correspondence, the alphabetical index lends itself to the change
without disturbing the general arrangement of the files. It can be
expanded to any size; any class of correspondence can be segregated;
and with properly subdivided indexes, papers can be quickly located.
Probably the two most important advantages of the alphabetical over the
numerical system of indexing are its economy of operation and safety.
As to the first named advantage, there is a saving at the start in
the outfit required. Only the letter file and alphabetical index are
needed--there is no investment in a card-index outfit, unless it be a
very small one for cross-references. But the greatest saving is in the
time required for its operation.
Without considering the operations involved in filing letters, compare
the two methods when a letter is wanted from the files. Suppose that
the file clerk has received a requisition for the correspondence of the
Norton Machine Company. With the numerical index, the following steps
are taken:
(1) Open card index drawer;
(2) Refer to cards filed back of the N guide, and find index
card showing that folder _No. 610_ holds the correspondence;
(3) Close card index drawer;
(4) Open vertical file drawer;
(5) Refer to folders back of the _600_ index, find _No. 610_,
remove folder;
(6) Close vertical file drawer.
When the alphabetical index is used, only the following steps are
necessary:
(1) Open vertical file drawer;
(2) Refer direct to folder of Norton Machine Company, back of the _N_
guide, and remove correspondence;
(3) Close file drawer.
[Illustration: Fig. 22. Alphabetical vs. Numerical Filing]
This is merely an application of the principle that a straight line is
the shortest distance between two points, as illustrated in Fig. 22.
Alphabetical indexing is the safer for the reason that there is less
liability of filing a letter in the wrong place. With the numerical
system, the filing of letters in the wrong folder is not uncommon, and
when this is done the letters are practically lost.
The usual routine in numerical filing is first to place the folder
numbers on the letters, and then file according to these numbers
without reference to the name. Naturally, the file clerk commits to
memory the numbers of a large part of the active correspondents, and
places them on the letters without referring to the card index. Memory
is ever fickle, and if the wrong number is placed on the letter, it is
probable that it will be filed accordingly.
In the use of figures, the most common of all errors is transposition,
and this is a constant source of danger in filing. Suppose, for
example, that in placing the number on a letter from the Norton Machine
Company, a transposition is made and the number reads _160_ instead of
_610_. The letter is filed in folder _No. 160_, just four hundred and
fifty folders out of the way. The letter is practically lost, for there
is no way to locate it except to look through all of the folders until
it is found.
With the alphabetical index there is some danger of filing a letter
in the wrong place, but it is materially lessened by the fact that
the name must be kept in mind. If the letter is incorrectly filed, it
probably will be placed in a folder close to the right one. Almost
without exception, it will be found within two or three folders of its
proper place; there is scarcely a possibility that a letter from Norton
will be filed in White's folder.
MISCELLANEOUS FILING
=Salesmen's Correspondence.= The correspondence from salesmen and
branch houses is, as a rule, more bulky than that from even the largest
customers. A sub-divison should be provided that will make it possible
to locate quickly a letter of any date, without looking through a great
mass of correspondence. The most simple way to accomplish this is to
divide the correspondence of each salesman or branch by months. A
folder should be used each month.
Sufficient space should be provided in the general files to hold
salesmen's correspondence for an entire year. If subdivided by months,
old correspondence can be located much more quickly than if scattered
through several transfer files.
One way to reduce the bulk of this correspondence in the salesmen's
folders is to require each salesman to use a separate sheet for each
subject about which he writes. Nine out of every ten letters from a
salesman refer specifically to transactions with certain customers, and
are chiefly important in connection with the correspondence of those
customers. Such letters should be filed in the customers' folders,
where they will be found when it is wished to investigate transactions
with a customer.
The correspondence of some very large customers is also quite bulky.
This, also, can be subdivided by the use of a new folder each month. A
similar plan is used to advantage in connection with subject filing, a
separate folder, filed back of the subject guide, being used for each
correspondent.
=Correspondence of Temporary Value.= Every large enterprise receives
a considerable amount of correspondence which has no permanent value.
Inquiries for catalogs in response to advertising are of no value
unless further correspondence is developed. It is advisable to set
aside sufficient space in the files, and file such correspondence
alphabetically, in miscellaneous folders. Later, when further
correspondence develops, separate folders can be made and transferred
to the regular files. After a reasonable time--when the follow-up
is abandoned--the inquiries can be destroyed, saving space in the
permanent files.
=Orders.= The manner of filing orders depends on the business and the
method of handling. It will depend on whether the greater part of the
orders are received direct from customers on their own blanks, on
blanks supplied by the house, or from salesmen on the blanks of the
house.
When orders are received direct from customers, whether in the form of
letters or on the customers' blanks, it is customary to copy them on
the house order blanks, from which orders are filled and billed. The
most practical disposition of customers' original orders is to file
them with their correspondence, instead of providing a special file
for them. There are certain exceptions, as subscriptions received by a
magazine and which, for certain reasons, should be kept by themselves;
but that outlined can be regarded as a general rule. One reason for
filing orders with the correspondence is that, in case of dispute, it
will very likely be necessary to refer to past correspondence.
The manner of filing the house blanks depends on the number of copies
made. Some houses make but two copies of the order--one to be sent to
the customer as an acknowledgment, and one from which the order is
filled. This leaves but one copy for the office, and this should be
filed numerically, which also brings it in the order of the date. If
the order copy is also used as a posting medium, it should be filed in
a loose-leaf binder; otherwise a vertical file drawer can be used.
Another very satisfactory method is to enter the order in
triplicate--one copy as an acknowledgment, an office copy, and a
shipping copy--leaving two copies for the files. One copy should
be filed numerically, the other alphabetically. This provides a
cross-index without the necessity of writing a card index, showing
how easy it is to provide valuable records by using ordinary care. A
complete order record is provided by making one extra copy, which is
done with no additional labor.
Orders received from salesmen on the house blanks are sometimes used as
a posting medium, in which case they are filed in a binder, by date.
Another method is to make the invoice in duplicate, and use one copy
as a posting medium. In such case, the copy of the order can be filed
alphabetically, bringing all orders from each customer together.
[Illustration: Fig. 23. Special Invoice Folder--Open _Browne-Morse Co._]
=Invoices.= The method of filing invoices depends on whether or not a
complete voucher system is used. When no voucher system is used, all
invoices should be filed alphabetically in a vertical file. A folder
should be used for each firm or person from whom goods are purchased,
so that all of their invoices can be kept together. Invoices should be
filed in the folder in the order of their dates, the last one in front.
With the voucher system, invoices are sometimes attached to the
voucher, in which case they are filed according to the voucher number
and a separate card index is kept for alphabetical reference. The more
modern plan, however, is to file the voucher numerically, retaining the
alphabetical index for invoices.
Invoices can be filed in the same file with the correspondence, or in a
special file. When the former method is adopted a folder of a special
color should be used. There would then be two folders for a firm, one
for invoices and one for correspondence. Special folders with double
folds are largely used for filing invoices, as shown in Fig. 23.
[Illustration: Fig. 24. Document File. _Browne-Morse Co._]
=Documents and Legal Papers.= For filing documents and legal papers,
there are two standard methods. The older of the two is to fold the
papers and file them on end in a document drawer, like the one shown in
Fig. 24. The drawer is equipped with a compressor or following block
for keeping the papers in an upright position, and either alphabetical
or numerical indexes. These drawers can be obtained singly or in
cabinets containing any number.
The more modern method is to file documents and legal papers in a
vertical file, using document envelopes, as shown in Fig. 25. These
envelopes are of the right size to hold legal papers flat, insuring
convenient reference, which is a decided improvement over the older
method of folding the papers. Any of the several methods of indexing
can be used, depending on the requirements of the business.
[Illustration: Fig. 25. Document File Envelopes _Browne-Morse Co._]
As a filing system for the lawyer's office, this method is unsurpassed.
Every record of the office is kept in one complete filing system, yet
each case is separate and distinct. Every paper and all correspondence
relating to a given case is filed, unfolded, in one of the document
envelopes--or a folder can be used--bringing all papers on the same
subject together.
If indexed alphabetically, the papers are filed according to the name
of the client. When the numerical index is adopted, an alphabetical
index card with cross-references, including the docket index, is
used. The folders may be numbered by case or office numbers. Copies
of opinions can be filed in the same manner, making every opinion
available whether given yesterday or ten years ago. The usual confusion
in the lawyer's office, incident to the search for papers scattered
through several files, is entirely done away with.
=Clippings.= The vertical system is the most practicable for filing
clippings, but, since they are liable to be lost through the open
ends of the ordinary correspondence folder, it is best to use either
the envelope or the invoice folder--preferably the former. Indexing
for clippings should be by subject, and if a file is used exclusively
for clippings, it may be either numerical or alphabetical. As a rule,
the latter is most satisfactory, though the former is used quite
extensively.
[Illustration: Fig. 26. Drawing or Map File _C. J. Lundstrom Co._]
An envelope should be used for each subject. On the front of the
envelope the name of the subject and a list of the contents is written.
All clippings relating to that subject are filed in the envelope, which
is placed back of the proper alphabetical guide. Cross-references, when
needed, are provided by a card index.
=Drawings and Maps.= A large concern, especially a manufacturing
enterprise, has a large number of drawings, blue prints, maps, and
photographs to file. One method is to file them in large folders, laid
flat in a flat drawer, using a card index for cross-reference.
A more convenient method is to file them vertically. The ordinary
vertical file drawer is too small for large drawings, but in Fig. 26 is
shown a special file which will accommodate drawings measuring 24"×36".
The drawings are filed in heavy folders, made to fit the drawer. This
drawer is hinged at its lower front edge, permitting it to be opened by
simply tilting the drawer forward, an operation which is accomplished
with very little exertion. The drawer is held in open position by an
automatic catch which is quickly released when it is desired to close
the drawer. Each drawer is provided with an adjustable follower which
moves back as the space fills up. When open the drawer exposes its
entire contents, any of which may be picked out instantly and again
filed with the utmost convenience and dispatch. When a large tracing
is to be filed, it is desirable to first pull out the folder to which
it belongs and, after having placed the tracing therein, to slip the
folder back in its place. This prevents any accidental creasing of the
drawing.
Either an alphabetical or numerical index can be used, depending on the
class of drawings to be filed. In a machine shop, where all machines
and parts are known by number, the numerical index is best. In a
publishing house, where it is desired to keep all drawings used for
each book, they should be filed alphabetically by subject.
=Credit Reports.= Vertical filing is best for credit reports, as
it brings together all credit information about a customer. Unlike
correspondence, it is customary to fasten credit reports in the folder
by using a drop of paste at the top of each report. A folder is used
for each customer, and all reports are attached in the order of their
date.
The index may be numerical, alphabetical, or geographical. When the
numerical system is used, a card index furnishes the cross-reference.
The card contains the name and the number of the folder, with a brief
history of the customer's dealings with the house.
FILING HELPS
=Guiding.= The importance of guiding should not be overlooked, for
guides are the great essential of a successful filing system. They must
be simple and correct. They must be inserted at sufficient intervals
to guide eye and hand instantly to the desired folder. A vertical file
drawer holds about 5000 letters, and, assuming that the average is 10
letters to a folder, this would mean 500 folders. A general rule is to
use 50 guides to a drawer, or one guide for every ten folders.
The estimate of the number of guides required should be liberal. If
there are 500 regular correspondents, it is better to equip the files
with a 60 subdivision alphabetical index than to confine it to a 50
subdivision index.
Guides must stand hard usage and remain legible; therefore the best
quality should be used. All manufacturers of filing equipment now
supply guides of heavy pressboard with metal tips. The metal tip guide
is entirely rigid and supports the papers or folders in the file,
keeping them rigid and in alignment. An important feature is that the
index heading (name, letter, or number) can be changed at any time by
merely inserting a new slip in the metal tip. Metal tip guides cost
more than the old-style manila guide stock, but in the end are more
economical. The money paid for a filing outfit should be regarded as a
permanent investment; if the expense is to be cut down, let it be in
the purchase of supplies used for transfer, rather than in the regular
files which are used every day.
=Transferring.= Correspondence which is out of date should be
removed from the current file and filed in transfer files or boxes,
indexed as in the regular files. Transfers should not be made too
frequently. It is often advisable to use cabinets large enough to hold
the correspondence for two years, one part being used for current
correspondence, the other for correspondence one year back. At the end
of the year, all of the correspondence is removed from the older file,
which becomes the current file during the succeeding year.
[Illustration: Fig. 27. Sorting Tray]
=Sorting.= The work of the file clerk is facilitated and greater
accuracy insured by the use of a sorting tray, as shown in Fig. 27.
This consists of a wooden tray, equipped with alphabetical or numerical
guides according to the system used. For the alphabetical system a set
of _A_ to _Z_ guides--one for each letter of the alphabet--is used.
Before attempting to file, the clerk sorts the day's correspondence in
this tray. All correspondence belonging in one division of the alphabet
is thus brought together, and can be quickly filed.
SELECTING FILING EQUIPMENT
[Illustration: Fig. 28. Showing Manner of Joining Upright Sections.
_Browne-Morse Co._]
The selection of filing equipment has been greatly simplified by the
manufacturers, who have studied the filing problem with the view to
supplying the demand for equipment to accommodate every business
paper. As new problems have presented themselves, new equipment has
been designed. The needs of the smallest office, as well as those of
the largest corporation, have been studied and met. Heavy cabinets of
solid construction have given way to cabinets built in sections, any
one of which can be carried by the office boy. The man who has but a
half-dozen letters a day to file finds a section exactly suited to
his requirements; as his business grows, he adds other sections; the
cabinet grows with the business, making one complete system, no matter
how small or how large.
The most universally used of all filing devices is the vertical file.
As has been explained in the preceding pages, it adapts itself to
almost all of the papers found in a business office. Vertical files are
made with drawers in three standard sizes: letter size, for ordinary
correspondence, or papers up to 9½"×11" in size; legal or cap size,
for legal blanks, reports, and other large papers up to 10"×15" in
size; invoice size, for invoices, orders, credit reports, and all
papers not larger than 5¼"×8". Papers 8"×10" can be filed in the
invoice size by folding once.
=Styles of Construction.= Two standard styles of construction are used
for vertical files, horizontal sections and upright sections or units.
The horizontal section is made one vertical file drawer high and either
two or three drawers wide. Upright units are one drawer wide, four
drawers high for letter and cap sizes, and five drawers high for the
invoice size.
The upright unit is the newer and preferred style of construction;
it is more substantial, and for either large or small filing systems
occupies less floor space. Upright units are put together as shown in
Fig. 28. Each section is built with skeleton ends, and at each end of
the cabinet--whether one or a dozen sections--end panels are used,
making one complete cabinet. The sections are locked together, and can
be separated at will. Fig. 29 shows three upright sections, in the
three standard sizes, joined together to make a complete cabinet. This
gives some indication of the possibilities offered by this style of
construction in building a cabinet to meet every requirement.
[Illustration: Fig. 29. Three Upright Sections in Standard Sizes
_Browne-Morse Co._]
Upright units are also made with combinations of drawers for different
purposes. For a small business, an assortment of files for different
purposes is frequently desirable. An entire section filled with files
of one kind may not be needed, but a combination section offers a
solution. The combination illustrated in Fig. 30 contains one cupboard,
six shallow storage blanks, two double card-index drawers, and three
document files. A vertical file drawer can be substituted for the
cupboard unit.
If vouchers, or other folded documents are to be filed, the document
drawers shown in the combination unit can be used, or provision can be
made for filing these papers in the vertical file. The vertical file
drawer is divided lengthwise by partitions into compartments of the
same width as the document file. Each compartment is equipped with a
follower block and countersunk rod for holding guides.
[Illustration: Fig. 30. Combination Cabinet _Browne-Morse Co._]
Where a large number of folded documents are to be filed, as in the
office of a corporation using a voucher system, this file is much more
convenient than the old style. An old-style document file has a limited
filing capacity, and must be taken from the cabinet for consultation.
A vertical file drawer, legal size, provides three compartments, each
24" in length. This gives an actual filing capacity of six feet in a
single drawer. An upright section, equipped for document filing, is
shown in Fig. 31. If an entire section is not needed for this purpose,
one drawer can be equipped for document filing, and the others used for
correspondence.
[Illustration: Fig. 31. Upright Cabinet for Documents _Library Bureau_]
A style of construction designed to combine the expansion idea with
variety is known as the _inter-inter cabinet_. This cabinet consists
primarily of an outer cabinet or shell of standard height, depth,
and width. This shell is divided into compartments of standard
height into which the filing devices are fitted. The various filing
devices are arranged in skeleton units of standard dimensions, made
interchangeable so that any desired combination can be produced. Fig.
32 shows an outside cabinet, card index, and vertical file units, which
fit the openings in the cabinet.
[Illustration: OUTSIDE CABINET]
[Illustration: Fig. 32. Inter-Inter Construction _Macey Co._]
This construction enables the user to make a combination of small units
of various kinds to suit present requirements, all housed in a single
case in a compact form. Provision for future expansion is unnecessary,
since an additional outside cabinet can be added at any time, and the
units rearranged at will to conform with changes in the system.
An inter-inter cabinet shown in Fig. 33 suggests the variety of devices
that can be accommodated in a single shell. This cabinet contains
vertical file, card index, legal blank drawers, and document files.
The need has been felt for a small filing cabinet, or stack of
sections, that would be complete and give the proper variety. The
professional man, the department manager, and the executive have need
for a small cabinet for personal correspondence, reports, statistics,
records of matters requiring personal attention, blanks and forms,
private papers, and all matters of a confidential nature. This need
seems to have been met satisfactorily by the small sections known to
the trade as _sectionets_.
[Illustration: Fig. 33. Inter-Inter Cabinet _The Macey Co._]
These are complete sections, the largest size being that of the
vertical file drawer, which can be stacked one on top of the other or
side by side. Any of the standard filing devices can be made up into
these sections. A small section for 4"×6" cards is shown in Fig. 34.
A single section, with top and base, makes a complete cabinet, which
can be added to as needed. Fig. 35 shows a small stack of sections
consisting of vertical file, 5"×8" card index, and 3"×5" card-index
drawers, and one document file, on a leg base.
=Transfer Files.= Files for the storage of transferred correspondence
can be of cheaper construction than the regular filing cabinets, as
they are less frequently referred to and not subject to the same hard
usage. They should, however, be of reasonably substantial construction;
it is usual to keep business correspondence at least two years, and it
may be necessary to refer to it many times after it is transferred.
Then, too, if substantial transfer files are provided, they can be
used again and again; sufficient transfer files to hold two years'
correspondence will last indefinitely.
[Illustration: Fig. 34. Card Sectionet _Shaw-Walker Co._]