Every collector, registrar, and consultant has been there: You’re standing in a storage facility, excitedly uncrating a new object. You’ve patiently awaited the item to acclimate; now the exhibiting fun begins. But once the crate is opened, you see the item shifted in transit and, upon closer inspection, a hairline crack is snaking along the edge, marring what used to be a pristine surface.
Historically, you may have started a condition report by rifling through printed documentation, looking for any mention of the crack. You may have walked back to an office to pull past condition reports and grab a camera in case the damage was new or worse. You’d take photos of the damage and meticulous notes before settling down in front of your computer to survey the damage and update the object’s condition. But collections professionals don’t work at desks all day – and their tools shouldn’t assume they do.
Our mobile app allows users to directly create condition reports on-site, at the exact moment of inspection, without sacrificing detail or accuracy. Perfect for the registrar working solo, the consultant doing an on-site visit, or the collector at home, the Collector Systems app provides you with everything you need to prepare a condition report at your fingertips. You can easily view previous condition reports, annotate previous reports, and quickly create new reports.
Using your phone, you can easily take or upload images. Annotating photos for conservation and preservation has never been easier–no more drawing diagrams or marking up printed photos. You can immediately highlight areas of concerns and even add text directly to images, taking the guessing game out of condition communication.
Our app offers all the editing capabilities of your standard photo app, including markup features, fillable shape tools, and enhancement and editing functions. You can quickly snap a photo of the object, use the pen or shape tools, and the text feature to clearly identify any areas of concern.
Beyond the ability to quickly and easily add images, the app also includes voice dictation, making it easier than ever to add information untethered from a device, perfect for when you’re working alone or need both hands free.
Our condition reporting feature streamlines the process and prevents information from being lost in the documentation shuffle. By immediately uploading the information, you reduce the risk of oversight and ambiguity. You’ll never have to worry about someone really meaning upper left when they wrote upper right, nor confusing cleavage with cracking.
Not only is the information uploaded to the app automatically timestamped with added contact information, but it is immediately visible to anyone on your team since we are a cloud-based system. The created report is then easily shared with conservation, preservation, and insurance specialists. With our digital signature feature, you can quickly generate and sign off on the condition report. There’s no need for extra steps of downloading files or drafting emails–you can send the signed report to stakeholders for approval directly from the app, and even request the recipient’s signature if you’re working with other institutions or professionals.
Always accessible from our web app, our condition reporting feature is made even more convenient through our iOS/Android app. All information shared with Collector Systems is always protected by our enhanced security system. Relegate the laborious process of manually uploading condition documentation to the annals of history. As every collector knows, ownership eventually ends, but stewardship always remains.
