From Artifact to Data Point
Interview with Kristina Leipold, CEO of Picturae Holding B.V.
Worldwide, millions of valuable collection items are stored in archives and museums – as evidence of nature, culture, and science, yet often hidden from research and the public. Digitalization makes this knowledge researchable and usable in the long term. A leading company in this field is the globally operating Picturae Holding B.V., with locations in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands, and Jersey City, USA. CEO Kristina Leipold explains how technological innovation can preserve and make accessible the world's cultural heritage.
Big questions of our time – climate change, species loss, historical research or culture of remembrance – cannot be answered without accessing the archives of the world. Millions of collection items are stored in depots, scientific collections, and museums. They document scientific insights, cultural developments, and ecological relationships over centuries. Despite their high value, many of these holdings are accessible to only a few specialists – conservatorily protected, but hardly available digitally. This results in a knowledge gap that is difficult to bridge in an increasingly data-driven world. Digitization changes this situation: It connects preservation and use, protects fragile originals, and makes them visible worldwide at the same time. In this way, isolated archives become interconnected spaces of knowledge that accelerate research and enable cultural participation. This is precisely what CEO Kristina Leipold sees as the mission of the internationally active company: 'We make knowledge accessible that the world needs – and that would otherwise remain hidden.'
Specialized Expertise
Digitalization of natural and cultural-historical collections follows its own rules. Herbarium sheets, glass plate negatives, historical maps, fragile insect preparations, or x-rayed archaeological objects – each material requires individual treatment. Additionally, conservation requirements are often more stringent than technical specifications. Standard hardware hardly works here, as collections are rarely homogeneous and almost never standardized. Picturae has developed an approach that brings together technology and understanding of objects. The company develops its own scanning and conveying systems and adapits software, robotics, and workflows to meet the requirements of each collection. Kristina Leipold describes this attitude as follows: "We develop solutions because the objects require it, not because we have them on the shelf." This makes digitization a dialogic discipline – between technology, restoration, research, and institutional goals.
New Visibility
The impact of digitization is evident in international projects that serve as models. Whether it's digitization in the studio in Jersey City, on-site solutions in Europe, or projects in Asia: Once collections are available digitally, they enter into a global exchange. New scientific insights often arise exactly where previously unconnected data can suddenly be compared. For many institutions, this changes their self-image – regional archives become global knowledge resources. "When a collection becomes digital, it steps out of the display case into a worldwide scientific dialogue," says the CEO. For example, the Museum fuer Naturkunde Berlin digitized 500,000 specimens from its insect collection with the help of a conveyor belt system provided by Picturae. Digital collections enable not only research but also new target groups: Schools, citizen science communities, artists, or interested laypeople gain access to material that was previously only available with gloves, in air-conditioned rooms, and by appointment.
Connecting Element
Despite growing dynamics, the proportion of unexplored collections worldwide is significant. In Germany, about 87% of natural history collections are still not digitized, internationally it is similar. In addition, each institution historically works with its own systems, different labellings, metadata structures, and archival logics. Digitization thus means not only 'imaging', but also 'translating' and 'standardizing'. Here, Picturae becomes the connecting element between local conventions and global research standards. "Digitization means not only making visible, but also making connectable," explains Kristina Leipold. Only through interoperable formats can international knowledge networks emerge, in which biodiversity data, origins, provenance issues, or cultural-historical contexts can be combined. This creates transparency, comparability – and scientific acceleration.
Technologies in Transition
The requirements are increasing: research is becoming more data-intensive, political funding systems demand efficiency and transparency, and smaller facilities require scalable solutions. Picturae is therefore investing in AI-based text recognition, automated quality control, collaborative robotics, and modular system architectures. The goal is not automation for its own sake but rather the acceleration of complex processes while maintaining or improving quality. At the same time, the future is becoming more hybrid: digitized objects are linked with analysis tools, metadata grows and becomes part of intelligent search and research logics. Kristina Leipold puts it this way: "In the future, the question will not be whether digitalization is possible, but how quickly it can create benefits and how many people gain access." Digitalization thus becomes a strategic tool,
Relevance over Files
Collections are not static repositories of knowledge; they come alive with their use. Every digitization creates new research approaches, comparison possibilities, and societal relevance. Digital visibility gives objects, which have been protected yet isolated for decades, a second life. For many institutions, this means a fundamental shift in perspective from merely preserving to actively imparting knowledge and engaging in global research partnerships. Thus, digitization becomes a cultural mission that combines responsibility and forward thinking. At Picturae, the focus is not on the technology, but on the impact. "We do not digitize for files, but for meaning," says CEO Kristina Leipold. "Only in the digital space does the second life phase of an object begin – visible, researchable, and relevant. And this is true worldwide."