software. Most suppliers will help you import your records at a cost. You may need to do some tidying-up and standardisation of the cataloguing data first, particularly if it has been entered into a spreadsheet.
If your catalogue is handwritten, or in a Word document, the data probably can’t be imported, and the information will need to be re-entered.
Check the export facility
If you are entering a lot of data into any software, you need to be sure you can export that data again in a usable format. So, when selecting any cataloguing software, check on the export facility. You should be able to export all the metadata you have entered about the catalogue items (e.g. title, creator, date) plus the filenames of any digital files you have attached to the catalogue item.
Media files: source files or reference copies?
When you digitise your collection, you usually create a set of high-resolution, high-quality files. These ‘source files’ are very big in terms of file size and you may want to protect them from being copied or downloaded. For this reason, if you are using a web-based cataloguing system, you may well create smaller ‘reference copies’ of the source files to upload to the online catalogue. You would then store the original high-resolution, high-quality files somewhere else (e.g. on an external portable drive or in Cloud storage) rather than upload them all to your online catalogue.
Some cataloguing systems are designed to host the original source files, others not.
Can you customise the fields?
Catalogue software often presents the editors with an overwhelming number of different fields to complete. Check that you can hide the fields you don’t want to see, both when editing and when viewing the records.
