35 ChatGPT Prompts for Archivists and Archival Scientists: Preserve, Describe, and Share Collections More Effectively

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Archivists and archival scientists are stewards of history, responsible for appraising, arranging, describing, and providing access to primary source materials ranging from handwritten correspondence to born-digital records. The profession requires deep expertise in archival standards, preservation science, and user services. These 35 prompts help archivists leverage AI to tackle description backlogs, improve outreach, and build stronger preservation programs.

1. Arrangement and Description

I am processing a collection of personal papers from a 20th-century journalist. Create a hierarchical arrangement scheme following ISAD(G) standards that organizes materials into series and subseries by function and record type.

Draft a finding aid scope and content note for a collection of approximately 15 linear feet of organizational records from a local civil rights organization, 1955-1990, that includes correspondence, meeting minutes, photographs, and press clippings.

Create a container list template I can adapt for a newly processed collection. Include columns for box number, folder number, folder title, date range, and any restriction flags.

I am writing EAD-encoded finding aids and need to improve consistency. Generate a set of 10 guidelines for writing scope and content notes at the series level that align with DACS descriptive standards.

The following collection was arranged by a previous archivist using an unclear original order: [describe collection]. Suggest a re-arrangement rationale that respects provenance principles while improving intellectual access for researchers.

2. Appraisal and Acquisition

Create an appraisal report template for evaluating a proposed donation of personal papers. Include sections for provenance, informational value, evidential value, condition assessment, acquisition costs, and recommendation.

I am evaluating a collection of 5,000 digitized photographs from a defunct local newspaper. Develop an appraisal framework that identifies which images have the highest long-term research value and which can be weeded.

Draft a deed of gift template for a personal papers donation that covers intellectual property rights, restrictions on access, future additions, deaccessioning conditions, and donor recognition.

A potential donor wants to give us their email archives from 1998-2015, approximately 200,000 messages. List the key considerations I should evaluate before accepting this born-digital collection.

Create an acquisitions policy statement for a regional historical society archive that defines the collecting scope, priority formats, exclusion criteria, and the appraisal process for new donations.

3. Preservation and Conservation

Draft a preservation assessment report template for a collection of 19th-century letterbooks. Include sections for housing conditions, environmental monitoring, physical condition of materials, and priority recommendations.

Create a disaster preparedness plan outline for a small archive that covers risk assessment, priority salvage list, staff response roles, recovery procedures for wet records, and contacts for preservation assistance.

I am developing a digitization program for fragile photographic materials. Write the specifications section of a digitization plan covering resolution standards, file formats, metadata requirements, and quality control procedures.

Explain the key differences between lossless and lossy file formats for archival digitization and make a recommendation for master file, access copy, and thumbnail formats with justifications.

Create a housing and rehousing guide for a volunteer processing project that explains when to use acid-free folders, how to size boxes, and how to handle fragile items like photographs and oversized documents.

4. Digital Preservation and Born-Digital Records

Draft a digital preservation policy for an institutional archive that covers file format normalization, storage infrastructure requirements, fixity checking schedules, and succession planning for digital content.

I have received a collection of born-digital records on 50 obsolete floppy disks. Outline the step-by-step workflow for disk imaging, virus scanning, format identification, and ingest into a digital preservation system.

Create a metadata schema for a born-digital collection that aligns with Dublin Core and PREMIS standards. Include field names, definitions, obligation status, and example values for each field.

Explain the OAIS (Open Archival Information System) reference model to a non-technical administrator who controls our digital preservation budget, focusing on why each functional entity matters for long-term access.

Draft a request for proposal (RFP) section outlining technical requirements for a digital asset management system capable of storing, managing, and providing access to 10 TB of digitized archival materials.

5. Reference Services and Researcher Support

Create a researcher orientation guide for first-time visitors to our reading room that explains access policies, handling rules, reproduction request procedures, and citation formats for archival materials.

A researcher is writing a dissertation on [topic] and has asked for a reference consultation. Draft a list of 10 questions I should ask to help them identify the most relevant collections in our repository.

Write a research guide (finding aid supplement) for a collection of correspondence between [historical figures], designed to help researchers without archival experience navigate the materials and understand their context.

Draft a reference inquiry response email to a remote researcher who has asked about photographs of [subject] in our collection. Include what we hold, how they can access it, reproduction fees, and how to place an order.

Create a citation style guide for researchers using primary sources from our archive, covering letters, photographs, audiovisual materials, and born-digital records in Chicago, MLA, and APA formats.

6. Outreach, Advocacy, and Public Engagement

Draft a social media content calendar for an archive's Instagram account featuring one weekly post per month for three months. Include image description ideas, captions, and relevant hashtags drawn from [collection theme].

Write a grant narrative introduction for a digitization project proposal that makes a compelling case for why this collection—[brief description]—is significant and why digitization will increase public access.

Create a lesson plan outline for a K-12 primary source literacy workshop using documents from our archive. Include learning objectives, primary source analysis activities, and discussion questions aligned to Common Core standards.

Draft a press release announcing the acquisition and opening of a significant new collection: [collection name and description]. Target local news outlets and emphasize community historical significance.

Create a virtual exhibition proposal for showcasing [collection theme] online. Include exhibition title, interpretive framing, suggested items, section headings, and a brief statement about expected audience impact.

7. Professional Practice and Program Development

Create a processing priorities matrix that helps me rank our backlog of 40 unprocessed collections by research value, condition risk, donor relations, and available staff time.

Draft a three-year strategic plan outline for an archive program that covers collection development, digital preservation, public access, outreach, and staffing goals with measurable annual milestones.

I am training a new processing archivist. Create a 90-day onboarding plan that covers arrangement and description standards, institutional policies, collection management software, and hands-on processing assignments.

Write a position description for a Digital Archivist role at a mid-size academic library. Include required qualifications, preferred qualifications, key responsibilities, and reporting structure.

Draft talking points for an annual report presentation to our advisory board that communicates the value of the archives program using metrics such as reference inquiries, new acquisitions, digitization outputs, and researcher visits.