I am absolutely no expert on information management; however, as part of my
job I had to file our archive of local history books and information.

I suggest that you think about how you use the material-- are most people
searching by author or subject? I almost always use information by subject
matter, so that was how I organized our books and files. I keep hanging files
by subject, with articles, pamphlets, etc. I file them in groupings, for
artifacts (paper, wood, metal, textiles, and other more specific subjects,)
interiors (floors, walls, HVAC, etc.) exteriors, landscape, and then method
files for treatments (pest control, mothballing, cleaning methods, etc.,)
research (style guides, etc.,) family histories (by name,) property
information (by address.)

One unusual thing that I do with my subject system is to acquire multiple
copies of an item if it relates to more than one broad subject (or make copies
of the item.) This is especially helpful with small pamphlets, articles, etc.
which are easily overlooked. It may sound a little wasteful, but more than
once, I've forgotten about a very helpful book or article, simply because it
was shelved or filed in another location. For example, I file "Cleaning
Techniques" articles both in a "Treatments-cleaning" file, and with specific
material files like "Masonry" and "Wood," so that I don't have to pull both if
I am specifically looking for articles on cleaning masonry. I've found this
system to be very helpful, although librarians the world over are probably
turning in their graves.

The tip for using "Out" markers is one that I've seen used in several offices,
and it's a great time-saver, especially when working with reports that aren't
printed on the spine. I recommend this as well.

-Heidi