Setting up Electronic Files

NEW - The Records Management Team is now the Archives and Information Management Team.

Although this guidance is intended to apply to all electronic file types, including email, databases, and websites, technology and software may make it impossible or impractical to apply all aspects of this guidance to all file types. When in doubt, contact the Archives and Information Management Team or the Electronic Records Program.

Where should the files be kept? If the files will be used by multiple staff, create central files on a shared drive but be aware of security concerns. Many software programs allow password protection to limit access to documents. If there are concerns about who can view or change a document and password protection is not available, an alternate location may be necessary. Files used by individuals should be kept on their personal network drive. Files should never be kept on the hard drive, desktop, "My Documents," external hard drive, or removable media such as CDs, DVDs, of flash drives unless they are convenience copies. None of these locations are backed up and could result in the loss of data. If storage is an issue, weed or delete files if appropriate, consult with the Electronic Records Division about acceptable methods of compression, or consider transferring files to the archives. See Weeding Records, Discarding Records, Transferring Records, or Records Disposition Schedules.

How should the files be organized? For more explanation, read this section under Setting up Paper Files. Although there are a few logistical differences, electronic records should be organized according to the same principles as the paper records. The top folder should be the records series. Use as many layers of subfolders as needed to subdivide the series by exhibition, project, fiscal year, or other category. Be careful to balance convenience with accuracy. More layers allow more specificity and make it easier to identify the needed file, but every layer is another click of the mouse.

How can weeding be made easier? As with paper files, there may be electronic files that are convenient to keep with the permanent files, but that should not be transferred to the archives. A separate subfolder can be created to contain these records at any layer of the folder structure. Add a word such as "temporary" or "weed" to the subfolder name or file name to indicate that it should not be transferred. If printouts of the electronic files are maintained in the paper files, contact the Archives and Information Management Team liaison to determine in which format the files will eventually be transferred. This may result in a larger number of electronic records being marked for weeding. More detailed information about weeding can be found here.

How should the folders, subfolders, and files be named? There is a limit to how much information can be included when naming electronic folders and files. As long as files are being saved to the appropriate folders, the folder structure can be used to provide further information. When naming an individual file, stick to the details of that specific file and allow the folders above it to provide the context. For instance, the top folder may be exhibition records. Under that may be a subfolder with the name of an exhibition, and under that may be a subfolder for loan correspondence. The file name could simply include the correspondent's name and the date. Be sure both the folder/subfolder names and the file names are meaningful. It is also useful to include dates in the files names, either the date the information in the file was valid or, as in the case of a report, the date or dates that the information in the file covers. Dates can also be used in the subfolder names to define the date span of a project.

Should controlled vocabulary and naming conventions be used? For additional explanation, see this section under Setting up Paper Files. A controlled vocabulary can be crucial when naming electronic records. To keep names short and to include as much information as possible, abbreviations will often be used. A controlled vocabulary will provide meaning to those abbreviations and will ensure that all staff are using the same abbreviations. In addition, a computer generally sorts folders and files alphabetically. By deciding to always start the file name with the date, a project number, or a name, the computer can be forced to sort the files into a desired arrangement. As much as possible, the same controlled vocabulary and naming conventions should be used for both electronic and paper files, though abbreviations should be avoided on the labels of the paper files if they are not necessary.

Continue to Setting up Paper Files | Continue to Overall File Management