The Easy Way To Refile Film, Salt Lake City

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

(Thanks to Linda McCauley of Documenting the Details, for the idea for this post.  Here is the answer to your question, Linda!)

I mentioned the other day that I had discovered a little trick to help speed up my refiling of film.  See here in the genie-mecca, you have to refile your own film.  And, I found it was taking a hunk of time to do so.  I mean, there is a mega bunch of film here!  Well that is why we come to the genie-mecca, for mega bunches of film.

Bank after bank, row after row, microfilm storage units, a LOT of storage units, as far as the eye can see!

Above: Looking down only PART of only ONE row, look at all those cabinets,
look at all those drawers, FULL of film!  Be still the researchers little beating heart!

Pull open a drawer, there ya go, the gold mine!  FILMS!  But, look at how many in just ONE drawer.

So, after you have found your film, taken it to your reader, found (hopefully) your person of interest and the record you desire, have obtained a copy of said record, you now have to return the film to the proper drawer, filed numerically, thank you very much.

First couple of hours, it is pretty easy, you are not tired, your eyes still focus.  No problem, find the film numbers on the end of the cabinets.

OK, got the right row??  Now, wander down the row and try to find the right drawer.  Where DID that film come from??

Which drawer??  Brain is starting to fog over, which drawer???

So, here is the little trick I discovered late the first afternoon.  It made the refiling almost painless.

Above:  Look real close, there is a second set of number/letters on these drawers.  See that 389??  That is the number assigned to this particular film cabinet.  Now, see the letters, A, B, C, D, E, F, G??  Those letters are assigned to a drawer.  So, when I take my film out of the drawer, before I close it, I jot down the number 389 and the drawer letter, say, F.  I have been writing the number right on my printed copy of my to do list.  It takes about 6 seconds to write down those key numbers and letters.  It saves me many times that when it is time to refile.  With that number I can walk right to the correct cabinet and with the letter I can pull open the right drawer in just a few seconds, no complicated thinking going on, zip, zap, fast!

I happened to meet a volunteer in the middle of a row, he was moving films, I was refiling.   He asked if he could be of assistance, I said, no, I just have to find the cabinet number I need.  He asked me, how did you learn that trick, someone show you??  I replied, nope, figured it out myself today.  He snickered a little and told me about a gal that had been coming to the library for 40 years and had never discovered this little trick.

Gotta say, I sure am glad it did not take me 40 years to figure it out, in 3 days of research it has already saved me a nice hunk of time.  Refiling - - not a big issue.

What film do I need next?  Lets think, hmmmm, how bout vital records from the state of Washington, ya, lets have a lookie see.

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