Capture source material
Photograph specimens, labels, documents, and field notes from a phone or computer while preserving the original files with the record.
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT FOR MUSEUMS
Every object deserves
a trustworthy ledger.
Curator's Ledger gives museums one clear, durable record for every specimen, source document, location, and decision.
Open an institutionINSTITUTION DIRECTORY
Open a collection workspace
Each institution keeps its people, collections, and records in a dedicated workspace.
Opening collection…
Open your collection
Sign in to add photos and update records from any phone or computer.
Create your first collection
Collections keep groups of specimens organized. You can make more at any time.
No specimens yet
Start with one fossil and photograph every label or note that belongs with it.
No specimens match your search.
Sternberg fossil explorer
Browse the historical vertebrate paleontology export. These museum records are separate from our collection.
Historical snapshot • iDigBio ingestion: 2019 • Occurrence data: CC0 • Original image URLs in this archive are unavailable. Not an official museum website.
ABOUT CURATOR'S LEDGER
A dependable record for every object in your care.
Curator's Ledger is collection-management software built to help museums, curators, and stewards turn scattered labels, photographs, field notes, and institutional knowledge into one durable, searchable record.
OUR PURPOSE
Preserve the story around the specimen—not only the specimen itself.
Collections outlive filing systems, devices, and individual memories. Curator's Ledger keeps the evidence behind each catalog decision close to the object, so future caretakers can understand what was recorded, what changed, and why.
Build complete records
Catalog identity, locality, stratigraphy, collector, storage, provenance, preparation, and other essential collection details.
Read written records
Use photographed labels and documents to suggest field values, then review every suggestion before it becomes part of the record.
Review with accountability
Separate original and current identifications, move drafts through a review queue, detect duplicate IDs, and guard against conflicting edits.
Find what matters
Search and filter specimens by name, catalog ID, locality, formation, and review status, with clear collection statistics at a glance.
Protect the collection
Create backups that include original media, restore records safely, and keep automatic local catalog backups for long-term resilience.
Work where the collection is
Use the local workspace from computers and phones on the same Wi-Fi, with private cloud collection support prepared for hosted use.
Explore historical context
Search a separate historical Sternberg vertebrate paleontology snapshot while keeping reference data distinct from the working collection.
DOCUMENT READING
Turn historic handwriting into fields—with a person in control.
Curator's Ledger can read photographed labels, handwritten and cursive notes, and PDF scans. It creates a verbatim transcript and suggests catalog fields; nothing enters the record until a contributor reviews and applies it.
Preserve the original
The photograph or PDF remains attached as source evidence.
Read and structure
The institution's selected AI model transcribes the document and suggests matching fields.
Review every value
A person compares suggestions with the original, corrects them, and chooses what to apply.
HOW BILLING WORKS
Software license and AI usage are separate.
The software license covers access to Curator's Ledger and the features included in the institution's plan. Document reading uses an outside AI provider, whose usage may be billed separately based on the selected model and the amount of material processed.
We are still validating plan prices. No price shown here should be assumed until an institution receives a proposal or signed agreement.
INSTITUTION CHOICE
Start with a trial, then connect institutional billing.
During evaluation, an administrator can use an eligible provider free tier with approved test material. For real or private collection records, the institution should connect its own paid provider account or choose a managed-usage agreement.
API credentials stay on the server. Contributors can use the selected model without seeing or sharing the institution's key.
FOR INSTITUTION ADMINISTRATORS
Compare current provider terms before choosing.
Model availability, free-tier limits, privacy terms, and usage charges change. Review the provider's current pages, consider whether submitted material may be used to improve its products, and set account spending controls before processing collection documents.
Protect the key
Never paste an API key into a specimen record, browser form, email, support ticket, or chat. An administrator should add it only to the deployment's protected server environment. If a key is exposed, revoke it and create a replacement.
THE FOUNDERS
Built across generations.
Curator's Ledger was founded by Trevor Estrada and his grandfather, Joseph Thomasson—a family collaboration shaped by a shared belief that collection knowledge deserves to be preserved and passed forward.
CO-FOUNDER
Trevor Estrada
Trevor co-founded Curator's Ledger to make careful collection stewardship more practical, accessible, and durable for the people responsible for museum objects and their records.
CO-FOUNDER
Joseph Thomasson
Joseph, Trevor's grandfather, co-founded Curator's Ledger as part of a cross-generational effort to protect the knowledge, documentation, and decisions that give a collection its meaning.
“Every object deserves a trustworthy ledger—and every generation deserves the knowledge needed to care for it.”
HELP & GUIDE
You do not need to be good with computers.
Curator's Ledger is designed to lead you one step at a time. You cannot accidentally erase the collection by exploring, searching, or opening a record. Take your time and read each screen before continuing.
START HERE
Your first five minutes
Open the correct institution
At the top of the page, check that the institution name is correct. For this collection, choose Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
Sign in if asked
On the online website, enter the email address and password provided by the collection administrator. On the local computer, you may already be signed in.
Choose Working collection
This is where new and active records live. The Historical explorer is reference material and is kept separate.
Look before editing
Use the search box to check whether the specimen already has a record. Search by catalog number, name, locality, or formation.
THE MAIN TASK
How to add a specimen
Press + Add specimen
This green button is at the top of the page. A form will open. Nothing is saved until you press the save button at the end.
Add source photos first
Photograph the fossil, every label, written note, envelope, box, and document that belongs with it. Clear source photographs help future curators verify the record.
Enter what you know
Fill in the catalog number, identification, locality, geology, collector, storage location, and provenance. Leave a field blank rather than guessing.
Keep original and current names separate
If an old label uses one identification and a curator now uses another, record both. Do not erase the historical identification.
Save for review
New records enter the Review queue. This is normal. A curator can check the information before it enters the Official master collection.
Not sure about a field?
Leave it blank or explain the uncertainty in the notes. A blank field is safer than an invented answer.
PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS
How to make useful photographs
Photograph in good light
Place the object or document on a steady surface. Avoid shadows, glare, and fingers covering the information.
Fill the frame
Move close enough that writing can be read, but keep all edges of the label or document visible.
Take more than one view
Photograph the specimen from useful angles and capture both sides of labels or pages when information appears on both.
Check before continuing
Open the preview and make sure it is sharp. Retake a blurry photograph before saving the record.
Read a written record
This tool can suggest information from a photographed label or document. Suggestions are only a starting point. Read and approve each one before applying it.
QUALITY CONTROL
Drafts, review, and official records
The record has been saved but still needs a curator to check it. Contributors should expect most new work to begin here.
A curator has reviewed the record and considers it ready to serve as the official collection entry.
Compare the record with its sources
Read the photographed labels and notes. Check names, numbers, dates, places, spelling, and storage location.
Resolve warnings
If Curator's Ledger reports a duplicate catalog number or a conflicting edit, stop and ask the collection administrator before continuing.
Mark official only when ready
Review status is a statement of confidence. If questions remain, keep the record in the Review queue and add a note.
SEARCHING
How to find information
Search the working collection
Type any part of a specimen name, catalog number, locality, or formation. Use the status menu to show only records awaiting review or official records.
Use the Historical explorer
This tab searches the historical Sternberg vertebrate paleontology snapshot. It is reference information and does not change the working collection.
Clear a search
Remove the words from the search box to see every record again. Set the status menu back to All records.
Open a record
Select a specimen card to see its complete details and attached source material. Only edit when you intend to correct or add information.
KEEPING WORK SAFE
Saving, backups, and common problems
Wait for saving to finish
After pressing Save, remain on the page until the record closes or a success message appears. Do not close the browser while a photograph is uploading.
Use Backup after intake sessions
On the local computer, press Backup after adding or updating a group of specimens. Keep the downloaded backup in a safe location.
Do not share passwords
Every contributor should use the account provided to them. Never place passwords in specimen notes or send them with collection photographs.
If the internet stops
Do not repeatedly press Save. Wait for the connection to return, then try once. If a conflict warning appears, ask an administrator which version to keep.
When to stop and ask for help
Stop if you see a duplicate catalog number, edit conflict, missing original, permission error, or information that contradicts the physical label. Write down what you were doing and contact the collection administrator.
PLAIN-LANGUAGE GLOSSARY
Words used in Curator's Ledger
- Catalog number
- The unique identifying number assigned to one specimen or collection lot.
- Identification
- The scientific or descriptive name used for the specimen. The original and current identifications may be different.
- Locality
- The place where the specimen was collected. Record only the detail supported by the source material.
- Stratigraphy
- The geological layer, formation, member, bed, period, or age connected with the specimen.
- Provenance
- The history of where the specimen came from and how it entered the collection.
- Source material
- Original labels, field notes, documents, photographs, and other evidence used to create the catalog record.
- Review queue
- Saved records that still need a curator's check.
- Official master collection
- Records that have completed review and are accepted as the collection's authoritative entries.