File naming is a small decision with a long effect. A consistent system can connect images, recordings, transcripts and captions without requiring the original organiser to explain every folder. The best system is one the team can actually use.

Naming Files for a Small Art Project Archive

Choose the information needed to distinguish files rather than packing every detail into the name. Longer descriptions can live in an index, while a stable identifier keeps related items connected.

Use stable identifiers or clear filenames to connect related material. A photograph, recording, caption, permission record and final publication may all refer to the same contribution. The next person should not have to identify that connection from memory. Keep the structure understandable enough for a small team to maintain without turning routine documentation into a separate technical project.

A simple working sequence

1. Agree a simple pattern for project, item and version information.
2. Apply it consistently when material enters the archive.
3. Keep a brief guide and check for duplicate or confusing names.

Agree who will look after the record after the activity ends. A collection can become difficult to use when staff leave, access accounts change or the meaning of filenames is lost. A brief handover should explain the structure, the permitted uses, the unresolved issues and the person or organisation responsible for future decisions. Check that the recipient can actually open the material.

See how the distinction matters

For example, a recording and its transcript can share an interview identifier while using clear labels for audio, transcript and reviewed excerpt. This is easier to follow than several unrelated files called final.

Documentation has several possible audiences. The artist may need process notes, a partner may need a practical handover, and a visitor may need a concise explanation of the work. These are not automatically the same document. Prepare an appropriate public version rather than exposing every internal comment, contact detail and unresolved discussion in the name of transparency.

A point that deserves care

Avoid repeatedly overwriting the only original when preparing publication versions. The archive should make the relationship between source and edited copy clear.

Select documentation for explanatory value rather than sheer quantity. More photographs, notes and recordings can create extra storage and review work without adding understanding. Identify the questions the record needs to answer, then gather enough suitable evidence to answer them. A small, well-described collection is often easier to return, maintain and interpret than an unfiltered accumulation.

Support a thoughtful process

Credit should reflect the work people actually contributed and the way they wish to be identified. Discuss this early enough for the final display, programme and online record to use a consistent approach. Do not assume everyone wants a full name made public. Equally, a collective label should not quietly erase the specific labour that made the project possible.

Keep the surviving record understandable beyond the original team's memory. A future reader needs the project's purpose, dates, context and relevant restrictions, as well as a selection of the material itself. Explain which parts are complete and which remain uncertain. This is especially important when a short-lived public activity is later encountered only through a website or archive.

Turn a finding into a decision that somebody can act on. If the invitation was difficult to understand, specify which part needs rewriting and test the new version. If a resource was missing, identify who can address it before the next session. A report that records every issue without changing the plan is less useful than a short review that leads to a clear improvement.

A clear point to build on

A usable naming system reduces guesswork and helps a future editor locate the right material without reopening every file.

Related reading

Documenting Changes to a Temporary Installation; Preparing an Archive Handover for a Partner Organisation; Checking an Art Project Archive Before Publication.

Background and further reference

Library of Congress: identifying, organising and preserving digital material.