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 5 · DO #1106 · 26_Mathias_Bx2FF13r

Collection
Mildred Esther Mathias (1906–1995) papers
Item/Folder
Miller–Sanderson, 1927–1950
Digital Object
DO #1106, page 5
Collection-level dates
1927–1952
Open PDF at page 5 ↗

Page transcription

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
BRONX PARK (FORDHAM BRANCH P.O.)
NEW YORK, N.Y.

PRESIDENT
JOSEPH R. SWAN

VICE-PRESIDENTS
HENRY DEF. BALDWIN
JOHN L. MERRILL

DIRECTOR
WILLIAM J. ROBBINS

TREASURER
ARTHUR M. ANDERSON

Dr. Mildred H. Mathias,
1156 Keeler Avenue,
Berkeley, Calif.

Dear Dr. Mathias:

Recently I have been assigned the terrific task of identifying and reporting on the large extra-tropical South American herbarium assembled by Mr. Krukoff, consisting chiefly of collections of Cabrera, Farodi, Schulz, Job, Carette, Venturi, Schlechter, Castellanos, Descole, Werdermann, etc.

It is my plan to enlist the cooperation of specialists in various groups and ask them to contribute the determinations and notes on their particular groups. A series of annual reports will then be issued by me, arranged in families, with the name of the contributor given under each family. The contributors will be able to include in their notes just as much as they see fit to put in besides the collector's name and number, place and date of collection, and any other data appearing on the label -- they may include notes on synonymy, distribution, other citations, and comments of any sort which they think are relevant. It will be expected that they will publish all new species, varieties, or combinations in my series of reports, rather than elsewhere, and will furnish the Latin and English diagnoses where needed. They may order from me any number of reprints of their portion of the report at a nominal cost.

In my preliminary sorting of the 5000 sheets in this collection, I find a number of specimens which I take to be umbellifers, chiefly from Argentina and in excellent condition. Would you be willing to determine these for me and contribute to my report on this group? If so, I shall send you the specimens at once on loan -- they are mostly unicates -- at our expense, and you would be expected, of course, to return them to me "collect". There is no rush about the job, so that you need not feel at all hurried if you consent to cooperate with me in this work.

Are there any other groups which you would like to undertake for me, or can you suggest anyone else in Berkeley who would be willing to take any groups for me?

Hoping to hear favorably from you at your convenience and with all best wishes, I beg to remain,

Very sincerely yours,

Harold N. Moldenke,
Associate Curator