Online collection
Objects with photos, stories, makers, places and dates. Searchable, browsable and shareable from any phone.
Museum software: online collections, tickets & bookings
Museums: the whole collection, searchable online. More stories seen, less admin.
Most of the collection sits in storage, the catalogue lives in one volunteer's spreadsheet, exhibitions get promoted on flyers and school visits are booked by phone. We build online collections, cataloguing, exhibition, ticketing and booking systems for museums and historical societies that all talk to each other. Then we host them and look after them.
Looking for museum software that shows off the collection and runs the front desk?
A museum is a collection, a visitor attraction, an education provider, a charity and a volunteer club all under one roof. Usually there's a catalogue in an old database, a cash tin at the door, a school bookings diary by the phone and a volunteer roster stuck to the fridge. Thousands of objects with great stories sit in boxes that only a handful of people will ever open.
Wollopit builds custom museum software around how your museum actually runs. Volunteers catalogue objects from a phone. The public searches the collection online. Exhibitions get their own pages and sell their own tickets. Schools book and pay without ringing. Grant reports pull the numbers themselves. We connect the tools you already like, work alongside the collection system you trust and look after the lot on our own servers.
01The problems
What we hear from museums
Does your museum have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most museums we talk to are rich in stories and short on hands. The systems behind them were set up years ago by someone who's since moved on.
- The problemThe collection is only seen in personMost objects sit in storage and the few on display are only seen by people who walk through the door.How we fix itA searchable online collection with photos, stories, places and people, so anyone can browse the stores from home.
- The problemThe catalogue lives on one old computerAn Access database, a card index or a spreadsheet only one volunteer really understands. If that laptop dies the records go with it.How we fix itA cloud catalogue with accession numbers, locations and condition notes, backed up properly and usable by the whole team.
- The problemCataloguing is slow and stuck at a deskVolunteers photograph objects on a phone, then walk back to the office to type everything in later. Half of it never gets done.How we fix itA phone-friendly cataloguing app: snap photos, scan the label, fill in the details and save it on the spot.
- The problemExhibitions promoted on flyersA new exhibition opens with a stack of flyers at the visitor centre and a single Facebook post.How we fix itExhibition pages with images, dates, related objects and events, shown on your website, Google and socials at once.
- The problemTickets sold from a cash tinEntry is cash at the door and nobody's quite sure how many people came through last month.How we fix itOnline tickets and timed entry with QR check-in, door sales on a tablet and visitor numbers counted automatically.
- The problemSchool visits booked by phoneTeachers ring during a lesson break, leave a message and the education officer plays phone tag for a week.How we fix itOnline education bookings with programs, year levels, curriculum links, risk assessment packs and invoices sent to the school.
- The problemVolunteer rosters by email chainShifts sorted by reply-all, gaps on Sunday afternoons and nobody knows who's done their induction.How we fix itA volunteer portal with rosters, shift swaps, induction records and reminders on their phone.
- The problemResearch enquiries pile upFamily historians email asking about great-grandad's shop. Image requests for books and newsletters sit unanswered.How we fix itEnquiry and image request forms linked to collection items, with a shared inbox, fees and usage terms built in.
- The problemPeople turn up with Nan's thingsDonated objects arrive in a box at the front desk with no paperwork and no record of who gave them.How we fix itObject offer forms, acquisition decisions and deed of gift records tracked from first enquiry to accession.
- The problemDonations and members on spreadsheetsA donation box by the door, Friends memberships renewed by cheque and receipts typed one by one.How we fix itOnline giving, appeals and memberships with automatic renewals and tax receipts where you hold DGR status.
- The problemGrant reports take a fortnightVisitor numbers, school groups and volunteer hours get scraped together from five places at acquittal time.How we fix itReports that pull visitors, students, volunteer hours and collection progress straight from the system.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for museums. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Volunteer cataloguing app
Catalogue from a phone in the stores: photos, accession numbers, locations, condition and significance notes.
Collection records & locations
Accession registers, storage locations, movements, loans and condition reports in one place.
Exhibition pages
Current, upcoming and past exhibitions with images, related objects and events. Past shows stay online as digital exhibitions.
Ticketing & timed entry
Online tickets, timed sessions, concessions, family passes and QR check-in, plus door sales on a tablet.
Education bookings
School and group programs with year levels, curriculum links, capacity, deposits and invoices.
Events & talks
Talks, workshops, tours and holiday programs with tickets or free RSVPs and reminder emails.
Volunteer rosters
Shifts, swaps, induction and training records, volunteer hours and reminders by SMS.
Donations & appeals
Online giving, appeal pages, regular donations and receipts sent automatically.
Friends & memberships
Member sign-ups, renewals, digital member cards and member-only previews.
Research & image requests
Enquiry forms linked to objects, reproduction fees, usage terms and high-res file delivery.
Object offers & acquisitions
Offer forms, committee decisions, deed of gift records and a clear trail from donor to accession.
Visitor & grant reports
Visitor numbers, students, volunteer hours and collection stats ready for grant acquittals and annual reports.
Venue hire
Function and meeting room enquiries, availability, quotes and bookings on one calendar.
A website worth visiting
Hand-built, quick on mobile, with what's on, opening hours and the collection front and centre.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole museum, on one system.
These are the systems museums and historical societies ask us about most. Each one works on its own and they get properly useful once they're joined up.
Online collection
Open the stores to everyone.
Your collection becomes a searchable website people actually enjoy browsing. Objects link to the people, places and events in their stories. Locals find their street and family historians find their family.
- Search by keyword, maker, place or date
- Browse by theme and collection
- Large zoomable photos
- Stories and significance for each object
- People and places linked across items
- Map of where objects came from
- Hide sensitive or restricted items
- Cultural sensitivity notices
- Share and enquire buttons on every item
- Pulls from eHive, Mosaic or your own catalogue
Cataloguing
Catalogue it where it sits.
Volunteers work through the stores with a phone in hand. Photos, measurements, locations and notes are saved on the spot, then checked by the collections manager before anything goes public.
- Phone and tablet friendly
- Photos straight from the camera
- Accession number and label scanning
- Storage locations and movements
- Condition reports
- Draft, review and publish steps
- Volunteer progress tracking
- Bulk import from old spreadsheets
- Proper daily backups
- Export to your collection system
Exhibitions & tickets
Exhibitions that promote themselves.
Set up an exhibition once and it shows on your website, Google and socials with tickets attached. Timed entry keeps busy weekends under control and every visitor is counted without a clicker.
- Exhibition pages with related objects
- Upcoming and past exhibitions
- Online tickets and timed entry
- Concessions, family passes and members
- QR check-in at the door
- Tablet sales at the front desk
- Talks and tours linked to each show
- Capacity limits and waitlists
- Visitor numbers by day and exhibition
- Past shows kept as digital exhibitions
Education bookings
Schools book without ringing.
Teachers choose a program, pick a date and get a confirmation with everything they need for their risk assessment. Your education officer sees the term at a glance and invoices go out on their own.
- Programs by year level
- Australian Curriculum links
- Live availability by date
- Group size and supervision ratios
- Deposits and school invoices
- Risk assessment and visit packs
- Pre-visit and post-visit resources
- Reminders to teachers
- Outreach and incursion bookings
- Student numbers for grant reports
Volunteers, members & donors
The people who keep the doors open.
Volunteers manage their own shifts. Friends renew themselves and donors get receipts without anyone typing them up. Volunteer hours and supporter numbers roll straight into your grant reports.
- Volunteer rosters and shift swaps
- Induction and training records
- Volunteer hours logged
- SMS shift reminders
- Friends memberships and renewals
- Online donations and appeals
- Regular giving
- Automatic donation receipts
- Supporter emails via Mailchimp
- Payments synced to Xero or MYOB
04How it changes
Before and after
A new exhibition, wolloped.
Here's how opening a new exhibition could change. Every museum is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Flyers printed and dropped at the visitor centre
- One Facebook post, then nothing
- Entry paid in cash at the door
- Schools ring and leave messages
- Volunteers sorted by reply-all email
- The objects in the show are never seen online
After
- Exhibition page live with images and dates
- Website, Google and socials updated in one go
- Timed tickets sold online with QR check-in
- Schools book the matching program online
- Volunteers pick up opening shifts on their phone
- Every object in the show is searchable online
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for museums.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for museums
Built around how your museum actually runs: online collection, volunteer cataloguing app and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for museums
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Museum system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for museums
Collection records & locations and exhibition pages: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect eHive, Mosaic and Vernon CMS so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your museum, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the tools you rely on, work alongside collection systems you're happy with or replace the ones holding you back.
- eHive
- Mosaic
- Vernon CMS
- Axiell Collections
- Trove
- Tessitura
- Humanitix
- Eventbrite
- Square
- Stripe
- Xero
- MYOB
- Mailchimp
- Raisely
- Shopify
- Google Business Profile
- Google Calendar
- YouTube
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your museum: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We walk the galleries, the stores and the front desk with your team, then work out what's actually slowing you down.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your collection records, exhibitions, tickets, schools, volunteers, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually the most painful bit first, so you get a win before your next exhibition opens.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things museums ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can volunteers add items to the online collection?
Yes. Volunteers can catalogue items from a phone with photos and stories. Nothing goes public until someone you trust has checked it.
We already use eHive or Mosaic. Do we have to switch?
No. If your collection system is doing its job we build around it, pulling records into a better public website with tickets and bookings alongside. If it's holding you back we'll show you what moving would involve before anything changes.
Can we keep some items off the public site?
Yes. You choose what's published. Sensitive, culturally restricted or privately loaned items can stay internal, with cultural notices on anything that needs one.
We're a small volunteer-run historical society. Is this overkill?
Not if we keep it simple. Plenty of small museums just need an online collection and a way for schools to book. We start with what helps most and add more only if you want it.
Can it help with grant reports?
Yes. Visitor numbers, student groups, volunteer hours and cataloguing progress are all recorded as you go, so the report is mostly done when acquittal time comes.
How much does a museum system cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like exhibition pages or school bookings can be quick. Bigger systems are planned in stages so you get the first win early instead of waiting for everything at once.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated, backed up and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most museums we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a museum problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.