Custom software for collection registration and loan administration
Appfront builds software for museums, archives and collection managers who register objects and manage loans: each object with its description, location and history; loans to and from other institutions under agreement, including duration, insurance and terms; condition reports on departure and return; transport and couriers; and reminders before a loan expires. So you always know where an object is, under which agreements, and in what condition it left.
What is collection registration and loan administration software?
A museum registers its collection: every object with a number, a description, images and a location. In addition, objects go on loan to other museums for exhibitions, and objects from others come in. Every loan has an agreement, a loan period, an insured value, conditions for climate and security, and a condition report on departure and return. Collection registration and loan administration software keeps all of this together.
In many institutions the collection sits in a registration system, but the loans are in a folder or in the registrar's inbox. Working out which objects are out of the building right now, and until when, takes time. A loan that is due to end is only noticed when the borrower calls. The condition report from departure is a PDF somewhere on a drive. And objects belonging to others that are in the building are not always held in the same system as the institution's own collection.
We build custom because the registration has to fit your collection and your way of working: how you describe and number objects, which registration standard you follow, how you agree and insure loans, how condition reports are produced, and which platforms you publish to. A collection system registers objects; how your loan process runs from request to return, it often only half understands.
Every object, every location
For each object, the description, images, location and every movement, so you know where it is and where it has been.
Loans in and out
Outgoing and incoming loans with agreement, loan period, insured value and conditions, and reminders before they end.
Condition at every departure
A condition report with photographs on departure and return, so any change in an object's state is visible.
How we build your collection registration and loan administration software
We start with your loans: how many come in and go out, how they are agreed, and how long it takes to know which objects are currently out on loan.
Your registration and standard, current loans, agreements and insurance, and how condition reports are currently made.
Migrating the collection with description, images and location, and recording movements.
Request, agreement, insurance, condition report, transport and return, with reminders and correspondence per loan.
Export to public platforms, reporting, and then ongoing management and expansion.
What collection registration and loan administration software actually does
The components below come up in almost every institution with a collection. Which ones you need depends on the size of your collection and your loans.
Object registration
Inventory number, description, maker, dating, materials and images for each object.
Locations
The current location and every movement with date and reason, from store to gallery to loan.
Agreements
For each loan, the lender or borrower, objects, loan period, insured value and conditions.
Condition reports
A report with photographs on departure and return, taken on a tablet next to the object.
Transport and courier
Transport, packing and courier for each loan, with the documents that go with it.
Reminders
A reminder before a loan ends or an extension needs to be requested.
Who we build collection registration and loan administration software for
The software is intended for institutions where loans are currently kept in folders and inboxes.
Museums
Museums with many exhibition loans, both in and out. The loan process and condition reports are the core.
Corporate collections
Art in offices and at other museums. Locations and insured values matter most.
Archives and libraries
Materials lent for exhibitions. Registration and conditions are what is needed.
Private collections
Objects on long-term loan to museums. The agreements and the records are the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page focuses on loans alongside registration. For managing a museum collection in general, see our page on collection management for museums. For cultural institutions, see our page on apps for cultural institutions, and for timed visits, our page on timeslot booking. You can read about our approach at software development.
Why Appfront for your collection registration and loan administration software?
An object that is out of the building remains your responsibility. We build on that: knowing where it is, under which agreements, and in what condition it left.
Always know where it is
Every movement is recorded. Which objects are out on loan is a single overview.
No loans that lapse unnoticed
Reminders arrive before a loan expires. You contact the borrower, not the other way round.
Condition on record
The departure condition report sits beside the one from return. Any damage is visible, not up for debate.
Security and privacy in collection registration and loan administration software
The software holds data on objects, insurance values, storage locations and borrowers, data you do not want made public. Access is set by role: the registrar manages loans, curators see their own objects, and insurance values and storage locations in the depot are visible only to those who need them.
The software runs in a European data centre or on your own server, with encrypted storage and daily back-ups. You decide, field by field, what goes to public platforms.
Frequently asked questions about collection registration and loan administration software
Questions museums and collection managers ask before getting started.
It records objects with description, images and location, logs movements, manages incoming and outgoing loans with agreement, duration, insurance value and conditions, produces condition reports on departure and return, arranges transport and couriers, and sends reminders before a loan expires.
Yes. The fields and procedures follow the standard you use for collection registration. We will establish which one you use in the first step.
Yes. Objects, images and locations are transferred from your current system or spreadsheets, after a check for duplicates and missing fields.
The curator or registrar creates the report on a tablet beside the object, with photographs and notes. On return, a new report is made and placed alongside the first.
Yes. Objects you borrow from others are registered with owner, agreement and conditions, kept separate from your own collection but within the same system.
Yes. You decide, per object and per field, what is public, and the software exports that to your website or a public platform.
Check that first. Many collection systems have a loans module, and that is enough if you lend little. Custom development makes sense if you have many loans, if the process from request to return must sit in one system, or if condition reports need to be made on the shop floor.
Always know where an object is, and under which agreements?
Tell us how large your collection is, how many loans you have and how you currently manage them. We'll show you what registration, the loan process and condition reports look like.