The following are seven basic records management rules for digital file structuring and file naming, to ensure discoverability and improved management of digital files. These come from a variety of university archives, state archives, and institutional records management sources. The rules were formatted by the UHCL Archives and Special Collections to be of assistance for UHCL personnel as they try to best manager their digital records.
Rule #1: Avoid using special characters in a file name such as \ / : * ? “ < > | [ ] & $ , .
- These symbols can indicate specific commands and may cause problems when transferring your files.
Rule #2: Use underscores instead of periods or spaces in file names
- Spaces are frequently translated in a web environment to be read as “%20”
- Use underscores (“new_word”) or camel-casing (“newWord”).
Rule #3: Keep names short (under 25-30 characters).
- Long file names can cause problems for the computer.
- Abbreviate, truncate, and use acronyms.
- Some systems allow up to 256 characters, while others allow far fewer.
- Keeping file names short can help prevent any future issues.
Rule #4: The file name should include all necessary descriptive information independent of where it is stored
- It is important to ensure that the file name, independent of the folder where the original file lives, is sufficiently descriptive.
Rule #5: Include dates and format them consistently
- The best way to prevent confusion is to embed the relevant date (the date that the file was created or revised) in the file name itself.
- filenaming_20080507 (to reflect that this draft was last edited on May 5, 2008)
Rule #6: Include a version number or word on documents to manage drafts and revisions more easily
- Specifying the version of a file can help you quickly identify the most accurate or most definitive version of the document.
- The easiest way to do this is to use the letter “v” to represent “version number.”
- Or you can use “draft” with letters/numbers, then “final” for final version of document
- Examples:
- “clir_digitgrantapp _sept2020” or “clir_digitgrantapp _draftA_2020-9” or “clir_digitgrantapp_v1_2020-9”
- . . . for Council on Library and Information Resources Digitization Grant Application Records for a September 2020 cycle of grants
Rule #7: Be consistent
