Ok, here is my system.  I honestly think I was a librarian in a past life
or am practicing to become one in a future life.  But here goes for those
of you who, like me, are obsessive about articles and other items).

I have a HUGE five-drawer lateral file, another two-drawer lateral file and
two two-drawer regular filing cabinets.  In the BIGGEST one, I have four
drawers of about 3000 articles (about once every 4 years, I go through them
all and weed out the oldest ones that I am NO LONGER using anymore.

Each article has a four-digit numerical code and is filed in that big
filing cabinet by number (0001-3500, etc.)

In addition, I have a hard file of 3x5 cards that is set up alphabetically.
When I file the article, a card is set up with the author's name and all
otehr reference information for the item.  Also in the upper right corner
is that ubiquitous 4-digit number code.

In addition a brief 1-paragraph synopsis of the key findings of the article
AND up to 5 5-digit subject codes.  (My son helped me set up a coding
system with these numbers in them (00001 - through 99999).

On my computer is a similar note with just the 4-digit code, the alpha
information as to author, title, journal info, AND those key subject codes.
This way, I can call up all articles I have by the same subject code.
Some such codes are quite general (jaundice) while ohters are EXTREMELY
specific (infant growth, prematures).  Whatever, it matters not.  I can
find the articles even if I can only remember things vague about it (like
author's last name OR the general subject matter).

As I said, I must be a librarian in disguise.... When writing books and
artilces, this system more than pays for itself....  :-)

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"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly
disguised as impossible situations."
Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Ferndale, WA USA) [log in to unmask]
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