This week we are taking the organization of our family papers down to the item or folder level. This is something you may not want to do with all of your papers, especially if you have a lot. But for the ones you plan on working with in the future, this will come in handy and save you time looking.
So you are still working with the portion of your family papers from last week.
Some tips to keep in mind while preparing your item by item inventory:
- Preserve the original order of the documents.
- Using a spreadsheet or table format will allow you to re-sort your data later on. Although paper is perfectly fine too if that's what works best for you.
- When preparing your inventory, think in terms of the information you might want to know when deciding which files to pull in the future.
Here's a sample of the inventory I did with Dad's correspondence.
By the way, I haven't labeled the folders yet. I am toying with labeling each folder with the Box Number/Name, Subject Category (Correspondence in this case) and then use a numerical folder number. An index sheet would be kept in the box.
Good luck! Let us know of any questions or comments in the comments section or in a post of your own. If you do your own post, let us know in the comments below. We all get great ideas from each other.
URL for this post: http://turning-of-generations.blogspot.com/2012/10/21cofh-item-level-inventory-week-44.html
© 2012, copyright Michelle Goodrum
I like the inventory form you show. This type of form will be very useful as I try to create order out of my great grandmother's letters and create a timeline for her.
ReplyDeleteGlad the form was helpful. I like your timeline idea too.
DeleteWonderful idea to inventory when you have a lot of letters!
ReplyDeleteI'm finding it helpful and it gives a quick overview of what letters I have.
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