Having dabbled in all three main methods of genealogical organization, I have finally settled on my final course of action: binders. File folders proved too flimsy and I failed to keep any genealogy computer programme I tried (PAF, Family Tree Maker, Broker's Keeper...) updated (plus, we're now on our fourth computer since the ancestor hunt began - and I've lost whatever information I've had on each...).
Thus, the Binder Method.
That's the easy part. Now the trick is to decide how to internally organize the material: family binders divided by surname, by location, or by random (or specific) number; binders per material type vs. "coffee-table" binder; colour-coding woes; and so on.
Below are a few online articles discussing various methods. Stay tuned for part 2...
Internet Resources:
"Clear your clutter"
(part 1) and
(part 2) podcasts from
GenealogyonDemand and the accompanying
handout (Oct/Nov 2006)
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Organizing Your Paper Files Using Binders (Notebooks)" from FamilySearch.org
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In a Pile or a File: A Guide to Organizing Genealogical Research" by Rita F. Bartholomew (2001) [note: includes a few archival no-nos - metal clips, eek! - but the booklet is excellent otherwise]
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Organize your paper files" (in combination with a computer program)
Elyse90505's Channel on YouTube - includes videos for: "How I organize my genealogy", "How To Create A Research Binder", "How to Organize Your Genealogy Part 1", and "How to Organize Your Genealogy Part 2", as well as the blog entry "
Organizing the Paper Mountain, Part 2", all by Elyse Doerflinger
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Binders, Notebooks or Folders? Organizing Your Genealogy Files" by Kimberly Powell (About.com)
"A Guide to Organizing Paper Genealogy Files"
here and
here (this one w/pictures!) by Wayne Hinton, Hinton Genealogy Research (1997)
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Guide to Organizing Your Genealogy Files" by Shannon Wakeland (eHow)
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How to Organize Genealogy with Binders: Notebook Sections for Family Surnames, Documents, Locations" by Jennifer Jensen (suite101.com, 2009)
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Digging Out From the Paper Pile" from Genealogy.com
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Organizing Your Research" by Diana Smith (Genealogy.com)
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Another Sort of A to Z: Your Genealogy Filing System" by Donna Przecha (Genealogy.com)
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Organizing Your Home Records" by Lisa Noirot (Summit County chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, 2001)
DearMyrtle's checklists of organization:
January 2009,
February 2009,
March 2009,
April 2009,
May 2009,
June 2009 [note: while these cover much more than just binders, they're a great series of articles!]
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Get It Together" series of organizational articles by Elizabeth Kelley Kirstens (Ancestry.com, 1999-2000)
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How do I keep all this stuff straight?" George G. Morgan ("Along those lines", Ancestry.com, 1998) [note: this is one of the first articles I ever accessed - and subsequently printed off...]
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Organization is the Key!" series of lessons from Genealogy.com
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Keeping Track of Cousins" by Christine Sievers (suite101.com, 2000)
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Organizing Family History Records" by Marina Garrison (50connect.co.uk)
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Organizing Your Papers" - a series of 4 articles from "Legacy News" (2006)
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Develop an Organizational Plan: One That Will Grow as Your Research Grows" by Phyllis Matthews Ziller (genwriters.com)
