Council on archives international records management trust
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- Structuring the Directory
- Naming Conventions
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Saving documentsTo ensure that electronic information is available, understandable and usable, it is necessary to apply a structure to the way it is stored. Organisations can offer guidance on the co-ordinated management of documents in shared directories and files. It is helpful to explain that the structure of the activity can provide a model for the storage structure: for example, the function of land registration may be identified in the name of the electronic file, so that people can link the record to the function it reflects. Suggestions can also be made about the protection and disposal of electronic documents. Often guidelines also include examples of naming conventions for directories, sub-directories and documents. When developing the standard system, first consider the operating system and its particular constraints. Most operating systems provide for structured names for directories, sub-directories and files. The guidelines draw on examples consistent with a Microsoft Windows 98 environment. The same principles presented can be adapted and applied to other operating environments. If information is stored on paper, minimal identifying information should be sufficient. For example, it may be enough to record the computer directory and electronic file name in a line of text that shows up on the printed document: C:/Projects/Land Registration/regions.doc.
Directories should be structured to suit the needs of the department. They can be structured in many different ways (such as by user names, dates, organisational units, type of document and so on). However, organisations should base the structure on the department’s functions, programmes and activities to ensure that the documents are organised according to the way the department, and consequently the employee, works (this approach is discussed in depth later in the guidelines). The controlled vocabulary used by a registry can serve as the basis for naming directories and files. Documents can then be stored as files under the appropriate directories and sub directories. Directory names do not need to be repeated in the file names. The following principles should be kept in mind when designing the structure for electronic directories.
If an organisation chooses to base its directory structures on its programmes and activities, these should follow a hierarchical arrangement. This can be easily adapted to the directory/sub-directory hierarchy. Existing subject file classification systems for managing paper files are often based on this structure. If this is the case, this will provide a good means of linking the paper and electronic parts of systems. For information on controlled vocabularies and file classification systems, see Organising and Controlling Current Records.
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