Keeping track of notes/references at work

[NS4U]

Does anyone have a good system of tracking things they come across (notes and such) at work so that they can save them for the future?

For example, today I hunted the ASTM spec for the corner radius of HSS tubes. In a couple years I may need this again... any suggestions on a filling system so that I have quick acess to this? Electronic or otherwise?

 

[csd72]

Keep a notebook, on a page put the title of tubes, and add any notes on this as you go along.

I use this for rules of thumb e.t.c.

For more extensive information, I keep a photocopy in a file.

 

[jimkinney]

I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to keep track of documents and references. I scan everything and store it as a pdf. In the spreadsheet I enter everything that I can such as; title, author, date, source, keywords, etc. I also have a hyperlink to the file so once I find what I want I just click on the link and not waste time trying to find where I saved it. By using the list function, I can easily sort on any column, or within any column.

It's a pain the first time to enter all the data depending on how many references/documents you have, but now I usually only enter 1 or 2 at a time as something new comes in.

After several years I'm up to 4400+ items that takes up 13.5 GB of disk space.

I hope this helps.

Jim
Florida's Space Coast

 

[JAE]

jimkinney - good ideas.

I use a folder system on my hard drive for all reference material, organized by topic or material or codes such as:

ACI
AISC
AISI
Wood
Tilt-walls

and so on.

For hard copies, over the years I've kept a file system and for those documents I use a lot I created a series of "cheat books" which are four notebooks grouped by: Analysis, Concrete, Steel, Wood, Masonry, Soils.

 

[JKW05]

I pretty much have the same system as JAE.

 

[HgTX]

I sort of have a system of organized folders, bookmarks, and emails. Then I make extensive use of the search function.

Hg


Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[DaveAtkins]

This may make me sound like more of a "geek" than even the typical engineer, but...

Everything on the shelves in my office is arranged according to the CSI MasterFormat. Considering only the "structural" sections of MasterFormat, Division 3 is concrete, Division 4 is masonry, Division 5 is steel, and Division 6 is wood. On my shelf, I have concrete textbooks, concrete codes, articles on concrete design, concrete product literature, etc., all in one area. The next area has masonry textbooks, masonry codes...you get the idea.

DaveAtkins

 

[PatBethea]

You can try Google Desktop.

 

[whyun]

My system is similar to JAE's for stuff stored in the computer and hard copies.

To be successful at organizing references in the computer is to come up with a good system of directory/subdirectory structure that is logical.

For hard copies, I have main binders for various topics (Steel, Concrete, etc.), within each binder I have tab inserts for sub-topics (such as SCBF, Moment Connections, etc.) I maintain a detailed index at the beginning of each binder.

I have a few binders for recent references that are also divided by tab inserts. When it gets full, I move more important references to the main binders and immediately update the index.

My system isn't perfect but still it took me years to make it manageable. It is extremely time consuming to develop a system at first but once a scheme is established, it doesn't take much time for updates.

 

[msquared48]

I have developed a series of three ring binders by material and subject matter with the copies of the material saved there. Nothing elaborate. I also have a general index at the front of each section or book to help find things too. Works well for me.

Mike McCann
McCann Engineering

 

[jdonville]

I have over 4 GB of downloaded and created notes, PDFs, spreadsheets and other electronic files in addition to paper photocopies in file cabinets and several binders of essential reference works that I purchased through NTIS.

Search functions work great on the electronic files.

Jeff

 

[271828]

Wow! You guys are amazingly organized!

I have manila folders for hard copies of some items, but most things get scanned to pdf and put in nested reference folders in my computer. It's divided into categories such as Steel->Metal Buildings->Members, or Steel->Connections->Shear and I just dump the pdfs in the right folders. The file names list the author, title, and year, if applicable. Then I just use the Windows Search thingie to find them.

Very simple and seems to work ok. I'll definitely take some lessons from some of you guys, though.

 

[JAE]

It's sort of amazing how managing information like this has changed over the last several years.

Our offices have traditionally had these big reference file cabinets with all sorts of files for every engineering/construction subject on earth. As we find good articles, or nomographs (remember those?), or other design helps, we'd copy them and put them in the file.

A few years ago I noted that I hadn't gone to the file in a long long time. Realized that it was due to the access to the internet and those amazing pdf download files.

Now they're just dusty old set of files.

 

[271828]

JAE, I know exactly what you mean. It's only been about the last 4 years that I personally have shifted so far toward electronic storage. Ever since I got a reasonably priced decent scanner, I've leaned heavily that direction. I have to say that the vast majority of my paper files are collecting dust also.

It's just so darn easy to lose a hard copy and they're so hard to distribute. I can e-mail any new handy-dandy paper or design aid to a half-dozen people in under a minute if need be, LOL. Paper files are heavy and take up a lot of room also.

Papers are easier to work with at times, though. I find that I often print a temporary hard copy of something for one specific usage and then either put it in the project file or use it for scrap paper.

 

[NS4U]

At the same time... it only takes one lightning strike to lose everything

 

[sandman21]

Not when you save the files on a network Raid 5 with weekly tape backup, plus your personal computer and ext. HDD.

 

[271828]

"At the same time... it only takes one lightning strike to lose everything"

Sure, except that a prudent person has redundant backups.

I have the info on my hard disk, on an external hard disk here, and another external hard disk at another facility. A company can use similar or more elaborate methods.

As for paper copies, a fire or sprinkler going off completely destroys those and backing them up borders on prohibitive.

 

[NS4U]

touche'

 

[JAE]

I bought one of those 1 gig jump drives. Get most of my stuff on there as a very easy backup.

 

[jimkinney]

I used to keep everything on my home hard disk, then work off of CD's, then DVD's until it the folder was too big for either. Now I'm thinking of trying a 16 GB jump drive to make it portable again.

Jim