AI for Archivist
Processing a single mid-sized collection can mean 20+ hours of description writing — scope notes, series introductions, biographical notes, and hundreds of folder titles — and most institutions have years of backlog because the writing is that labor-intensive. On top of processing, you're writing detailed research responses for remote inquirers (1–2 hours each), grant proposals, exhibit labels, and FOIA correspondence. These guides show you how to draft finding aids, respond to researchers, and write grant narratives faster, using the formulaic structure of archival description to your advantage.
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Copy a prompt, paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
Works with any free AI chatbot, no signup needed
A formatted container list of folder titles in consistent DACS-style — ready to copy into ArchivesSpace or your finding aid — converted from your rough processing notes.
Convert these processing notes into DACS-style folder titles for an archival container list. Use the format: [Title], [Date or Date Range]. Keep titles concise and parallel. Processing notes: [paste your rough notes or folder list].
View full prompt →Tip: Paste your notes exactly as you wrote them, even messy, abbreviated processing shorthand. The AI is good at inferring what you mean. If you want a specific title format your institution uses, paste one example folder title and say "use this format."
A draft narrative section for an archival grant application — written for non-specialist reviewers and articulating the project's significance, public benefit, and institutional capacity.
Write a 3-paragraph grant narrative for an archival project. Funder: [NHPRC/IMLS/NEH/other]. Institution: [type of institution]. Project: [describe what you'll process/digitize]. Collection: [brief description]. Public benefit: [who will use it and how]. Prior work: [any relevant experience].
View full prompt →Tip: Specify the funder in your prompt. NHPRC, IMLS, and NEH each have distinct priorities (preservation, public access, educational value), and the AI will tailor the argument accordingly.
A professional, helpful response to a researcher's email inquiry — explaining what you hold, how to access it, and any applicable restrictions or reproduction procedures.
Draft a professional reference response to this inquiry: [paste researcher's email]. We hold: [describe relevant holdings]. Access: [appointment-based/open]. Restrictions: [describe if any]. Reproduction: [describe process]. Tone: helpful, professional.
View full prompt →Tip: Paste the researcher's actual email into the prompt so the AI can mirror their vocabulary and address their specific question. Generic summaries of what they asked for produce weaker responses than the real text.
A DACS-compliant scope and content note ready to paste into ArchivesSpace or your finding aid template — covering what the collection contains, who created it, and why it matters.
Write a scope and content note for an archival finding aid. Creator: [name, dates, role]. Collection name: [name]. Date range: [years]. Contents: [list record types, subjects, topics]. Follow DACS standards. About 150–200 words.
View full prompt →Tip: Add a sentence about your institution's typical tone (formal/accessible) and paste in any existing rough notes you have. The more context you give, the less editing the output needs.
A one-page step-by-step training guide for a specific processing or archival task — written clearly enough for someone with no prior archival experience to follow independently.
Write a one-page training guide for volunteers or interns learning to [describe the task — e.g., folder and label processed materials, re-house photographs, create basic folder titles]. Institution: [type of archive]. Assume: no prior archival experience. Include: what to do, what NOT to do, and when to ask for help.
View full prompt →Tip: Include a "when to ask for help" section in your prompt. The AI will add it if you ask, and it's the most valuable part of any volunteer guide because it prevents costly mistakes with irreplaceable materials.
A draft biographical note (for a person) or administrative history (for an organization) formatted for an archival finding aid — covering key dates, roles, and historical significance in DACS-compl...
Write a [biographical note / administrative history] for an archival finding aid. [Name/Organization]: [name]. Active dates: [years]. Key roles/activities: [list]. Significance: [why they matter for your collections]. Target length: 150–250 words.
View full prompt →Tip: For people, list specific dates and positions you can verify; for organizations, include founding date, mission, and any name changes. The AI will synthesize these into coherent prose, but fabricated dates will slip in if you leave gaps.
Three ready-to-post captions for Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn — written for general audiences, based on a document, photograph, or collection highlight you describe.
Write social media posts about this archival item or collection: [describe the item — what it is, when it's from, why it's interesting or surprising]. Write 3 versions: a Twitter/X post (under 280 characters), an Instagram caption (2–3 sentences with hashtags), and a LinkedIn post (3–4 sentences, professional tone).
View full prompt →Tip: Lead with the most surprising or human-interest aspect of the item ("a letter written the day before the war ended" or "a photo that shows what downtown looked like in 1902"). The AI will build from that hook. Don't lead with archival jargon like "this collection documents."
A list of candidate Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) appropriate for your archival collection — with brief justification for each — that you can verify against LC authority files before ...
Based on this scope and content note, suggest 6–8 Library of Congress Subject Headings appropriate for this archival collection. Justify each briefly. Scope note: [paste your scope note or description].
View full prompt →Tip: Use this as a first pass, not a final list. Verify every suggested heading against the LC Name Authority File or id.loc.gov before assigning it. The AI is good at surfacing headings you might not have considered but sometimes invents plausible-sounding ones that don't exist.
A researcher-friendly summary of what a collection contains — written in plain language without archival jargon — suitable for a public-facing website or reading room handout alongside the formal f...
Rewrite this archival finding aid text in plain language for a general audience with no archival training. Remove jargon. Use short sentences. Keep it under [150] words. Focus on: what materials are in the collection, who created them, and what researchers can learn from them. Finding aid text: [paste scope note or series description].
View full prompt →Tip: Tell the AI the audience specifically. "High school students doing a local history project" produces different output than "graduate researchers," and you'll get a more targeted rewrite that actually helps the people you're trying to reach.
A concise, engaging exhibit label that describes a document, photograph, or artifact for general audiences — ready for display case signage, online exhibit pages, or gallery panels.
Write a [50/75/100]-word exhibit label for: [describe the item — what it is, who created it, when, and why it matters]. Audience: [general public/students/researchers]. Tone: [engaging and accessible/formal/educational].
View full prompt →Tip: Keep your item description factual and specific (dates, names, and context you can verify) and let the AI handle the narrative framing. Always fact-check the output before printing labels.
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Recommended Tools
3Ranked by relevance for archivist
- 1
Claude
Draft Finding Aid Scope and Content Notes, Draft Grant Proposals and Progress Reports + 3 more
Beginner - 2
ChatGPT
Draft Reference Inquiry Responses, Write Exhibit Labels and Interpretive Text + 4 more
Beginner - 3
Transkribus
Transcribe Handwritten Historical Documents
Intermediate
Common questions
- What is the best AI tool for an archivist?
- 1. Claude: Draft Finding Aid Scope and Content Notes, Draft Grant Proposals and Progress Reports + 3 more. 2. ChatGPT: Draft Reference Inquiry Responses, Write Exhibit Labels and Interpretive Text + 4 more. 3. Transkribus: Transcribe Handwritten Historical Documents.
- How can an archivist use ChatGPT or another AI chatbot?
- Start with copy-paste prompts that work in any free chatbot. For example: A formatted container list of folder titles in consistent DACS-style — ready to copy into ArchivesSpace or your finding aid — converted from your rough processing notes. A draft narrative section for an archival grant application — written for non-specialist reviewers and articulating the project's significance, public benefit, and institutional capacity. A professional, helpful response to a researcher's email inquiry — explaining what you hold, how to access it, and any applicable restrictions or reproduction procedures.
- Do I need technical skills to start?
- No. Level 1 prompts work in any free AI chatbot with no signup beyond the chatbot itself: copy the prompt, fill in the bracketed details, and paste it in. Later levels add AI features in tools you already use, then dedicated AI tools and automation.
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