Organize Your Data

Help your future self. Adopt a few key data management strategies to make your work more efficient and improve your collaborations. No one has perfect habits when it comes to managing data, but small changes in your practice can help you save time and resources.

File Naming Learning Module

Folder Structures Learning Module

Name files and folders

Name files and folders using short, meaningful names with no spaces. Intentionally naming files and folders helps you find and use your data and can help you manage different versions of files. Some software and operating systems will not work with file and folder names that do not adhere to certain requirements. KU Libraries have created a series of three brief videos about naming files and folders.


GIS and Data Contacts

GIS Resources
April Friedl, Senior GIS Analyst
Watson Library
april.friedl@ku.edu
785-864-6432

Research Data
Jamene Brooks-Kieffer, Data Services Librarian
Watson Library
jamenebk@ku.edu
785-864-5238

Digital Humanities
Watson Library
Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities
idrh@ku.edu

Structure folders

Create folders whenever you have more than three related files. Use levels and sub-levels of folders and arrange them by project, theme, date, or format. Be consistent and use a system that makes sense for your work. Clean up occasionally by sorting through files and folders to rename, move, or delete as needed. KU Libraries have created a series of three brief videos about organizing folders, also called directories.


Rescue your desktop

Your computer's desktop is an easy location to save files for quick access. But too many files and folders on your desktop turn "quick access" into confusion and wasted time. Rescue your desktop from overcrowding and save yourself time and frustration by regularly deleting desktop files or saving them to permanent locations. KU Libraries have created a brief video about organizing your computer's desktop.