Digitizing Museum Collections Doesn't Have to Cost Tens of Thousands of Euros in Licenses

The market is flooded with specialized collection and inventory management systems that promise complete digitization, and end up a nightmare instead. Staff are reluctant to use them because they're slower than an ordinary spreadsheet, and the cost of a pile of monthly user licenses keeps eating into the budget.

The truth is most institutions already have all the tools they need on their own computers. By automating existing Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheets and connecting them with simple scripts, you can build solutions tailored to the institution's actual processes — without needing expensive software subscriptions.

The budget you invest doesn't go toward paying for a "license to use" someone else's software — it goes toward a stable system setup, regular annual maintenance, and technical support whenever a small upgrade or fix is needed.

A scenario from practice: buying a cannon to shoot a sparrow

In museums and cultural institutions, the story is almost always the same. A "collection digitization" project kicks off, a budget is approved, procurement runs its course, and a complex platform gets purchased. Six months later, curators are still keeping their own parallel notes and spreadsheets on the side because the new system is too complicated for quick data entry in the field or in storage.

The problem is rarely staff being unwilling to adopt technology. It lies in the assumption that digitization has to mean buying a bulky system with contracts tied to the number of computers or users, and months of training.

"The best digital transformation in the cultural sector is the kind curators and administration don't even feel as a burden, because they keep working in the same familiar spreadsheets — except now those spreadsheets suddenly do the heavy lifting themselves, while an outside partner handles the technical stability."

A smarter model: you pay for support, not expensive software

The idea that every institution needs a bulky software package often ends with only about 10% of its features ever getting used. Real operational problems — like slow inventory list creation, manually reconciling exhibit locations between storage and the exhibition floor, or late reports to the founding body — don't call for new software. They just call for someone to cleverly connect the tools already in place.

DataLytics approaches the problem the opposite way from classic IT vendors: instead of selling expensive third-party licenses, it analyzes the institution's existing processes and builds a system inside the tools it already owns. That model includes comprehensive annual maintenance — meaning DataLytics takes on responsibility for script stability, backups, and every small fix and adjustment throughout the year.

What automation looks like in a museum

The solution is built through concrete steps tailored to the institution's specifics:

1. Automating data entry and document generation
   Manually copying exhibit data from inventory logs into loan certificates, receipts, or reports is replaced with automation. Using Google Apps Script, a script pulls the data straight from the spreadsheet and generates finished documents with a single click.
2. Connecting departments and storage into a single system
   Instead of curators, records staff, and technical services each keeping their own version of the same exhibit spreadsheet, the data is connected into a central, secure format. Staff keep working in the spreadsheets they're used to, while a script running in the background automatically keeps the status and location of the collection in sync.
3. Building a dedicated digital platform (custom portal)
   When an institution's needs outgrow spreadsheets alone, DataLytics can also build a dedicated, purpose-built digital system or internal platform. Such a portal brings together all the spreadsheet data, documentation, and records in one place, giving management and curators a clear dashboard with full visibility into the entire collection and its processes.
4. Ongoing support and annual maintenance
   With an annual support model, there's no need to worry about changing report formats, adding new collections, or needing new features. The system is fully covered by regular maintenance and fast technical support.

Old way vs. new way

• Old way: the institution buys new collection-registry software, pays expensive monthly licenses for every curator's computer, and staff still secretly keep their own Excel spreadsheets because the new system is too slow and rigid for everyday changes.
• New way: staff keep working in the spreadsheets they already know well, or through a simple custom-built platform. Behind the scenes, a script automatically links the data and exports documents, while an affordable annual maintenance plan guarantees the institution technical support and future adjustments with no unexpected costs.

In practice, just one automated script that replaces a few hours of manual copying per week frees up curators' and staff's time for what really matters: researching, preserving, and presenting the heritage in their care.