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 181 · DO #4171 · 182_Goodspeed_Bx1FF9_r

Collection
Thomas Harper Goodspeed (1887–1966) papers
Item/Folder
Cordes–Cuatrecasas, 1933–1957
Digital Object
DO #4171, page 181
Collection-level dates
1923–1963
Open PDF at page 181 ↗

Page transcription

2079 Life Sciences Bldg.
University of California
Berkeley, California
February 8, 1957

Dr. Jose Cuatrecasas
Smithsonian Institution
Washington 25, D.C.

Dear Jose:

I should long since have acknowledged your most kind letter of months ago. It was especially pleasant to get the news of yourself and the good family. How splendid that the Children are doing so well -- it must be a little hard to have them so scattered and not be able to see much of them.

It was a bit of a shock to realize two years ago that my son Stephen had become 40 years old. But then it is difficult for me to realize that I will be 70 in a few months! Steve is doing well at the Santa Barbara branch of this University, an Associate Professor of Political Science with a big book on World Government about to be published by the Oxford University Press. My daughter, Ellen, waited 14 years for a child, a son now 2½ years old, and is expecting a second in March. So life marches on!

I am really writing to tell you that late in December the Guggenheim Foundation told me that I was to have a grant and a Fellowship according to my request which you were kind enough to sponsor. As you know, one ordinarily has to wait until April to know his fate. I am sure that your support must have been a large factor in the early decision to grant my request. Very many thanks indeed.

From various other sources I have enough to undertake a modest expedition, principally in Peru and Chile, and will take with me two North American assistants and hire more technical help in South America. We expect to be in the field from September of this year to March or April 1958. Wish you were going to be with us!

Is it possible that you would have time to and interest in determining our collections from the Peruvian montana? Since they probably would not be ready for distribution until the end of 1958 it is perhaps too early to ask such a question.

I am glad the Flora of Colombia progresses -- what a monumental piece of work it will be -- and that you find yourself well situated in Washington.

My wife, Betty, and I are very happy and she looks forward to going with me to South America. My very best to you and the charming Martha.
Ever yours,