Filing Techniques in Media Systems

Alphabetize by Title

• One way of filing media is to alphabetize your collection. Alphabetize everything by title. If you are categorizing music, arrange everything by album title. If you are categorizing movies, arrange everything by movie title. This system is best if you are the sort of person who usually knows exactly what he is looking for before you begin your search.

Alphabetize by Artist Name

• Another way to alphabetize your media collection is to arrange everything by artist. If you are categorizing music, you could either arrange everything by the songwriter or by the musician performing the piece. In some circumstances (e.g. if your collection is mostly classical music and you have multiple recordings of the same classical work performed by different musicians) it may be more helpful to arrange your collection by musician rather than writer. If you are categorizing movies, arrange everything by director's name.

Arrange By Genre

• Another way of filing media is to arrange everything by genre. For music, the categories could include classical, rock and roll and jazz. For movies, the categories could include horror, comedy and action. This works well for people who usually do not know exactly what they are looking for, but who know what sort of movie or music they would like to watch or listen to. It may also be helpful to alphabetize the individual movies or albums within these sections.

Arrange By Frequency of Use

• Another way of filing media is to abandon alphabetization and genres and simply arrange everything according to how often you access it. For example, if you like to listen to a Beatles album at least once a week, put your Beatles albums at eye level. If you have multiple rows in your collection, put them in the front.