Descriptive Notes is soliciting posts for an upcoming series on AI and archival description.
Are you using AI as a tool for archival description? If so, what specific work are you attempting/accomplishing with it? What have you found to be the benefits and challenges? If you’ve chosen not to use AI in your descriptive practice, what factors or concerns have influenced that decision, and what challenges or pressures are you encountering as a result? Descriptive Notes is looking for articles, case studies, and other posts related to the how, what, and why (or why not) of AI and description to share with our readership.
This series will build on one of the Description Section’s most well-attended events, a panel on AI & Archival Description from April 15, 2025 (recording linked). We would love to continue the conversation started at that session and offer a space for a broad range of perspectives on this topic.
Posts may consider themes such as: the descriptive workflows or projects into which you’ve integrated generative AI, the challenges of implementing AI, guidelines or guardrails for using generative AI in description, how you’ve advocated for (or against) the use of AI in your descriptive practice … and more!
Submit your pitches to saadescription@gmail.com. You can read more on our submission guidelines here: https://saadescription.wordpress.com/guidelines/
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Betts Coup
Head of Archival Operations
Technical Services for Archives & Special Collections
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
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