CatalogIt Quick Tips

Using the Search Function

From the search bar in All Entries or in any Folder you can perform either a full-text search or a structured search.

To perform a structured search, click on the "+" symbol on the right side of the search bar, and begin compiling your search criteria. Clicking "Advanced" after selecting the first level of search enables you to add more criteria to your search.

When performing full-text searches, you can also add some structure to the query. Here are some helpful tips for executing more complex full-text searches:

Use quotes around a string of words to find Entries that include that exact string. If you are looking for that blue glass jar, for example, type the phrase enclosed in quotes, like this, “blue glass” and your results will only include items that have the exact phrase “blue glass.” You can be as specific as you wish, for example, “blue glass jar" and if that exact phrase is used in an Entry, it will appear in the search results.

Use the + symbol between words to find Entries that include all of those words. If you type in blue+glass, your results will only include the entries that include the word blue AND the word glass. You can string together several words this way to narrow a search.

Combine quotes and the + symbol. A search for “blue jar”+tin will result in entries that include both the exact phrase “blue jar” as well as the word “tin.” You’ll find the blue glass jar with a tin lid.

Use the - symbol to exclude terms. A search within your "All Entries" of -wood would result in all of your Entries that did not include the word "wood."

Use the + and - symbols together. A search of basket + -willow will result in all of your baskets that did not include the term "willow."

Use the * symbol as a "wild card" suffix. A search of harris* will result in entries that include the name Harris, as well as Harrisville, Harrison, Harrisburg, etc., any other words that start with "Harris."

Using Folders, Tags, Collections, and Categories

We frequently get asked about the difference between these and how they should be used. There is lots of flexibility in how Folders, Tags, Collections, and Categories can be used. There is no right or wrong way to use them. The following outlines how we think about using them and things to consider when using each.

CatalogIt allows users to organize their collections in many different ways. While you are able to be very specific with your cataloging through the use of authoritative classifications, we recognize that you may organize your collections in ways that are specific to you, and with the “Collection” and “Category” fields, you are able to do just that.

Folders

Organization and Navigation
Web publishing
May be easily deleted as needed
Use folders to assign a project to a specific staff member or volunteer
Exhibition/Loan Management
Create folders for researchers

Folders are great for workflow-type projects- if you think you'll be generating reports or working with a group of items over time (creating an exhibit, loan, etc.) it can be handy to keep them organized in a Folder. Folders are also the level at which you'll be publishing to the web when you are ready for that, so if you think you'd want to publish a group of items by a particular artist to the web as a group, you'll want to keep them in a Folder. Entries can exist in as many Folders as you need them to. Folders are immediately accessible groups of Entries- right from your Main Menu.

Collection Profile

The “Collection” field, which is available in CatalogIt Museum and Organization accounts, is a repeating field that allows you to break up your own collection into distinct groups that you create and assign. For example, you may have a named collection within your permanent collection called “Jane Smith Craft and Decorative Art Collection.” This same item may also be in your overall “Craft and Decorative Art Collection” and CatalogIt allows you to include multiple collections to ensure you are identifying your collections as specifically as required. The Collection Profile is a user-defined field. Users can create as many Collection Profiles as needed to ensure their collections are organized and categorized in ways that are of most use to them.

A "Collection" Profile is a handy way to relate a group of items together - and any Entry can be part of multiple Collections. You can relate items by the artist into a collection, then if/when you need to, search for that Collection and add the items to a Folder.

Examples:

Named collections eg: The Daniel Peter Basket Collection
General collections used by a specific institution eg: “Crafts and Decorative Art Collection” or “Egyptian Textile Collection”

Category Profile

The “Category” field, included in all account types, enables you to classify your collection into categories and subcategories that you define. This is a hierarchical field that allows you to create categories and related subcategories. For example, if you are a collector of vintage household goods (like vintage crockery), you are able to create a category called “Household Goods” and a subcategory of “Kitchenware”, and a second subcategory of “dinner service” for cataloging your vintage soup tureen. The Category Profile is a user-defined field. Users can create as many Category Profiles as needed to ensure their collections are organized and categorized in ways that are of most use to them.

The "Category" Profile can be used as a method to attach objects to subjects or types used by that institution eg: “housewares” “vintage kitchenware” “Modern Furniture”.

Creating Tags

Tags are a special class of Profile that can be thought of as "post-it" notes which you can attach to your Entries. Some useful tags might be, "Needs more photos" or "Needs dimensions."

To create a Tag while editing or creating an Entry, follow these steps:

click on the "tags..." icon in the upper right corner
click the + button in the Edit Tags popup screen
give your Tag a name and if you wish, a description
click Create

Once you've created your Tags they will be available to you when you are creating or editing your Entries.

This soundless video demonstrates the process of creating a Tag.

Creating a Report from Profiles

Generating reports from your Profiles, such as a list of all of your records related to a particular Person or a Location, can be very handy. It is easy to do. Here's how:

From your Main Menu, select "Profiles"
Using either the "Frequently Used" icons or the search bar, navigate to the particular type of Profile (Person, Location, etc.)
Select the specific Profile record you are looking for
Click on the three dots in the upper right (the Actions Menu) and select Usage Report

From there, you can select the specific fields you'd like to appear on your report.

Editing a Profile

You may find that a Profile you've used has a typo or that you'd like to add additional information to it. It is easy to edit a Profile. Here's how:

From the Main Menu, select "Profiles"
Using either the "Frequently Used" icons or the search bar, navigate to the type of Profile you'd like to edit (a Person, Place, etc.)
Search for the record you'd like to edit and select it
Click the edit pencil in the upper right corner and make any changes you'd like
Click "Save"

Here's a quick video that shows the entire process (note: this video does not have sound):

De-duplicating and Consolidating Profiles

It is very common to have multiple Profiles (i.e Person or Place) that represent the same entity but have different spellings and need to be consolidated into a single representation. The "Replace" feature is designed to de-duplicate and consolidate multiple Profiles into a single Profile.

From the appropriate Profile list page:

click and view the Profile you want to eliminate
select Replace from the "Actions" menu
find and select the replacement Profile and click Replace
edit and delete the unwanted Profile

Here's a quick, soundless video that shows the entire process:

Changing a Person Profile to an Organization Profile and Vice Versa

You may find that an Organization Profile was incorrectly created as a Person or vice versa. It is easy to fix that! Here's how:

Click on your Main Menu and navigate to Profiles
Search for "Person or Organization" (this is a special type of Profile that is essentially like the "parent" of Person and Organization Profiles)
From within "Person or Organization" you can search for any Person or Organization Profile- search for the Profile you'd like to change
Select the Profile and click the Edit pencil
At the top of the Edit page you'll see a drop-down menu- click on it and you'll see that you can change the type
Be sure to click "Save" in the upper right corner when you are done

Here's a brief video showing the process (Note- this video has no sound):

Downloading your Original Image

CatalogIt stores your images for you in their original format, unaltered. You can download them to any device by following these steps:

Select the Entry to which the image is attached
Click on the image you would like to download
Click the "Download" icon in the upper left corner

Here's a quick, soundless video- take a look!

Using the Hierarchical Category Profile

You can use the Category profile to create your own, customized hierarchical categories within your collections. Here's how:

While editing or creating an Entry, at the "Category..." property, click the "+" button at the right
Give your new Category a name, and if you wish, a description and even "also known as"
Attach it as a "Subcategory of..." a "parent" Category you'd previously created, or create the new Parent category
Click "Create" in the upper right-hand corner.

Here's a short video demonstrating the process- take a look!

Creating Hierarchical Places

CatalogIt enables you to capture and display places hierarchically, for example, a town, in a state, in a country, and in a continent. Creating the hierarchy is simple- just follow these steps:

While editing or creating an Entry, at a "Place..." field (place made, place published, related place, etc.) type in the name of your place
If it doesn't already exist in your list, select "Create"
CatalogIt will prepopulate the name of your new Place from your search.
In the "Place Type..." field, select the appropriate type of Place (city, state, country, etc.)
In the "Located In..." field, select the appropriate place of which your new place is a part; for example, the country a state or province is located in.
Click "Create" in the upper right-hand corner.

Here's a quick, soundless video showing how to create hierarchical places- take a look!

Duplicating Entries

Do you sometimes find yourself documenting several nearly identical things, or even cataloging an item that is nearly identical to something you or a colleague had documented earlier? CatalogIt has a neat feature that can save you time and effort. Here's how to use it:

Find the Entry that has already been recorded
From the Entry view mode (not in “Edit”), click on the Actions menu (the three dots in the upper right)
Select “Duplicate”

This generates a new Entry that is nearly identical to the first one- you’ll need to give the new Entry a name and add its own images and condition assessment. If your account has auto-numbering enabled (either Accession numbering and/or Entry/Object ID numbering), CatalogIt will auto-assign the next number for this new Entry.

Adding Users to your Account

CatalogIt Personal Accounts include up to three users; Museum, Organization, and Conservator Accounts include eight users. To add users up to the amount included in your Account, simply send an email to support@catalogit.app and let us know the email addresses of the users you'd like to add.

If you have already subscribed and would like to add users, here's how:

Log in to your CatalogIt account from a computer (this function is not available on mobile)
Click on the Main Menu (the three bars in the upper left)
Scroll down to "Settings"
Select "Subscription"
Select "Add Subscription" (you are adding a subscription for your additional users)
Check "Additional Users"
Add the number of additional users you would like. Here you can select whether you'd like to pay for them monthly or annually.
Click Next and complete the credit card information.

Once you've finished, send an email to support@catalogit.app and let us know the email addresses of the users you'd like to add.

Here's a brief video showing how to add users (beyond the users included) to your existing subscription.

Process Templates

Download Sample Gift Agreement

Changing the name of your Account

CatalogIt defaults to naming an account with the email address of the user that created it. Giving your Account an "official" name is important if you want to invite others to collaborate in it, so they aren't accessing an account named with your email address. Additionally, if you will be publishing your account to the Web via the CatalogIt HUB, your Account name will be the title of your HUB page. The Account Owner (the person who created the Account) has the ability to change the name. Here's how:

Log in to your account
Click on the Main Menu (the three bars in the upper left)
Scroll down to "Settings"
Click on "Account Profile" under Account Settings
Enter the name you would like your account to have in the Account Name field
Click "Save."

Note: changing the Account Name won't affect your login credentials.