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AI for Archivist

Claude Project: Build a Persistent Archival Writing Assistant

Claude

For Archivists

Tools: Claude | Time to build: 1-2 hours | Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced Prerequisites: Comfortable using Claude for basic archival writing tasks. See Level 3 guide: "Use Claude to Draft Complete Finding Aid Sections"

What This Builds

Instead of re-explaining your institution, standards, and style every time you open Claude, a Claude Project gives you a persistent AI assistant that already knows your institution, your finding aid format, your common terminology, and examples of your best description. Every new conversation picks up where the last one left off: consistent voice, consistent standards, no re-setup. For archives with multiple staff members doing description, a shared project ensures everyone produces description with the same institutional voice.

Prerequisites

  • Comfortable using Claude for basic archival tasks (Level 3)
  • A Claude Pro account at {{tool:Claude.url}}. Projects require {{tool:Claude.plan}} ({{tool:Claude.price}})
  • 3–4 example finding aid excerpts from your institution to upload as reference

The Concept

A Claude Project is like hiring an AI writing assistant who has already read your institution's style guide, processed a few practice collections with you, and knows your preferences. You never have to explain "we follow DACS standards" or "our scope notes are usually 150–200 words" again. You configure it once, and every session uses those foundations.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Gather your reference materials (20-30 minutes)

Before setting up the Project, collect the following documents to upload as knowledge:

Essential files:

  1. Finding aid template: Your institution's blank finding aid template (DOCX or TXT), showing the structure, field names, and any boilerplate text
  2. Style guide or processing manual: Any written guidance about how your institution writes scope notes, titles folder headings, assigns subject headings, etc.
  3. 2–3 example finding aids: The best examples of completed finding aids from your institution; these teach Claude your institutional voice better than any written description
  4. Common terms and abbreviations: Any institution-specific terminology, collection naming conventions, or standard phrases your staff uses

Optional but useful: 5. Subject heading lists you commonly use for your collection areas 6. Standard deed of gift language or reproduction policy text 7. Common reference response templates

Convert everything to plain text (TXT) or PDF format before uploading.

Part 2: Create the Claude Project (15-20 minutes)

  1. Log into Claude at {{tool:Claude.url}} with your Pro account
  2. In the left sidebar, click Projects (or the folder icon)
  3. Click New Project and give it a name: "Archival Writing Assistant: [Institution Name]"
  4. Click on your new Project to open it

Upload your reference files:

  1. In the Project view, click Add Content or the paperclip/attachment icon
  2. Upload your finding aid template, style guide, and example finding aids
  3. Wait for each file to process (you'll see it appear in the project's knowledge base)

Write your Project instructions (the most important step): Click Project Instructions or System Prompt (depending on Claude's current interface). Paste the following, customized for your institution:

Copy and paste this
You are an archival writing assistant for [Institution Name], a [type of institution — e.g., county historical society / university special collections library].

STANDARDS: All description follows DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Use past tense for historical descriptions. Maintain formal but accessible prose.

INSTITUTION CONTEXT:
- We primarily collect [describe your collection areas — e.g., local history, personal papers, organizational records]
- Our typical finding aid scope notes are 150–200 words at the collection level, 2–3 sentences at the series level
- Subject headings follow Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
- We use ArchivesSpace for our finding aid database

TONE: [Professional and formal / Accessible and engaging — pick one]

STYLE NOTES:
- [Any specific style preferences — e.g., "Always mention the collection's relationship to our county's history"]
- [e.g., "Do not use the word 'document' as a noun — use 'record' or 'material' instead"]
- [e.g., "Biographical notes should begin with birth and death dates in parentheses after the name"]

REFERENCE FILES: I've uploaded example finding aids, our processing manual, and our finding aid template. Use these as models for format and voice.

TASK: Help me write DACS-compliant finding aids, grant narratives, reference responses, exhibit labels, policy documents, and other professional archival writing.

Click Save.

Part 3: Test and Refine (20-30 minutes)

Start a new conversation within your Project and test it:

  1. Paste processing notes for a real collection you're working on
  2. Ask: "Draft a scope and content note for these processing notes."
  3. Review the output: does it match your institutional voice from the example finding aids?
  4. Note what's wrong or different, then update the Project instructions to address it

Common refinements needed:

  • Output is too formal/too casual → adjust TONE instruction
  • Scope notes are too long/short → update word count guidance
  • Terminology doesn't match your institution → add specific term preferences to STYLE NOTES
  • Output doesn't reference the uploaded examples well → add "Use [example file name] as a model" to instructions

Repeat until 2–3 different prompts produce output that matches your institutional style with minimal editing.

Real Example: First week using the Project

Setup: You've created the Project, uploaded your processing manual and 3 example finding aids, and written the instructions.

Input (what you type): "I just finished processing the Martinez Family Papers. Here are my notes: 5 linear feet, 1945–2003, personal papers of Rosa Martinez (1920–2010), civil rights activist and community organizer in [city]. Series: 1. Correspondence (2 boxes), 2. Organizational records (NAACP chapter and community center, 2 boxes), 3. Photographs (1 box). Notable correspondents: [names]. Topics: civil rights organizing, housing advocacy, education reform."

Output (what Claude produces in the Project): A scope note that sounds like your institution, uses your preferred word count, opens with the creator name in your standard format, mentions the notable correspondents as your style guide specifies, and closes with the date range. All without you having to explain any of this.

Time saved: What previously required re-explaining context and editing a generic output for 20 minutes now takes 5 minutes of review.

What to Do When It Breaks

  • Output doesn't match institutional voice → Add another example finding aid to the Project's knowledge base, or add specific corrections to the instructions ("Do NOT start scope notes with 'The collection contains...'")
  • Instructions get ignored → If Claude ignores specific instructions, put them in ALL CAPS or at the very top of the instructions block; earlier and more prominent placement improves compliance
  • Output gets gradually worse over time → Projects can drift slightly over long conversations; start a fresh conversation within the Project periodically (the instructions and uploaded files persist even in new conversations)
  • Knowledge files aren't being referenced → Check file format (TXT and PDF work best); re-upload if needed

Variations

  • Simpler version: Use Claude's "Custom Instructions" feature (in regular Claude settings) for a lightweight persistent context that applies to all conversations. No Projects required, but less powerful
  • Extended version: Add all your institution's finding aids to the Project's knowledge base so Claude can check for duplicate entries, consistent subject headings across collections, and cross-collection terminology

What to Do Next

  • This week: Use the Project for every piece of archival writing you produce: scope notes, reference responses, grant sections
  • This month: Refine the instructions based on real usage; add more reference files as you identify gaps
  • Advanced: Share the Project with your full processing staff so everyone produces consistent institutional description

Advanced guide for archivist professionals. These techniques use Claude Pro features that require paid subscription.