| The billions of names preserved on microfilmed | | | | programs, consequently, it also could take a |
| records at the Mormon Church's Granite Mountain | | | | lengthy book to outline how to setup a personal |
| Records Vault in Utah are being reorganized and | | | | computer filing system for archiving your valuable |
| converted to digital images that can eventually be | | | | genealogy files on each and every different |
| viewed online at FamilySearch website. In as little | | | | computer, operating system and software |
| as 10 years, much of its genealogical collection | | | | program. But let's keep it simple and talk in |
| may be at our fingertips; a genealogist's dream | | | | generalities that can be applied to whatever |
| come true. This mammoth undertaking makes | | | | computer, operating system or genealogy |
| organizing our own digital genealogy archive pale in | | | | software you are using. |
| comparison, but our archive is no less important. | | | | Backing up your genealogy database is a major |
| How hard is it to locate a particular file on your | | | | part of managing your archives. It should be |
| computer out of all the digital family records you | | | | backed-up to your built-in hard-drive, to a |
| have collected? Did the file-name begin with a | | | | stand-alone hard-drive or USB drive and to a |
| surname, a date or an event? Which folder did | | | | location off-site at the very least. By storing all |
| you save it in? What was the file extension? | | | | genealogy related files in one location on your |
| Organizing the paper files we collect doing | | | | computer, it will be much easier to locate |
| genealogy research so that we can readily find | | | | research quickly, and more importantly it will be |
| them later is hard enough, but doing the same for | | | | easier to backup your files. |
| our electronic files can be daunting if you don't | | | | Once a file system is in place and your genealogy |
| have a plan. Our research hours become next to | | | | software is linking to the files, it can be difficult |
| useless unless our digital records are readily | | | | although not impossible to change the file-name or |
| search-able and retrievable. As more of our | | | | move a file. So it's important to give some |
| sources and documentation are stored in digital | | | | thought to how you name your folders and files; |
| files on our computer, getting organized becomes | | | | preferably before you get started. After the fact, |
| more and more important. | | | | it is still possible although it will be time consuming |
| For managing genealogy records we want a | | | | and tedious. You not only want to organize your |
| system that allows us to archive our files in an | | | | computer for today, but also think about the |
| organized fashion so as to be able to backup | | | | future when other researchers may be trying to |
| easily and call-up files quickly when needed. So | | | | find a file many years after you are no longer |
| keep in mind these ABCs as you organize... | | | | around to explain. The longer you put off |
| ARCHIVE | BACKUP | CALL-UP. | | | | reorganizing, the harder it will be to do it later; it |
| Elizabeth S. Mills filled 885 pages in her most | | | | will not get easier. |
| recent book, Evidence Explained, to show | | | | Most genealogy programs do a good job of |
| researchers how to properly document sources | | | | keeping track of files used as sources, but it will |
| for their family genealogy. She went into exacting | | | | depend on how carefully that file is documented. |
| detail on every conceivable piece of paper you | | | | When you can't find a particular file through your |
| may ever want to document. Consequently, the | | | | genealogy program, you want to be able to |
| format for documenting genealogy sources is well | | | | search three or four different ways in your |
| established, | | | | archive for the surname, the year, location, etc. |
| The same is not true for your personal computer. | | | | Unless you've been following a plan in naming files, |
| It's entirely up to you how your files are | | | | this search can be very frustrating. The key to |
| arranged; you're free to create any filing system | | | | naming directories, folders and files is to think |
| that works for you. Nobody cares as much about | | | | about how the files will sort when you search. |
| your information as you do; this is a challenge. | | | | If you have been telling yourself that you need to |
| Scanners have made it possible to easily convert | | | | get organized, you are not alone. In addition to |
| paper documents to digital files, thus opening the | | | | the Mormon Church's Granite Mountain Records |
| floodgates to millions of digital documents ready | | | | Vault project, the U.S. National Archives and |
| to be downloaded from genealogy websites. | | | | Records Administration (NARA) has also begun a |
| Consequently, we can suffer from digital overload. | | | | multi-million dollars reorganization project to ensure |
| Following are some suggestions for you to begin | | | | that electronic records are search-able and |
| thinking about how you want to organize these | | | | accessible, not just now but for years to come. |
| images, census records, vital records, etc. that | | | | NARA is working to create one central inventory |
| you have collected in order to easily retrieve | | | | of all of their archival holdings. |
| them when needed. | | | | If your files are scattered all over your |
| The swiftness with which digital formats and | | | | hard-drive, it's time to start your own genealogy |
| technologies become obsolete is legend. There are | | | | archive and begin to reorganize. But first before |
| dozens of different personal computers and | | | | you make any changes, you must BACK-UP all |
| operating systems and all their different versions. | | | | your genealogy data... this can't be overstated... |
| Then you have a myriad of genealogy software | | | | BACK-UP, BACK-UP, BACK-UP. |