Guide
Fossil collection software: a guide for palaeontology collectors
Spreadsheets were never designed for fossils. A real fossil collection catalogue needs fields for species, geological period, formation, locality and provenance — all linked, searchable and shareable.
Built for palaeontology
The fields a fossil collector actually needs
Museumica treats fossils as first-class specimens. Every record can carry the scientific and curatorial data that matters to palaeontologists.
Species & taxonomy
Record class, order, genus and species in dedicated fields. Museumica keeps your palaeontological nomenclature structured and searchable, so a revision or synonym never breaks your catalogue.
Geological period & formation
Capture era, period, stage, formation and approximate age in millions of years. Group your Devonian trilobites or Jurassic ammonites with a single filter.
Locality & stratigraphy
Store the quarry, region, country, GPS coordinates and stratigraphic unit. Provenance attaches directly to the specimen, so a dig site never drifts away from the fossil it describes.
Accession & valuation
Track acquisition date, purchase price, dealer, insurance value and preparation history privately. Public museum pages hide financial data automatically.
AI-assisted descriptions
Turn a terse set of fields into polished, museum-quality prose. The AI uses your real metadata, so it never invents a period or locality.
Drawers, trays & cabinet location
Log where each fossil physically lives — cabinet, drawer, tray or study shelf. Find a specimen fast without opening every case in the room.
Collection views
From gallery cases to research cabinets
Museumica works whether you are managing a public-facing fossil display or a dense private study collection with drawers, trays and specimen notes.
Spreadsheets vs. Museumica
Why generic spreadsheets fall short
- One flat row forces you to flatten complex palaeontological data into a single cell.
- Photos, field notes and stratigraphic maps live in scattered folders.
- A typo in the formation name breaks sorting and makes reports unreliable.
- Sharing means exporting fragile files; online spreadsheets expose private valuations.
- There is no public museum view for visitors or fellow fossil collectors.
What you get with Museumica
- Structured fields validated for fossil data.
- Unlimited images attached to each specimen record.
- Interactive map of collection localities.
- Museum-quality labels with species, period and accession number.
- A public museum page you control — private notes stay hidden.
- CSV and PDF export whenever you want your data back.
Storage & study
Keep every tray, drawer and note connected
Pair specimen records with their physical storage, field notebooks and preparation context so the digital catalogue matches the way your fossil room actually works.
Getting started
How to move your fossil collection into Museumica
- 01
Create a free workspace
Sign up and claim your personal URL at www.museumica.com/your-name.
- 02
Add your first fossil
Fill in species, period, formation, locality, photos and provenance. Or import a CSV if you already have a spreadsheet.
- 03
Organise and publish
Group specimens into collections, print labels, and optionally publish a public museum for fellow collectors.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can I import my existing fossil spreadsheet?
- Yes. Museumica supports CSV import and maps common columns like species, period, formation and locality into the right fields.
- Is there a free plan?
- The Hobby plan is free for personal collections and includes all core palaeontology fields.
- Can I keep my collection private?
- Absolutely. All specimens are private by default. You choose which collections or exhibitions to publish.
- Does it work on mobile?
- Yes. The interface is responsive, so you can photograph a new find and log it from your phone, even in the field.
Ready to catalogue your fossils properly?
Join collectors who have moved from brittle spreadsheets to a real fossil collection manager.
Start free — no credit card required