Efficient Filing System Basics

Aaron T. Parker

Purpose

File management ensures that records relating to a specific activity or subject are securely and consistently maintained together in one file.

This enables effective decision making and also ensures that the sequence of actions can be reconstructed, that is what happened, when, who did it, why.

Purpose

Filing involves

• Arranging records according to a simple, logical system

• Placing records in a storage container in correct sequence

• Retrieving the records so that they can be used

Purpose

Good Filing Systems

• contain complete and comprehensive files thereby enabling effective decision making

• provide integrity and continuity regardless of changes in personnel

• facilitate protection and preservation of records

• provide low cost and efficient maintenance of records

• reduce the possibility of misfiling and reduce duplication

• mean less time spent searching for files and documents

Purpose

Efficiency

• Reduce Time

• Reduce Space

Effectiveness

• Better Information

• Better Decision-Making

• Better Services

The goal is reducing resources and making you more effective at your job by providing better information for better decision-making and services.

Collection

Record Types

• Institutional records

• Administrative records

• Academic Dept. records

• Faculty records

• Student/Alumni records

• School Publications

• Theses and Dissertation

Collection

• Physical Records • Scan

– Xerox • .pdf or searchable

– Neat Scanner – Picture to .pdf programs and applications (phone,

tablet, computer) – Adobe Acrobat Reader Pro – Wondershare software

• Direct Electronic Entry • Indexing/Directory

Process

• Data in

– Data is arranged and stored

• Data out

– Data is retrieved from storage

Arranging Naming, Sorting, & Coding

• Numeric

– Case Files

– Transactions

• Alphabetical

– People

• Function

– Job Description/Evaluation

– Mission

– Purpose

– Program/Project/Activity

• Form

– Minutes

– Reports

– Invoice

– Receipt

• Date

– YYYY-MM-DD format

• Subject

• Geographic

• Combinations/Nesting

Arranging Naming, Sorting, & Coding

Numeric Alpha Alpha Numeric Subject Numeric

Personnel

100 A 2014.02.Par PER-1

Employment 20150214 Aa 2014.Par.1123 FAC114-15

Recruitment 2-1 AaA JA019-15 REC.JA019.15.001

Appointment 1-2-3 AAa B.4 APP-JA019.15.002

Promotion 4.1 PFa 2015.Aa.1981 PRO-AAD157.2014

Math 4.2.6 MF M085.201510 MA108.2015.1234

Advising 2014.02 V-F Vrob-201510.1144

Adv-RobA-2015.Par.1234

Storage

• Physical Files

– Single or partitioned folders

• Electronic

– Dropbox

– Google Drive

– Microsoft OneDrive

– Copy

Retrieval

• Search by File System

– naming, sorting, & coding

• Windows Searching

– Only for E-filing

• Index/Directory

– Works for both electronic and physical filing

Retrieval Windows Search

• Detail View

– You can sort by columns

• Kind:

– general groupings of file types (e.g. documents, pictures, email, folder, movie, video)

• Type:

– specific file type (e.g. .doc or .docx)

• Date:

– Date Modified:

• Name:

• Modifiers:

– ~< begins with

– “” or = exact

– ~= contains

– * wildcard

– <> “not” or “outside”

Retrieval Index/Directory

What?

• A Cheat Sheet to search

Why?

• “I know I sent/did it last week.”

• “Their first name started with XXX, male, and they took MA095 this spring.”

• A teacher trying to assess instruction with multiple criteria

Retrieval Index/Directory

Last Name First Name Sex Semester Course Grade

Jones

Victor M 201510 MA085 P

Cruz Jesse M 201510 MA095 Z

Manibusan Jessica F 201510 MA085 Z

Blas Kimberly F 201510 MA085 F

Quinata Rosa F 201510 MA085 Z

Rojas Joseph M 201510 MA085 W

Perez Carmen F 201480 MA085 Z

Retrieval Index/Directory

Last Name First Name Sex Department Start Date FT/PT Position

Jones

Victor M MA 20150412 PT Faculty

Cruz Jesse M MA 20150212 FT Coordinator

Manibusan Jessica F EN 20150123 FT Faculty

Blas Kimberly F EN 20140621 FT Faculty

Quinata Rosa F MA 20141130 PT Faculty

Rojas Joseph M EN 20040504 FT Specialist

Perez Carmen F EN 20010101 PT Planner