How it works
From a volunteer's first note to a permanent accession record
This is the same four-step discipline a paper accessions register was always built around. Pithos just makes sure it actually happens, instead of relying on everyone remembering to follow it.
01
Log it
A volunteer or contributor catalogues an item: description, materials, where it came from. It starts out as pending, before it becomes part of the permanent record.
Contributor
02
Review
If a contributor edits something already accessioned, it's automatically flagged for review. Nothing changes quietly.
Contributor
03
Accession
A manager reviews the record and accessions it. This is the step that turns a note into the institution's official position on an object.
Manager
04
Track forever
From then on, every change is added to that object's history. Nothing gets overwritten, so you have a record you can stand behind.
Permanent
What Pithos does
Built for how a real collections team works
The right access for the right person
Viewer, contributor, manager and admin each see exactly what their job needs. A volunteer can catalogue a new item, but can't touch anything already accessioned.
One account, every site
A head office can oversee several institutions from a single login and switch between them with a click. There's no separate password to remember for each site.
Photos, filed against the object
Attach photographs and documents straight to a record. If a photo gets uploaded and the form is abandoned, it's cleaned up automatically.
Nothing is ever quietly rewritten
Every accessioned record keeps a full history: what changed, when, and by whom. Nobody, not even an admin, can go back and edit that history later.
Your institution's own private record
Every institution's collection is kept completely separate from every other one's, and that separation is built into the system itself.
Set up for whoever's using it
Larger text, a more legible typeface, high-contrast and colour-blind-safe themes. Everyone can set the screen up the way that works best for them.
Who it's for
Any collection with more than one pair of hands on it
Local and regional museums
Galleries and exhibition spaces
Historical societies
Archives and special collections
Volunteer-run collections
Multi-site museum groups
Ready to see it against your own collection?
Tell us a bit about your institution and we'll set up a private space to try it in.