University Archive Management Software
Vitrine is collection management software for university archives, special collections departments, and academic libraries. Catalog rare books, manuscripts, institutional records, and research collections. Publish a public finding aid. Professional plans from £79/month.
Why archives choose Vitrine
Researchers need to find material before they visit
A well-catalogued online finding aid reduces speculative visit requests and helps researchers identify what they need in advance. Vitrine's public collection page acts as a permanent online catalogue.
Multiple staff need appropriate levels of access
Archivists, cataloguers, and reading room supervisors all need different levels of access to the system. Vitrine's role-based access gives each staff member exactly the access they need.
Large collections need bulk import, not manual re-entry
Migrating from spreadsheets, card catalogues, or legacy systems is painful if it requires re-entering every record by hand. Vitrine's CSV import on Professional plans handles bulk migration.
Features for archives
Full archival cataloguing
Catalog each item with reference codes, dates, extent, scope and content, and access conditions.
Access conditions and restrictions
Record closed or restricted items with review dates. Control which records are publicly visible.
Staff accounts with role-based access
Professional plans include staff accounts. Assign roles to archivists, cataloguers, supervisors, and readers separately.
Public online finding aid
Publish a searchable public catalogue automatically. Researchers can identify holdings before requesting access.
Document and image storage
Attach digitised images and PDFs to catalogue records. Keep digital surrogates permanently linked to the catalogue entry.
Loans and outreach tracking
Track items on loan to exhibitions, researchers, or partner institutions. Record condition at departure and return.
How to catalog your archive items with Vitrine
- 1
Create your archive account
Sign up at vitrinecms.com. Choose the Professional plan for staff accounts, document storage, and all compliance tools.
- 2
Import your existing catalogue
Export from your current system or spreadsheet as CSV and import into Vitrine. Map your fields and review before committing.
- 3
Set access conditions and visibility
Mark restricted or closed items as private. All other records can be made publicly visible for the online finding aid.
- 4
Publish your online finding aid
Your public collection page goes live automatically. Researchers can search and browse your holdings online.
Vitrine vs other archive items tools
| Tool | Limitation |
|---|---|
| Vitrine | Web-based, free to start, full cataloguing with public collection page |
| Archivematica | A digital preservation platform, not a descriptive catalogue or public finding aid tool. Requires significant technical infrastructure. |
| Axiell Archives | Enterprise pricing and implementation timelines suited to large national institutions. Significant IT overhead. |
| Spreadsheets and shared drives | Common in underfunded special collections departments. No access control, no public facing catalogue, and fragile to staff turnover. |
Pricing for archives
Community — Free. Up to 100 items, public collection page, core cataloguing.
Hobbyist — £5/month. Up to 1,000 items, collection analytics, CSV import, wanted list, and 100 MB document storage.
Professional — £79/month. Up to 5,000 items, full dashboard, visitor analytics, event ticketing, compliance tools, staff accounts, and 1 GB document storage.
Frequently asked questions
Can Vitrine handle archival description at different levels?
Yes. You can catalog at item, file, series, or fonds level using the description and category fields. Reference codes, dates of creation, extent, and scope and content fields are all available.
How do we handle access restrictions on sensitive records?
Mark restricted or closed items as private. They remain in your catalogue for internal use but are not visible on the public collection page. Record review dates in the notes field.
Can we attach digitised images to catalogue records?
Yes. Attach images and PDFs to individual records on Professional plans. Digitised surrogates stay permanently linked to the catalogue entry.
How does the public finding aid work?
Items you mark as publicly visible appear automatically on your collection page. Researchers can search and browse without requesting access in advance for open material.
Can we migrate from our existing catalogue system?
Yes. Export your existing catalogue as CSV and import it into Vitrine. Map columns to Vitrine fields and review before committing. Staff can then continue cataloguing in Vitrine from that point.
Start cataloguing your archive items
Free to start. No credit card required. Your collection stays private until you choose to share it.
Create your free account →