Keeping track of notes/references at work
Keeping track of notes/references at work
(OP)
Does anyone have a good system of tracking things they come across (notes and such) at work so that they can save them for the future?
For example, today I hunted the ASTM spec for the corner radius of HSS tubes. In a couple years I may need this again... any suggestions on a filling system so that I have quick acess to this? Electronic or otherwise?
For example, today I hunted the ASTM spec for the corner radius of HSS tubes. In a couple years I may need this again... any suggestions on a filling system so that I have quick acess to this? Electronic or otherwise?






RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
I use this for rules of thumb e.t.c.
For more extensive information, I keep a photocopy in a file.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
It's a pain the first time to enter all the data depending on how many references/documents you have, but now I usually only enter 1 or 2 at a time as something new comes in.
After several years I'm up to 4400+ items that takes up 13.5 GB of disk space.
I hope this helps.
Jim
Florida's Space Coast
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
I use a folder system on my hard drive for all reference material, organized by topic or material or codes such as:
ACI
AISC
AISI
Wood
Tilt-walls
and so on.
For hard copies, over the years I've kept a file system and for those documents I use a lot I created a series of "cheat books" which are four notebooks grouped by: Analysis, Concrete, Steel, Wood, Masonry, Soils.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Everything on the shelves in my office is arranged according to the CSI MasterFormat. Considering only the "structural" sections of MasterFormat, Division 3 is concrete, Division 4 is masonry, Division 5 is steel, and Division 6 is wood. On my shelf, I have concrete textbooks, concrete codes, articles on concrete design, concrete product literature, etc., all in one area. The next area has masonry textbooks, masonry codes...you get the idea.
DaveAtkins
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
To be successful at organizing references in the computer is to come up with a good system of directory/subdirectory structure that is logical.
For hard copies, I have main binders for various topics (Steel, Concrete, etc.), within each binder I have tab inserts for sub-topics (such as SCBF, Moment Connections, etc.) I maintain a detailed index at the beginning of each binder.
I have a few binders for recent references that are also divided by tab inserts. When it gets full, I move more important references to the main binders and immediately update the index.
My system isn't perfect but still it took me years to make it manageable. It is extremely time consuming to develop a system at first but once a scheme is established, it doesn't take much time for updates.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Search functions work great on the electronic files.
Jeff
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
I have manila folders for hard copies of some items, but most things get scanned to pdf and put in nested reference folders in my computer. It's divided into categories such as Steel->Metal Buildings->Members, or Steel->Connections->Shear and I just dump the pdfs in the right folders. The file names list the author, title, and year, if applicable. Then I just use the Windows Search thingie to find them.
Very simple and seems to work ok. I'll definitely take some lessons from some of you guys, though.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Our offices have traditionally had these big reference file cabinets with all sorts of files for every engineering/construction subject on earth. As we find good articles, or nomographs (remember those?), or other design helps, we'd copy them and put them in the file.
A few years ago I noted that I hadn't gone to the file in a long long time. Realized that it was due to the access to the internet and those amazing pdf download files.
Now they're just dusty old set of files.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
It's just so darn easy to lose a hard copy and they're so hard to distribute. I can e-mail any new handy-dandy paper or design aid to a half-dozen people in under a minute if need be, LOL. Paper files are heavy and take up a lot of room also.
Papers are easier to work with at times, though. I find that I often print a temporary hard copy of something for one specific usage and then either put it in the project file or use it for scrap paper.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Sure, except that a prudent person has redundant backups. ;)
I have the info on my hard disk, on an external hard disk here, and another external hard disk at another facility. A company can use similar or more elaborate methods.
As for paper copies, a fire or sprinkler going off completely destroys those and backing them up borders on prohibitive.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
Jim
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
I used to have a collection of MadCAD docs nicely organized by a decent directory structure but haven't updated or used the program in ages. I still have similar collection of Excel sheets.
As for pdf'ing example calcs, I haven't had time or energy yet. In a design office, though, it is a good idea to have sample hand calcs for various topics in design reference binders in a library where engineers have access.
RE: Keeping track of notes/references at work
I like the idea of the excel spreadsheet with hyperlinks to all my stuff - but it would take an age to catalogue everything now.
Wouldn't a photographic memory be great!