Guide
Shell collection software: a guide for conchologists
Spreadsheets were never designed for seashells. A real shell collection catalogue needs fields for species, locality, depth, dimensions, condition and photographs — all linked, searchable and shareable.
Built for conchology
The fields a shell collector actually needs
Museumica treats shells as first-class specimens. Every record can carry the scientific and curatorial data that matters to conchologists.
Species & taxonomy
Record family, genus, species and authority in dedicated fields. Museumica keeps your conchological nomenclature structured and searchable, so a synonym or revision never breaks your catalogue.
Locality, depth & habitat
Store the beach, reef, country, depth in metres and habitat notes. Provenance attaches directly to the specimen, so a collecting site never drifts away from the shell it describes.
Dimensions & condition
Length, width, aperture, weight and a condition grade all have their own place — not crammed into one spreadsheet cell. Filter your gem-quality cones in seconds.
Accession & valuation
Track acquisition date, purchase price, dealer, insurance value and trade 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 species or locality.
Spreadsheets vs. Museumica
Why generic spreadsheets fall short
- One flat row forces you to flatten complex conchological data into a single cell.
- Photos, dive logs and locality maps live in scattered folders.
- A typo in the species 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 shell collectors.
What you get with Museumica
- Structured fields validated for shell data.
- Unlimited images attached to each specimen record.
- Interactive map of collection localities.
- Museum-quality labels with species, locality and accession number.
- A public museum page you control — private notes stay hidden.
- CSV and PDF export whenever you want your data back.
Getting started
How to move your shell 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 shell
Fill in species, locality, depth, dimensions, 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 conchologists.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can I import my existing shell spreadsheet?
- Yes. Museumica supports CSV import and maps common columns like species, locality, depth and dimensions into the right fields.
- Is there a free plan?
- The Hobby plan is free for personal collections and includes all core conchology 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 shell and log it from your phone, even on the beach.
Ready to catalogue your shells properly?
Join conchologists who have moved from brittle spreadsheets to a real shell collection manager.
Start free — no credit card required