UHCL Archives and Special Collections

We are also providing you a list of links for other archives and records management programs' tips and best practices for digital file naming, and for recommended file formats for long-term preservation. These are only suggestions, and your specific file situation may require other practices. Some of the resources listed may have outdated advice, and should only be consulted for examples and suggestions for best approaches to your digital files. 

If you are a UHCL staff member and have questions, you can contact the UHCL Office of Compliance or the UHCL Archives Associate Director for consultation. Specifically for questions about long-term digital preservation, UHCL Archives can provide more specific format and specifications advice for a variety of digital file formats for UHCL personnel to use to support better changes for long-term file format preservation.

• Texas State Library and Archives Commission SLM The Texas Record blog, “Filing Crash Course: Classification Schemes” by Michelle Johnson, December 13, 2021, at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/slrm/blog/2021/12/filing-crash-course-classification-schemes/

• Texas State Library and Archives Commission SLM The Texas Record blog, “Beyond A to Z: Filing Tips to Organize Better,” November 6, 2017, at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/slrm/blog/2017/11/beyond-a-to-z-filing-tips-to-organize-better/

• Best Practices for File-Naming (State Archives of North Carolina): https://archives.ncdcr.gov/best-practices-file-naming/open

• Stanford Libraries File Naming Best Practices: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/slrm/training/classes/rmb-lg/File%20Naming%20Best%20Practices.pdf

• University of York (Canada) Tip Sheet 6—Naming Conventions for Electronic Files and Folders: https://ipo.info.yorku.ca/tool-and-tips/tip-sheet-6-naming-conventions-for-electronic-files-and-folders/

• Duke University Libraries Recommended File Formats for Digital Preservation: https://library.duke.edu/using/policies/recommended-file-formats-digital-preservation

• Digital Preservation Coalition File Naming and Formats Digital Preservation Topical Note 4: https://www.dpconline.org/docs/dpc-technology-watch-publications/topical-notes-series/1865-dp-note-4-file-naming-and-formats/file

• Recollection Wisconsin, “The Toolkit: File Naming,” published September 24, 2020: https://recollectionwisconsin.org/the-toolkit-file-naming

• University of Washington University Libraries Preferred File Formats: https://www.lib.washington.edu/preservation/preservation-services/digitization-and-digital-preservation/preferred-file-formats

• File Format Guidelines for Management and Long-Term Retention of Electronic Records (State Archives of North Carolina): https://archives.ncdcr.gov/file-format-guidelines-management-and-long-term-retention-electronic-records/open

• Cornell University Research Data Management Service Group File Formats for Preservation: https://data.research.cornell.edu/content/file-formats-preservation

• Purdue University Archives and Special Collections File Format Recommendations:  https://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol/file-format-recommendations