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 26 · DO #4178 · 182_Goodspeed_Bx1FF16_r

Collection
Thomas Harper Goodspeed (1887–1966) papers
Item/Folder
Goethe–Greenman, 1948–1958
Digital Object
DO #4178, page 26
Collection-level dates
1923–1963
Open PDF at page 26 ↗

Page transcription

COPY 7/10/50

2079 Life Sciences
Univ. of California
Berkeley 4, California
May 26, 1950

Mr. F. L. Doelker
W. R. Grace and Co.
2 Pine Street
San Francisco, California

Dear Mr. Doelker:

I am considering a continuation of our South American botanical exploration which has been going on for the past fifteen years, by sending one of my assistants on a former expedition, Mr. Walter J. Eyerdam of Seattle, to Ecuador. I wish him to collect plants and seeds from Guayaquil north along the coast and principally in the botanically unknown coastal mountains of Depto. Manabi. He would leave in November or December of this year and return in May or June, 1951. This expedition like previous ones would be under the auspices of the University of California Botanical Garden, of which I am Director.

In the past W. R. Grace and Co., has generously cooperated with me by transporting without charge collecting equipment to South America and the plant material we collected from South America to California. Also some discount on passenger fares by freighter has been allowed, in view of the scientific nature of our South American work.

Before attempting to secure from friends of the University the funds necessary to finance this expedition I will need an estimate of transportation costs. I believe that at times your ships leave from Astoria which would be a convenient embarkation point in Mr. Eyerdam's case. Your fall schedule of departures for South America from this coast may not yet be arranged but perhaps you could tell me what are the probabilities.

With appreciation of your continued interest and cooperation and with best wishes,

Sincerely,

THG:T