Organizing and cataloging your records

[phonogal]

Since it's cold out, I've had some extra indoor time and have started to go through my records. I made a list of the cylinder records and DD (I don't have alot of these yet). Next will be the 78's. I also made a separate list for each cabinet that they are stored in. I was thinking of making slips for my cylinders that would have more information (date recorded-released etc.) I know a lot of you must have already tackled this and was wondering how you organized your collection. It sure would be nice to be able to find a particular record without having to hunt for it. Sorry I should have posted this in music and I'd move it if I knew how.

[gemering]

Funny,
I took a rare personal day today (about 25 degrees here in the North-west corner of NJ) and went through about 500 78's that were stored in the bottom of a basement closet.
I don't think I'll ever have the time to play them all.
Darn work really cuts into my record and victrola time!!!!!!
I'm a neat freak, but don't think I'll ever get around to cataloging all of my cylinders, DD's, or 78's.

[phono-smitten]

I'm currently using a spreadsheet to catalog my records. I have records stored in two locations so in addition to columns for artist, title, release date, etc., I have a column indicating which room the record is in. You could do something like this to indicate what machine a record is stored in. I only own discs at this point but another column could be added to the spreadsheet to indicate record type (disc, cylindar, etc.).

At this point I order my records in each location roughly by release date but I know as my collection grows it is going to be difficult to locate specific records this way. What I will probably do is assign each record an index number that is entered in the spreadsheet and written on the sleeve and store records in numerical order in each location.

Spreadsheets are nice because you can do sorts by any column depending on what you are looking for. Plus I need to be able to quickly check if some disc I happened to pick up in a junk lot happens to be valuable enough to fund another machine!

[52089]

It has been mentioned here, but one possibility, at least for Edisons, is to download the spreadsheets from truesound transfers and just add another column, putting an "X" or similar in the new columns for the ones you have. You can then sort the spreadsheet so that yours go to the top, further sorted by title, artist, or record number as you prefer.

[phonogal]

Thanks for the ideas.

[fran604g]

Great idea!

[whoopinola]

There's advantages in not having a filing system . When asked , you can truthfully say , yes I've got that disc , but I can't lay my hands on it right now...No more borrowed discs that never make it home , and ,every time you go exploring through the stacks of 78's , it's just like Christmas . "Now , where did that come from?"

[celticguitar666]

There's advantages in not having a filing system . When asked , you can truthfully say , yes I've got that disc , but I can't lay my hands on it right now...No more borrowed discs that never make it home , and ,every time you go exploring through the stacks of 78's , it's just like Christmas . "Now , where did that come from?"

True How true
I have my vinyl fairly nicely organized at least my Rock records but classical vinyl How to by Piece by composer by conductor by orchestra? I've done different ways and still can't find what I am looking for. now we move onto vintage records 78's my colection has grown by leaps and bounds I have stuff in books that I haven't looked since I bought them because I keep getting new stuff but I know where to find it almost or most of the time now I am getting into cylinders and Diamond discs and said to my self "Self lets organize beforeit gets out hand ..... famous last words but when I do look at my 78's I always find something that I forgot I had but I do that with most stuff I collect but the one saving grace of vintage records no one I know borrows them because they have nothing to play vinyl let alone a diamond disc! and don't let me get started on Reel to Reel or tape in any form who boy so much to collect so little time. I like what someone else said work gets in the way of my collecting!
Dwight