Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
A Research Division of Carnegie Mellon University

Hunt Institute Archives Text Discovery Platform

Search a large and growing portion of our online collections, including handwritten documents.
PROTOTYPE

This prototype uses state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, including a vision-language model (VLM) capable of reading handwritten documents as well as typed and printed text, to create searchable transcriptions of digitized materials in the Hunt Institute Archives. This makes it possible to search the textual contents of individual pages, including material that may not be described in the archival catalog.

Use Keyword search for specific words, names, dates, scientific names, or phrases. Try Semantic search (experimental) to describe a topic, question, or kind of material when you do not know the exact wording used in the documents.

About the AI-generated transcriptions

The transcriptions are generated automatically from page images and may contain errors, especially with difficult handwriting, unusual names, multiple languages, image-quality problems, or complex layouts. They are intended primarily as a discovery aid rather than authoritative transcriptions.

Each result provides the generated transcription and links to the original digitized material and associated archival description so that readings can be checked against the source. The transcription workflow uses AI models run locally by the Hunt Institute.

About Keyword and Semantic search

Keyword search is the default and matches the wording in the transcriptions. Results contain all your terms. Use quotes for an exact phrase. Substring matching is supported, so aceae can find plant-family names ending in -aceae.

Semantic search (experimental) is useful when you know what kind of material you are looking for but do not know the words used in the documents. It ranks transcribed passages by similarity of meaning, so relevant results may not contain the exact words in your query.

Semantic queries can be broad research topics, descriptions of activities or relationships, or natural-language questions. For example:

plant collecting and fieldwork in South America medicinal, culinary, or other traditional uses of plants chromosomes and plant classification early herbals and botanical illustrations botanical institutions exchanging plants, seeds, and specimens microscopy and photomicrography in botanical research How did botanists and gardeners introduce plants from one region to another? grafting, budding, and propagation of tropical fruit crops

Semantic search is not a chatbot: a question is used as a search query, and the system returns archival passages that appear conceptually related to it rather than generating an answer or summary. Short descriptions and ordinary research questions generally work better than lists of disconnected keywords. Quotation marks have no special meaning in Semantic mode. Cross-language matching may work in some cases, but it should not be treated as translation.

Keyword and Semantic search are complementary. Keyword search lets you require particular wording; Semantic search can surface differently worded passages about the same subject. Depending on the research question, trying both can reveal different useful material.

Open a result: use the prominent page-and-transcription link to see the metadata, PDF, and full transcription. Keyword-search terms are highlighted in the transcription.

Archives Collections Database (ArchivesSpace): the Collection, Item/Folder, and Digital Object links open the corresponding archival records. Collection-level dates describe the collection as a whole, not necessarily the specific item or page.

If a PDF does not load: on the detail page, use the Digital Object link, click “Go to file” in ArchivesSpace, and navigate to the page number shown here.

Current limitations
  • Automated transcriptions can contain missing or incorrect text or unintended repetition. Difficult handwriting, image quality, unusual layouts, and multiple languages can reduce accuracy. Always consult the original page image when an exact reading matters.
  • Semantic search remains experimental. Its rankings are an additional discovery aid, not a complete or definitive set of relevant results, and highly ranked pages can sometimes be only broadly related.
  • This is an active prototype. Search coverage, transcriptions, functionality, and the interface may continue to change as additional archival material is processed and the system is improved.

← Back to results

Page 33 · DO #4169 · 182_Goodspeed_Bx1FF7_r

Collection
Thomas Harper Goodspeed (1887–1966) papers
Item/Folder
Castellanos–Chappell, 1948–1960
Digital Object
DO #4169, page 33
Collection-level dates
1923–1963
Open PDF at page 33 ↗

Page transcription

high altitudes and under other unfavorable conditions but hope to obtain native collectors who will do most of the hard work. With any luck it should be possible to get most of the additional evidence I need for my book on the vegetation of the west coast of South America and its distribution. In addition, there is more information concerning some of the South American Nicotianas that should go into the book on tobacco and its wild relatives which will go to the publisher after the first of the year.

There is a chance that we will go to Europe for three to four months next spring. I am saying nothing about this possibility until I get the approval of President Sproul and the State Department. The Council of Scientific Investigation in Madrid wants me to come to Spain to give lectures and organize a research institute in plant breeding. They will pay my round trip transportation, maintain me in Spain and give me a salary sufficient to pay Florence's transportation and maintenance.

I do not like the Franco regime but I know that I can be of real assistance to my Spanish colleagues and I need to study the plant collections in Madrid where all the original evidence concerning the floras of South America is preserved. My son Steve, and Instructor in Political Science in the Santa Barbara branch of the University, is violently opposed to my accepting anything from or in any way appearing to support or assist Spain while Franco is in power. The few people here who have recently been in Spain and some of my Washington friends believe that I ought to accept the invitation. If we do it will probably mean taking a Spanish liner from New York about April 1 and that, hopefully, will mean getting a glimpse of you.

We judge from your last letter that all is well with you and the family. Florence and I send you and them our affectionate greetings.

As ever yours,