How do you organize your user tools?

[mikes]

With the linking features in user tools I find myself creating more and more user tools and starting to loose track of what I've put where.

 

Currently, I just create folders with subjects or authors for more imported content sans linkage to anything other then directly to scripture. but as I'm doing studies on that scripture, I find myself referring to commentaries and other tools. Sometimes these are topical, more often on a particular passage of scripture, and other times it is more like following a chain of evidence (somewhat like topical, but more like thematic).

 

So I know have 26 user notes that are NOT someone else's imported content and things are starting to get messy. I only see this doubling in the near future!

 

I'm guessing others with more experience have run into this situation previously and have taken on a more manageable strategy for organizing user notes.

 

What is your approach to managing user notes?

[RobM]

With the linking features in user tools I find myself creating more and more user tools and starting to loose track of what I've put where.

 

Currently, I just create folders with subjects or authors for more imported content sans linkage to anything other then directly to scripture. but as I'm doing studies on that scripture, I find myself referring to commentaries and other tools. Sometimes these are topical, more often on a particular passage of scripture, and other times it is more like following a chain of evidence (somewhat like topical, but more like thematic).

 

So I know have 26 user notes that are NOT someone else's imported content and things are starting to get messy. I only see this doubling in the near future!

 

I'm guessing others with more experience have run into this situation previously and have taken on a more manageable strategy for organizing user notes.

 

What is your approach to managing user notes?

 

I know what you mean. What I have tried to do is to create User files that do not cover only specific/narrow topics. Instead they need to cover more general categories.

 

For User Notes:

I have 28 User Notes files. I have them divided into two broad folders: an OT folder and a NT folder (I know, creative ). I'm an OT major so 21 of my User Note files are related to OT studies in some way. I have User Note files called OT Hebrew Translations, OT Exegetical Notes, ANE Texts Related to the OT (I put in snippets of ANE texts that are some how parallel to a particular biblical passage), and many others that are general enough that I could potentially have a note on every verse in the Bible in every one of my User Notes files and there be no internal inconsistency in topic.

 

For User Tools:

It has been with User Tools that I have tended to create more superfluous files. But I have tried to create and label tools that I could add to ad infinitum. So, I have a file called OT Notes in which I have been taking all my class notes in for classes that are related to OT but do not simply go verse by verse through a book of the Bible. For example, last semester I had the class "Exegesis of Ecclesiastes" and I took all my notes in User Note files (particularly 'OT Hebrew Translations' and 'OT Exegetical Notes'), but this summer I had a class called "Knowing God Through the Old Testament" with Dr. Chisholm and I took all my notes in my OT Notes User Tool (Chisholm had posted pdf handouts for all the students so I created links to them in my tool whenever we began a new topic). So, whenever I have a class that is either a OT survey course or an OT topical course, I write all my notes in my OT Notes User Tool. I anticipate that when I am out of school I will add notes to this User Tool as I do my own research and study on various OT topics.

 

I also have a User Tool called OT Word Studies. Whenever I do a word study for an OT exegetical paper I record all the data in this Tool. It will slowly become my own personal lexicon of recorded data plus my own observations. (I have a NT counterpart to this tool as well).

 

This semester I am taking a survey class on Ancient Near Eastern Literature. So I created a Tool by that name. I've been taking notes in it and making links to COS and various pdf class notes. I anticipate being able to add notes and further study in the future. What I create this semester will simply be the skeleton for decades of future study.

 

I also created a Tool called Systematic Theology in which I took all my class notes for my systematic theology courses. This too makes a lot of sense because it has become organized similar to the way a systematic theology book might be organized.

 

I think that is the key. Only create files that can be added to in years to come. It's alright if there are multiple sub-topics in one tool so long as they all fall under a broader category. I think the mindset needs to be that with each file you are creating a database of browsable information that you want to be able to use as a resource in the future.

 

What do you think?

 

(sorry if I was a little long winded there )

[Lorinda H. M. Hoover]

I have a feeling that it takes a while to hit one's stride with User Tools. I have a proliferation myself, several of which are not-so successful experiments.

 

Rob's setup sounds excellent. I only wish I'd had Accordance in seminary to do something similar.

 

I'm a parish pastor, in a tradition that uses the Revised Common Lectionary, so my organization is somewhat different. I obtained from Accordance Exchange three user tools which list the lectionary texts for each Sunday--one for each year of the lectionary. I also have a set of three User Tools with my notes for those years. Three years ago I started a separate User Tool for Year B in which I kept liturgy elements I wrote myself. But I'm beginning to think I should integrate those into my Year B Notes file.

 

I have one User Tool file called "Funeral Prep" that is just that: I start a new "article" for each funeral, and list the Scriptures I'm using and any other appropriate notes.

 

I occasionally go off lectionary for a preaching series, so I have one User Tool for each series (you can see the Lukan Advent one on the Exchange).

 

If I'm asked to do a Bible Study or similar, I often start up a new User Tool, but I'm thinking that I would be better off merging many of those into one file. If I did a several-session Bible Study, I might keep that separate, but my various "one session only" studies could easily be put together.

 

Like Rob, I have some User Tools for various categories of notes/research: Word Studies, Character Studies, and Book Notes.

 

Then I have some User Tools with material from various third parties: Word Studies done by a retired pastor friend of mine (he wrote them out by hand, but I type them into my User Tool), Biblical book introductions by Anna Grant-Henderson, etc.

 

I try to use folders in the Library Window to keep them organized, but I do sometimes forget what all I have there.

 

Lorinda

[mikes]

Fantastic response Rob! Not at all long-winded, just enough IMHO.

 

My situation sounds more like yours Lorinda (although not as far along as you are).

 

I would still like to hear more from others, but definitely think I'm going to try to consolidated along the lines of Rob's approach.

 

Thanks!

 

Mike