Bloodworth | Accessible AI in the Archives: Tools and Methods for Small Repositories | Archival Issues

Abstract:  With ever-expanding digital and digitized holdings, archivists must adopt new methods of processing collections for increased discoverability and accessibility. Artificial intelligence provides one possible solution for meeting the demands of increasingly digital-based archival work. This article fills a gap in existing literature surrounding the potential for AI assistance in descriptive work of digitized handwritten documents by presenting a case study of the use of two AI tools, Transkribus and ChatGPT, for the transcription and improved description of an existing collection of World War II correspondence. Based upon the valuation of these ready-made tools, this study demonstrates the potential usefulness of artificial intelligence for the transcription of digitized handwritten manuscripts and the automation of item-level descriptive tasks to improve accessibility and discoverability of archival materials.