Sunday, May 27, 2007

Organize Your Files

Organizing your Family History material can quickly become very necessary. There are many methods for organizing your files. This is the method I use. I'm sure it will evolve over time, but it works for me and you will find that that is the most important issue in your organization strategy; does it work for you. Personally I am more comfortable on the computer, so I prefer to keep most of my research material and family history findings in an electronic format. Even if the document or information I get is in paper format, I will use my scanner to scan in a copy to my computer.

There are some advantages to this approach:

1. Electronic information is very easy to duplicate. If someone wants a copy of any of my research, I can burn a cd, email the file as an attachment, or print it out.

2. When I do need to make a copy, I don't have to worry about degradation. With a regular paper copy, if I photocopy that document, the copy will never be as good as the original. That if that person wants to make a copy...it just gets worse. With an electronic file this isn't an issue.

3. When I go to a Family History Library or Center all I really need is my flash drive that has all of my most important information. I have a bag with some documents, but it is very light to carry.

4. I can easily back up all of my information and put it in a very safe place (like a safe deposit box or safe)

My way of Organizing:

· Figure out a way to organize your information, and then stick to it.

· Be consistent.

· If you aren’t sure where something should go you can put it in a ‘File Later’ folder. Periodically go through this folder and put things in their proper place.

· Make sure file names are consistent and descriptive.

· Backup your files!

· For very important files you can print off a copy and store the paper copy in a safe place.

· Backup your files!

· This is only one way of doing it. The only right way is the way that works for you.

· In the research folder, keep a record of what you’ve researched; a research log.

Additional Help:

There are several articles on this topic at http://www.cyndislist.com/organize.htm

My favorites were:

  • IN A PILE OR A FILE by Rita F. Bartholomew
  • HOW DO I KEEP ALL THIS STUFF STRAIGHT?
    by George Morgan

Also good:

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