Reference Manuals
- Thread starter debbieg
- Start date
These reference manuals go into the general reference.
Oogiem
0
debbieg;86314 said:
Don't know the official word but I store all the manuals and notes etc in a folder labeled for each piece of equipment like this "Equip. - Treo Phone" If there is only a single CD and it fits easily I put that in the same folder. If it's a box of CD's w/ software I put it on a specific shelf where i store those things.
All the Equip. file folders are filed in alphabetical order in my reference filing system. I have a full file cabinet drawer of them.
debbieg;86314 said:
This sort of reference is rapidly becoming obsolete if the equipment is from major manufacturers. If a CD comes with it, the manual is usually a PDF on the CD. I copy that to my hard drive. If not, I look for the manual on-line. Same with device drivers, especially because the drivers on the CD's are typically obsolete by the time they hit the shelves.
mcogilvie;86321 said:
In our recent organizing effort (at home)we came up with some manuals that hadn't made it into our file cabinet. I asked if we still had x or y. The response was that we don't have x, but we may have y. I started to put the manual for y into the reference file but then was told to just dump it anyway. The item is several years old, we've never needed the manual. We're not sure we've got the item. And if we do have it and needed the manual for something, we could look it up online.
This got me thinking about really cleaning out that part of my files. It's odd that for some things I automatically look online for the manual and for some things I automatically walk to the office to look for it.
The CD's etc. have always been separate, but I think if I deem them worth keeping, I'll integrate them into the files. That'll open up half a shelf to me, and I'll bet there's not much worth keeping anyway.
Thanks.
my own conventions
I use a yellow folder for paper work, directions,CD DVD of things we own so it stands out in the general reference file from the plain folders that contain other information on the same subject.
I have a box that has original software.
If I am going to refer to a manual often while I am using a device or think another person might need to I try to keep them together along with anything else related. In some cases I try to literally tie them together or create a pocket for the materials on item. I might print a label with the serial number, etc in large enough type to be readable and tape it in an obvious place because I hate to take apart something to find the model number or find that the label the manufacturer included has faded or fallen off. I also will put the part number for any thing that gets refilled on the outside of the item so it can be read easily such as printer cartridge number, vacuum cleaner bag. I also label power cords and also indicate which side is up for various items. I am great believer that useful information needs to be highly visible and accessible. I come from a family with a few absent minded professors with a lot of compensatory compulsive traits. Everyone else laughs at us but who do they come to for new batteries, shoe laces that fit their high top sneakers, unusual light bulbs, etc. I have labeled the three-prong adapters with each person's initials and my personal ones are orange. A lot of time is saved when little pieces of information are made obvious--for example when the plumber told me the drain clog was 12 feet down (I had been trying to unclog it with a 10 foot snack), I cut a piece of wire to the correct length plus a foot and I just keep that rolled up under the sink and use it at the slightest hint of trouble. I discovered that in another sink the clog is only six feet down, so I have a wire for that one under that sink. No more expensive service calls!
I use a yellow folder for paper work, directions,CD DVD of things we own so it stands out in the general reference file from the plain folders that contain other information on the same subject.
I have a box that has original software.
If I am going to refer to a manual often while I am using a device or think another person might need to I try to keep them together along with anything else related. In some cases I try to literally tie them together or create a pocket for the materials on item. I might print a label with the serial number, etc in large enough type to be readable and tape it in an obvious place because I hate to take apart something to find the model number or find that the label the manufacturer included has faded or fallen off. I also will put the part number for any thing that gets refilled on the outside of the item so it can be read easily such as printer cartridge number, vacuum cleaner bag. I also label power cords and also indicate which side is up for various items. I am great believer that useful information needs to be highly visible and accessible. I come from a family with a few absent minded professors with a lot of compensatory compulsive traits. Everyone else laughs at us but who do they come to for new batteries, shoe laces that fit their high top sneakers, unusual light bulbs, etc. I have labeled the three-prong adapters with each person's initials and my personal ones are orange. A lot of time is saved when little pieces of information are made obvious--for example when the plumber told me the drain clog was 12 feet down (I had been trying to unclog it with a 10 foot snack), I cut a piece of wire to the correct length plus a foot and I just keep that rolled up under the sink and use it at the slightest hint of trouble. I discovered that in another sink the clog is only six feet down, so I have a wire for that one under that sink. No more expensive service calls!
I keep an image of anything physical for archiving.
I photograph bits and pieces like cables and disks that belong together, put them in a box and label it according to my electronic file naming convention.
I did the same with all my books. I grabbed the book covers from Amazon.com, made a list of them in a folder called Attic Books, and put them all in the attic.
I also have a shelf of standard-size brown envelopes that contain small things like sets of keys, similarly photographed and labelled.
The image file goes into my electronic reference, grouped according to location, like a warehouse locator [ ATTIC-BOOKS, ATTIC-ELECTRONICS, STUDY-CDs ].
When I need something from my archives, I can search for the description, or browse the photographs by location.
I photograph bits and pieces like cables and disks that belong together, put them in a box and label it according to my electronic file naming convention.
I did the same with all my books. I grabbed the book covers from Amazon.com, made a list of them in a folder called Attic Books, and put them all in the attic.
I also have a shelf of standard-size brown envelopes that contain small things like sets of keys, similarly photographed and labelled.
The image file goes into my electronic reference, grouped according to location, like a warehouse locator [ ATTIC-BOOKS, ATTIC-ELECTRONICS, STUDY-CDs ].
When I need something from my archives, I can search for the description, or browse the photographs by location.