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Organise and catalogue the library

A library you cannot search is a box of drives. Good names, folders and a printed index let anyone find a film in seconds, even without the server.

How

1. Use one folder structure on every drive, for example Films/Title (Year), Series/Show/Season 01, Music/Artist/Album, Books/Author/Title.
2. Give files descriptive names and tags, and write a short description of the folder structure, as the Library of Congress advises.
3. Keep a spreadsheet catalogue: title, category, age rating, format, size, which drives hold it, and source or licence.
4. Print the catalogue and keep a copy with your important papers, so the household can browse without a screen.
5. Mark the off-site drive set with the date it was last updated.

Do these first

• comms-7

Sources

1. Personal Archiving: Digital Video. Library of Congress, Digital Preservation, accessed 2026-11
2. Personal Archiving: Digital Audio. Library of Congress, Digital Preservation, accessed 2026-11

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