CollectionSpace
CollectionSpace is an open-source collections management platform for museums, universities, botanical gardens, and historical societies, providing cataloging, loans, exhibitions, and NAGPRA-compliant workflows under the Lyrasis nonprofit umbrella.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CollectionSpace does
CollectionSpace is a community-driven, open-source collections management platform for museums, universities, botanical gardens, historical societies, and tribal/governmental institutions. Founded in 2010 with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and housed under Lyrasis (a nonprofit), the platform provides cataloging, loans, exhibitions, acquisitions, deaccessions, and movement workflows alongside a public-facing browser for sharing collections with researchers and the public. Notable functional modules include a CSV Importer for data migration, a NAGPRA Procedures Suite for repatriation documentation (introduced in v8.1, January 2025), and SAML-based Single Sign-On (added in v8.0, April 2024). Pre-configured domain profiles cover Anthropology, Fine and Contemporary Art, Botanical Gardens, Herbarium, Bonsai, Design Materials, and Local History.
The platform is built on React.js (UI, introduced in v5.0), a Nuxeo enterprise content management backbone, PostgreSQL, and Elasticsearch, with a RESTful API spanning 22 services and integrations including SAML/OpenID SSO, Amazon S3 storage, OpenSeadragon image viewing, and the Culture Object WordPress plugin. The software is distributed under the ECL 2.0 open-source license, with no per-seat fees and unlimited user accounts. Its primary commercial channel is fully-managed hosting via Lyrasis, complemented by an optional paid SSO add-on and an Assisted Data Migration pathway for new implementers. GTM is community-led: conferences (AAM, AAMG, ARLIS/NA, AAAM, MuseWeb), monthly community office hours, webinars, newsletters, and a Google Group/Listserv. Notable implementers include UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Ohio History Connection, Mississippi State University, Center for Creative Photography, Oakland Museum of California, Boston Public Library, NIST, California State University (system rollout), and the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. Funding is philanthropic: the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided the 2010 founding grant and continues to support development; the program is not venture-backed.
CollectionSpace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CollectionSpace
- Legal name
- Lyrasis
- Website
- https://collectionspace.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CollectionSpace is an open-source collections management platform for museums, universities, botanical gardens, and historical societies, providing cataloging, loans, exhibitions, and NAGPRA-compliant workflows under the Lyrasis nonprofit umbrella.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CollectionSpace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collections Management Software
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)
Keywords
Where CollectionSpace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CollectionSpace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Hosting Services via Lyrasis: Fully-managed hosting services provided by Lyrasis, the organizational home. Includes server management, maintenance, data migration support, and technical assistance.
- Single Sign-On (SSO) Service: Optional SAML-based SSO service with setup fee and annual fee for hosted clients
- Open Source Software (Free): CollectionSpace software is freely distributed under ECL 2.0 license. Institutions can self-host at no software cost.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Hosted Services via Lyrasis |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Self-Hosting (Open Source) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
CollectionSpace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CollectionSpace provides an open-source collections management platform that supports cataloging, loans, exhibitions, and digital records for museums, galleries, universities, and historical societies. The platform includes collaborative workflow tools, a CSV Importer for data migration, a Public Browser for sharing collections online, REST APIs for integration, and specialized domain profiles for different collection types including Anthropology, Fine and Contemporary Art, and Botanical Gardens.
Product overview
CollectionSpace is a community-driven, open-source collections management platform for museums, galleries, universities, and historical societies. The core platform provides collaborative workflow tools, unlimited user accounts, and optional fully-managed hosting via Lyrasis. Key modules include the CSV Importer for data migration, Public Browser for public-facing collection sharing, REST API for external integrations, Staff Interface for day-to-day workflows, and NAGPRA Procedures Suite for repatriation documentation. The system offers specialized domain profiles for Anthropology, Botanical Gardens, Fine and Contemporary Art, Local History, Herbarium, Bonsai, and Design Materials collections. Version 8.3 (March 2026) is the current release featuring alternate search views, improved search qualifiers, and accessibility enhancements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CollectionSpace (Core Platform) Community-driven, open-source collections management software providing a full suite of collaborative workflow tools, unlimited user accounts, REST APIs, Public Browser, and CSV Importer. Supports museums, galleries, universities, and historical societies with current release Version 8.3 (March 2026).
- Lyrasis Hosting Fully-managed hosting service backed by Lyrasis providing protected data management, streamlined compliance, and peace of mind with dedicated support including server management, data migration assistance, technical support, and SSO options.
- Single Sign-On (SSO) Service Optional SAML-based Single Sign-On service providing secure, permission-based access for hosted clients. Includes OpenID-based SSO support and improved HECVAT ratings for hosted implementations.
- NAGPRA Procedures Suite Suite of procedures and object-level fields supporting Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) workflows for documenting stewardship and repatriation of collections and ancestors to Indigenous communities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Unlimited user accounts included at no additional cost
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CollectionSpace
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CollectionSpace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature8 records
CollectionSpace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- LyrasiscoreLyrasis serves as the Organizational Home for CollectionSpace, providing fiscal services, internal IT support, human resources, and critical supportive infrastructure. Lyrasis enables CollectionSpace to focus on program-specific needs free from building common infrastructure. Partnership with Lyrasis enables long-term sustainability and program growth.
- Material Order ConsortiamajorCollectionSpace participates in the Material Order Consortia, a consortium of material collections sharing specialized taxonomy vocabularies and expanding access to a network of material collections.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights9 records
CollectionSpace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gallery Systems (TMS): Gallery Systems' The Museum System (TMS) is the dominant proprietary collections management platform for museums and cultural institutions. It competes directly with CollectionSpace on cataloging, loans, exhibitions, and reporting, though it targets larger institutions willing to pay enterprise license fees.
- Re:discovery Software (Proficio): Re:discovery's Proficio and Insight are museum and collections management platforms serving museums and historic houses. They compete with CollectionSpace for mid-sized institutional customers.
- Modes (formerly Modes Users Group) - Modes software: Modes is a community-developed open-source collections management platform, closely analogous to CollectionSpace in architecture, license model, and target audience (museums and university collections).
- Axiell (Axiell Collections): Axiell Collections is a major commercial CMS used by museums, galleries, libraries, and archives globally. It overlaps CollectionSpace directly on cataloging, collection documentation, and public access features, with a stronger international footprint.
- PastPerfect Software: PastPerfect is a widely-used collections and exhibit management system aimed primarily at small and mid-sized museums and historical societies. It targets the same community-driven, smaller-institution segment that CollectionSpace serves.
- EmbARK (eMuseum): EmbARK provides collections and contact management for museums, gardens, and universities, with web publishing via eMuseum. It directly overlaps CollectionSpace's cataloging and public-browsing capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Lucidea (CuadraSTAR, Argus): Lucidea offers a portfolio of collections management products including Argus and CuadraSTAR targeting museums, archives, and special libraries. It is a broader incumbent offering overlapping functionality to similar institutional buyers.
Others
- Culture Object (Thirty8 Digital): Thirty8 Digital develops the Culture Object WordPress plugin and framework that consumes CollectionSpace's REST API to deliver public-facing web experiences. It is an adjacent enabler in the CollectionSpace ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
Emerging players
- Omeka / Omeka S: Omeka is an open-source web publishing platform for digital collections and exhibitions. While less CMS-focused than CollectionSpace, it competes in the same digital-collections-and-public-access segment of cultural heritage institutions.
- ArchivesSpace: ArchivesSpace is an open-source archives management application also housed at Lyrasis, serving archives and special collections. It overlaps with CollectionSpace in the library/special-collections market and is administratively a sibling project.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CollectionSpace social profiles
Digital presenceCollectionSpace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CollectionSpace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CollectionSpace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CollectionSpace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CollectionSpace
What does CollectionSpace do?
CollectionSpace provides an open-source collections management platform that supports cataloging, loans, exhibitions, and digital records for museums, galleries, universities, and historical societies. The platform includes collaborative workflow tools, a CSV Importer for data migration, a Public Browser for sharing collections online, REST APIs for integration, and specialized domain profiles for different collection types including Anthropology, Fine and Contemporary Art, and Botanical Gardens.
Is CollectionSpace a public or private company?
CollectionSpace is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CollectionSpace founded?
CollectionSpace was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CollectionSpace based?
CollectionSpace is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does CollectionSpace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hosting Services via Lyrasis are the primary driver. The others are single Sign-On (SSO) Service and open Source Software (Free).
Who are CollectionSpace's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gallery Systems (TMS), Re:discovery Software (Proficio), Modes (formerly Modes Users Group) - Modes software, Axiell (Axiell Collections), PastPerfect Software and EmbARK (eMuseum). Lucidea (CuadraSTAR, Argus) is listed as a broad incumbent. Culture Object (Thirty8 Digital) is listed as an others. Emerging players are Omeka / Omeka S and ArchivesSpace.
Does CollectionSpace have an API?
Yes. CollectionSpace provides a RESTful API with 22 services supporting essential functions including authentication, authorization, identification, controlled lists, relationships, people and organization names, acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, movement, locations, initial deposit, and others. The API enables external web platforms and discovery tools to integrate with CollectionSpace data. Version 8.3 introduced a new search API powering alternate search views for object record searches.
What industry is CollectionSpace in?
CollectionSpace's product category is Collections Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAF, Libraries, Archives & Special Collections, with a secondary code of EDAEAGAE, Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation). Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 7370.