Heratio is a standalone, web-based platform for the whole GLAM & records sector - Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums - plus the digital-asset management (DAM) and recordkeeping functions that increasingly sit alongside them. Rather than bolting a museum tool onto a library system, Heratio treats archival description, museum cataloguing, library holdings, digital preservation and research services as one connected data model, so a single item can be described, linked, preserved and served to the public from one place.

It is built for international practice. The core platform is jurisdiction-neutral: descriptive and preservation standards are implemented in the engine itself, while country-specific compliance regimes are added as optional modules rather than baked into defaults.

One platform, many domains

Heratio unifies functions that are usually split across separate systems:

  • Multi-level archival description built on ISAD(G) and the newer Records in Contexts (RiC) conceptual model
  • Museum cataloguing and collections procedures aligned to Spectrum
  • Digital objects and deep-zoom delivery via IIIF, with 3D model support
  • A full research portal for reading-room bookings, reproductions and researcher accounts

Standards at the core

Interoperability is a design goal, not an afterthought. Heratio speaks the metadata languages the sector relies on - Dublin Core, EAD for encoded archival description, and RiC for graph-based context - and its recordkeeping features are informed by ISO 15489 (records management) and ISO 16175 (digital records requirements). Preservation thinking follows the OAIS reference model (ISO 14721) and PREMIS preservation metadata.

In practice. Before rolling out Heratio, map your existing descriptive practice to a standard - ISAD(G) for archives, Spectrum for museums - so migrated records inherit consistent field meanings. Clean input standards make later export, harvesting and RiC linking dramatically easier.

Key takeaways

  • Heratio is one platform spanning archives, museums, libraries, DAM and records management
  • Core standards (ISAD(G), RiC, Spectrum, Dublin Core, EAD, OAIS, PREMIS) are built in, not add-ons
  • It is jurisdiction-neutral by design, with compliance regimes handled as pluggable modules

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Last modified: Saturday, 1 August 2026, 11:03 AM