The Hidden Cost of Uncatalogued Collections

Digitising a collection is a major achievement. But when materials sit uncatalogued, the value stays locked away. The costs show up in budgets, staff time, and the public’s ability to engage with your work.

The real costs

Funding pressure. Many grant bodies now ask for evidence of discoverability and access. If materials can’t be searched, they often can’t be counted as impact.

Research friction. Researchers need context: who, what, where, and when. If that metadata isn’t present, enquiry volumes drop and citations disappear.

Operational drag. Staff end up answering the same basic questions over and over because the catalogue can’t.

Why the backlog grows

Cataloguing often happens after digitisation, with smaller budgets and fewer staff. The result is a permanent backlog. The longer it goes on, the harder it becomes to catch up.

Turning the tide

The fastest way to reduce costs is to accelerate structured metadata creation. AI-assisted cataloguing can draft descriptions, subject headings, and summaries at scale — with archivists providing the critical review and context.

The goal isn’t to replace expertise. It’s to free it up, so your team spends time on interpretation and curation instead of repetitive data entry.