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 48 · DO #4193 · 182_Goodspeed_Bx2FF31_r

Collection
Thomas Harper Goodspeed (1887–1966) papers
Item/Folder
Nieto–O'Dette, 1946–1957
Digital Object
DO #4193, page 48
Collection-level dates
1923–1963
Open PDF at page 48 ↗

Page transcription

March 11, 1948.

Mr. W. J. Norton,
Office of Business Manager,
University of California,
Berkeley Campus.

Dear Mr. Norton,

I have your letter of March 2 concerning exchange
of plant material, with welcome communication from Mr. L. H.
Sweeney.

The Botanical Garden here is a scientific institution
which, in keeping with precedent long established among such or-
ganizations throughout the world, engages in free exchange of
duplicate or surplus material with institutions of equal standing.
I receive annually the exchange lists of approximately fifty Bo-
tanical Gardens and propose as soon as facilities are available
again to issue a list of offerings of this Botanical Garden.

Since from other Botanical Gardens through this system
of scientific exchange it is possible to obtain all the plant ma-
terial needed for instruction and research which is not normally
grown in this Botanical Garden, exchange with local commercial
growers of plants is not necessary. In an emergency material is
purchased from such growers. Because of their interest in the de-
velopment of a proper Botanical Garden in this area they often
offer to give me the surplus from their plantings which, if ac-
cepted, is reported to the Regents as donations. In no case have
commercial growers who have made donations requested exchanges;
indeed, in some instances they have bought surplus material from
the Botanical Garden.

Amateur horticulturists have from time to time requested
material from the Botanical Garden on an exchange basis. I
have refused to make such an arrangement but when the situation
warranted it I have supplied without charge what was desired.

I believe that the University may be subject to criticism if it engages in exchange of plant material with commercial
growers. In the case cited by Mr. Sweeney there may be a number
of other nurserymen in the Los Angeles area who desire ivy roots
and would be glad to enter into an exchange agreement with the
University in order to obtain them. They might feel that they al-
so should have been given an opportunity to obtain the plants.
The only way to meet such a situation would be the issue, peri-
odically, by the University as a whole of a list of plant mater-
ial available for exchange.