Building Content Libraries for the Long Haul
As someone who spent her early career in publishing, and then later in content management, building content libraries and archives has always been a task that has fallen to me, often whether I liked it or not. As a result, the various ways of managing archives — from physically backlogging old issues of a newspaper in a file cabinet to scheduling nightly automated backups — are very familiar to me. I’ve seen good systems, bad systems, and no systems. I’ve created processes from scratch, rebuilt ones that haven’t worked, and had the misfortune of slogging through systems so ingrained that they can’t be changed without completely starting over and painstakingly re-archiving decades of records.
Preventing the latter has become a passion. In fact, defeating archive clutter and creating better systems of record is a big part of what inspired us to create Chipmunk. But even the best-laid plans can go off track if they aren’t implemented properly from the beginning. Effective content management is like building a house: it requires a strong, structured foundation to support the libraries that will be built upon it. Building that foundation properly calls for planning, long-term thinking, and beginning with the end in mind.
Plan your next step before you take it and you’ll have a foundation for content that will grow with your library.
I know it can be difficult to to anticipate content that you don’t currently have and to build a sturdy-yet-flexible structure to accommodate that which is still hypothetical. There are some strategies, however, that can be implemented at the beginning of any new project to help build a lasting process.
Start now and build as you go
The heart of starting now is in not waiting until there’s a mess of files on your desktop or in your downloads folder that you then have to make time to sort and declutter. The more tasks you set aside for later, the less likely they will be addressed. Note that this doesn’t mean creating an empty folder with a bunch of empty folders in it. Instead, group content together as you go, arranging like with like. Let it be loose at first. Liberally rename. Plan your next step before you take it and you’ll have a foundation for content that will grow with your library.
Keep it simple
Bear in mind that future-you, and likely other people, will have to decode whatever clever naming convention or code you create in the present. When planning a long-term content library, don’t be clever. Cleverness is your enemy and simplicity your ally. Since it’s impossible to anticipate your future state of mind, the one you’ll be in when you need to locate a very specific item or file, assume your laziest, busiest, most disorganized persona when naming and organizing content. Cut future-you a break and make it easy to navigate your library.
Declutter regularly
As you’re filling in your content library, be conscious of the other files you’re encountering. Remove that which is no longer relevant as soon as you notice it and relegate it to the trash. Using a good revision control system will allow for the removal of outdated and unused versions. For working files, such as art files with layers, editable type, or otherwise reusable content, consolidate files or rename them to better reflect their contents in a historical context rather than the slapdash name likely given to the file on the fly.
Use your tools
It’s often difficult to consider something like a computer desktop, artboard, or folder a tool, but all three are incredibly useful for staging and organizing content. In my personal workflow, no file stays on my desktop for longer than a day. It’s a rule I have to keep myself organized, but moreover, it gives my desktop a purpose beyond a pretty picture and catchall for screenshots and files. The same goes for my downloads folder, which I clear religiously every week. Clutter such as app installers and zip files from which I’ve already saved relevant information only serve to get in the way of the content that I actually need to process and organize.
Building libraries and archives can be an overwhelming task when you attempt to do it all at once, but by properly planning and embracing simplicity, these libraries grow organically upon the foundation you’ve created. Using tools efficiently and minimizing clutter can make content management a breeze.
What tips do you have for creating long-term content libraries? Share your suggestions in the comments.
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