Ask questions of your collection in plain English. Archive Assistance is a conversational AI tool that lets users explore an archive naturally, without needing to know the right keyword, reference number or spelling variation. Rather than searching for a term and hoping it matches the language used by the original cataloguer, users can ask a question as they would ask a person and receive a sourced, accurate answer drawn directly from the collection. Responses are linked back to the original source material, so users can explore further, verify what they have found and cite their sources with confidence.
/ Archive Intelligence
Many organisations hold archive and heritage collections of real beauty and historical importance. Photographs, letters, maps, ledgers, manuscripts and records that deserve to be preserved, published and made accessible to researchers, communities and the public.
But for many collection holders, that ambition runs into a familiar obstacle: cataloguing. Material that is under-catalogued or not catalogued at all cannot easily be searched, shared or understood. And cataloguing takes time, specialist knowledge, consistent standards and resources that many organisations simply do not have. In some cases, the cataloguing backlog becomes a bottleneck that delays an entire project for months or years. In others, it brings progress to a halt altogether.
Archive Intelligence uses AI to help break that bottleneck. Working directly from digitised images, our technology can read, analyse and extract structured information from a wide range of archive material, including handwritten documents, without the need for a separate OCR stage. The result is a detailed, structured first pass of catalogue data that gives your team a valuable head start.
Every piece of information we extract can be traced directly back to the source document, so you always know exactly where it came from.
The aim is not to replace archivists, researchers or collection holders. It is to give them a valuable head start, reducing repetitive manual work and allowing their time and knowledge to be used where it matters most. Clients remain in control. Information can be reviewed, refined and approved before it is published, and users can be directed back to the original source material.
Every collection is different, so the information extracted can be tailored to the client's needs. Clients can choose the data fields that matter to them, such as names, dates, locations, organisations, document types, subjects or collection-specific information. We can work with them to define the required outputs before processing begins.
/ Heritage Digitisation + The Power of AI
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Auto Title Generation
Give every document a clear, consistent title automatically. For collections where items are untitled, inconsistently described or have never been formally catalogued, Auto Title Generation provides a practical and scalable starting point. Our AI reads each item and generates an accurate, descriptive title based on its content, bringing structure and consistency to collections of any size. Titles can be reviewed and edited by your team before publication, ensuring the final output meets your standards and fits your catalogue conventions.
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Metadata & Tagging
Turn unstructured archive material into searchable, structured data. Metadata and Tagging allows clients to define the fields that matter most to their collection, whether that is names, dates, locations, organisations, document types, subject tags or something more specific to their holdings. Our AI works through the material systematically, extracting and generating structured data to those specifications. The output can be delivered in formats compatible with your catalogue system, heritage platform or web portal, giving you clean, consistent data that is ready to use and ready to publish.
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Transcription
Make the written content of your documents readable, searchable and accessible. Our transcription service converts both typed and handwritten material into accurate text, opening up collections to full-text search, research and wider public access. This is particularly valuable for collections where the content of documents is as important as their existence, such as correspondence, diaries, ledgers or administrative records. As with all our AI outputs, transcriptions can be reviewed and approved by your team before use, ensuring accuracy and consistency across the collection.
/ Why choose Us?
It’s a family affair
We’re proud to fly the flag for family-run businesses, and although our team has grown significantly over the last 60 years, we still bring a personal touch to everything we do.
Complete protection
To ensure your materials are safe in our care, we implement strict security measures and undergo regular disaster recovery assessments.
Specialist heritage facilities
The storage, preparation and digitisation of your heritage materials is carried out in our purpose-built single-level, temperature-controlled studio area measuring over 10,000 feet.
Respected and respectful
Our skilled, knowledgeable and experienced handlers and technicians are known for their meticulous handling of heritage materials – treating them with the respect they deserve at all times.
Gentle preservation
We use cutting-edge technology and advanced techniques to provide one of the UK’s most specialist digitisation services for your rare, precious and fragile heritage materials.
Services by us, for you
Our flexible services are fully tailored to ensure organisations meet their key objectives regardless of the type or quantity of materials.
/ Reviews from our Customers
Alison John
Registration Services Manager, Warwickshire County Council
Anne Atherton
Superintendent Registrar, St Helens Registration Service
Microform Imaging have been a great company to work with, delivering excellent service and creating a unique, bespoke partnership.
Dawn Titherington
Superintendent Registrar, Blackpool Council
Gillian Greeson
Superintendent Registrar, Wigan Council
Pat Evans
Superintendent Registrar, The Register Office, Liverpool
Robert Harrison
IT Director and Partner, HGF
Sir Stirling Moss