Organising paper copies of journal articles

OK maybe I am being a bit OTT here but I had a tiny dim memory of the way that people used to make databases before computers so I've done a bit of hunting.

www.absolutewrite.com/novels/index_cards.htm tells you how to make a database using index cards.

Basically you get a bunch of index cards, and punch a row of holes down the edge (make sure they're in the same place on each card - I think you can sometimes get pre-punched cards which is easier).

Use one as your "categories" page. Say for example you've collected articles about breech birth, water birth, emergency c-section, hospital policy etc. You write each of those categories down on the first card next to a hole. Then you go through your articles writing an index card for each one - title and author etc.

Then here's the clever bit. Hold your article index card up next to the categories page. Punch a double hole through the article card for every category - so that there is a hole which matches the one on the category card, and also one that goes to the edge of the article card. DON'T add extra holes to the categories card though.

Also punch a hole at the top corner of all the cards so that you can hold them together with a treasury tag or something.

If you want to find all the articles about breech birth, you put a knitting needle through the "breech birth" hole in the categories card, and then shake the pile. All the ones that are categorised as "breech birth" will come loose but the others will be held in. If you want two or more categories, it can do this too.

I'm quite excited about this system, I wish I had something to use it for! Maybe I'll catalogue my Essentially Midirs or something...

It sounds like a lot of work but it's only hard work to set up initially. After that you just need to write a new card for each new article which won't take more than a moment.

Oh and you need to make sure you've filed the articles tidily, otherwise you'll know which article you're after but you won't know where it is!

:crazy:

I do this!

File alphabetically under author and then I use endnote (you can use the online one) or similar software to store a reference list which allows me to put subject tags and write a little summary about what I've read.

I'm embarrassed about how fussy I am over books and journals... The rest of my life/house is a pile of junk honest! This is the only thing I an organised over

I need a lie-down after reading that!

Mine are all filed under 'POJBMB' aka Pile Of Journals By My Bed x

I also go a little bit doolally at this time of year and begin tidying/sorting/binning anything thats not nailed down (sofas and pictures are most recent things to depart my house this week).
Thinking about filing in the future, I predict reading something interesting, writing down author, topic, book/journal/article on an index card and using one of those little index card boxes to store them in.
I currently keep my Essentially's in a magazine folder, date order (its a perspex thing, like a folder but you can clip mags into it)

Date order, Ican manage........folder,no. Jute bag,yes!!

I would file them in relation to subject.... and the ones that don't fit into one particular subject section will end up dumped in a pile of its own never to be seen again.

I used to be so organised. Now I have piles of reading which I am going to organise in box files in topic, with a list of articles at the front of each file. Weekend job mehtinks. But so tired...