Lots of information! File names can be more than just names. Meaningful filenames can be structured data important to maintaining image order and indicating how the image corresponds to its context in the collection. On the other hand, non-descriptive filenames carry no meaning but are rather unique identifiers for each file, often a sequential number. Non-descriptive identifiers are easy to assign but outside of the system managing the metadata, the file has no context. Using a meaningful file name mitigates this problem.  For this project a meaningful file naming convention was selected to preserve the image’s context outside of the collection and facilitate file management. As an example, the file name smith_ssc_324_r143_m007_003 tells me what collection it’s from(324), the microfilm reel it’s on(143), the microdex on the reel(007) and the frame number or image order(003). I’ll further describe the file naming convention and its application to the three types of materials in this project(microfilm, photographs and serials) below. Each institution or project will have its own file naming convention but no matter where you are it is important to consider how your file names are being used, how they may be used, and the types of materials that will be assigned names.

A few things to consider when deciding on a file naming convention:

• Each file should have a unique file name. Make sure your file naming structure can accommodate the scope of your project.
• Balance length of filename with meaningful segments. Try to remain brief.
• To preserve image order use leading zeroes in numerical sequences.

The general file naming convention for boxed and foldered items is as follows:

smith_ssc_324_b####_f###_###_p###

smith — name of institution
ssc — Special Collections unit abbreviation for the Sophia Smith Collection
324 — Collection ID
b#### — box number
f### — folder number
### — item number
p### — page number

Photographs:
The photographs are in folders and boxes and adhere to the convention in a straightforward way. Each photograph in the folder is an item and is assigned p001 for the front and p002 for the back. In the case of photo albums or scrapbooks the page count will progress with through the album.

Microfilm:
Microfilm isn’t exactly boxed and folder numbers but we have applied the convention to the microfilm reel and microdex. The file name convention adapted for the microfilm is:

smith_ssc_324_r###_m###_###

Where r### for reel replaces the bxx for box and m### for microdex replaces f for folder. The last three digits are for the frame number and the page number is omitted.

Serials:
The serials presented the biggest challenge for file names for this project. The serials for digitization came from several sources(bound volumes, single issues and duplicate copies) and do not correspond to a box and folder naming system. After assessing the materials and the information available the following naming convention was devised:

smith_ssc_324_abb_v###_n###_p####

Where, abb is for the serial abbreviation(a three letter unique abbreviation assigned by myself and the Project Leader). V### for the volume number, n### for issue number and p### and for page number. The Collections Archivist responsible for preparing the serials for digitization prepared a spreadsheet listing the titles, issues and the identifiers assigned on the serials such as volume, month, year and number. Using this spreadsheet I predicted the instances where the file name convention will not fit and was able to preemptively address these situations case by case. At the present time only a small sample of the files for the serials have been returned so I can’t say whether or not I was able to identify all exceptions to the file name convention but I have hopefully used the tools and information available to address most of them.