PICO is designed for exactly that moment. It provides a professional entry point into digitization without forcing small archives to adopt the complexity of large-scale systems. The setup is compact, focused, and realistic for limited space, staff, and budgets.
Despite its size, PICO does not compromise on standards. Ingest, metadata handling, and process control follow the same professional principles used in larger environments. Collections can be preserved immediately, without waiting for long planning phases or future funding rounds.
Crucially, PICO is not a dead end. It is scalable by design. As volumes grow, workflows expand, or requirements change, the system grows with them. No replatforming, no restart, no sunk investment.
This changes the conversation from “Are we ready?” to “Why are we waiting?” PICO allows small archives to act now, build experience, and move forward at their own pace, without locking themselves into fragile or temporary solutions.
