Tips On Storing And Preserving Collections - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

seanmc1114 · 01-22-2010, 03:16 PM

Forgive me if this topic has been addressed somewhere else. I was hoping to get some discussion going about how the members store and preserve their discs. When I first started collecting shows with original commercials, I bought a large CD binder to store my discs, but I have long since outgrown it. Now I have stacks of discs everywhere in my home office and even though I have a good idea where most everything is when I need to burn a copy, sometimes it takes a while to find the particular disc I am looking for. How do you guys store your discs both to protect them as well as to keep track of where everything is for easy access?

videoJoe · 01-22-2010, 06:12 PM

Hi Sean,

I imagine that many of us are going to chime in. Here's my personal take.

After running into the same problems you mentioned, and after getting tired of playing the "look through the spool" game, I started purchasing the dvd/cd binder books from Walmart. For $27, you can get a binder that holds 360 discs.

Then what I started doing to keep them in order was I began making the books all theme oriented. Science Fiction, Movies, TV Movies, Sitcoms, Specials, Dramas, etc..

What's nice on the spine of the binders, there is a clear slot for you to put a piece of paper in to say what it is. So it becomes easy to pull a particular book out for what you are seeking. Then on the inside of each book, I tape an index card that lists what shows are in that particular book. That way I don't have to flip pages.

Now, this doesn't work for movies, tv movies, and specials, but at least you'd be able to narrow it down as to where something won't be stored. And I do Movies Vol. 1, Movies Vol. 2, and then make a word file when I catalog my movies and note that say Rescue from Gilligan's Island is in TV Movies Vol. 3. There's no practical way to make movies alphabetical, but at least this way you know what book it will be in.

Doing things this way has saved me not only space, but tons of time and energy when it comes to trying to locate something to watch or to trade. I am interested in hearing how others do it for their collections.

Best, Joe aka videojoe

plaidman76 · 01-22-2010, 06:27 PM

I had the same problem (well, I sort of still do....too many disks). But one thing you can do that really helps is get a shoe cubby (Lowes, Menards, even places like Target has them. I got mine for like 20 bucks at Menards).

Like this: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/image/20234.jpg

The one I bought is the perfect size for cds and DVDs in either paper sleeves or slim cases. I have each section or row of sections labeled Comedy, News, Cartoons, Movies, Drama, whatever, and keep each in their own section. Plus they are deep, so you can keep your most popular disks in the front row and stack more behind them.

I keep my disks in paper sleeves with a description written on the back flap of the sleeve. Sets of disks are banded together.

Hope this helps!

kissprof · 01-23-2010, 12:55 AM

I started finding these little crates at the dollar store that were perfect. They look like this. They are stackable, and are freakin a dollar apiece. I get paper sleeves dirt cheap off of ebay, built some shelves in my bedroom high up on the wall so the kids cannot get into them. It has worked well so far.

Atlas · 01-24-2010, 09:12 AM

I'm sure this is why people stop collecting movies.

I know some people use the big black 200 cd holder cases you can buy at walmart. with these you can build a huge shelf on the wall Now if you go that route it would take 49 of them to hold my DVDs. As it is I went a different way.

I use these http://www.supermediastore.com/produ...00+dvd+storage

This is a 1000 cd storage holder and you get it for the price of about three of the 200 disk holders. There are varying sizes. 1000 cd holder is really big. I took out a closet and put in shelves, There I have 5 800 disk holders. In my office I have a narrow shelf which is a perfect fit for the 600 cd holders i have.

As far as which method is better I can not say. These cases I have are big and awkward and heavy, but they do stack on each other and all the sleeves in them are numbered.

I think the most important thing is to just be organized. When you put a DVD in a case or folder or whatever you are using I'd have it all backed up on the computer so it can be easliy found.

The best thing about the cases I uses is that I have all my DVDs on word and all I have to do is type in what I'm looking for and it shows me what case it's in and what number. So finding stuff is a breeze!!

Good Luck!!!!

videoJoe · 01-24-2010, 02:25 PM

Atlas' post reminds be about that there are those things out there now that all of your discs fit in that you sometimes see old school karaoke hosts use where you move a sliding dial to a number and then pop out that disc.

justins5256 · 01-28-2010, 10:12 AM

Here is what I do:

520 disc binder...look on Ebay. You can find them for dirt cheap, usually like $25 or $30 for shipping and 1 cent starting bid or $1 "buy it now". The item itself rarely gets more expensive than that. I seriously don't know how these people make any money. However, I have bought 4 or 5 of these 520 disc books this way and almost all of my discs are in them currently. I seriously recommend this route as opposed to buying those 200 or 300 disc binders in stores like Best Buy or Target. They are almost always way overpriced and for less disc storage. I don't think I have ever seen the 520 disc monsters in any store.

Then I use Microsoft Excel to create a spreadsheet with 520 columns and I type the title of each disc and any pertinent info.

The binders I have are more or less divided up by genre. However, lately I have just been filling them with discs regardless of content/genre. I keep the spreadsheets up to date though, so if I (or my wife or friends) need to find something specific in my collection, it isn't difficult.

videoJoe · 01-28-2010, 12:10 PM

Justin,

Thanks for the tip about these bigger books. I'm with you, the binders are so easy to store, like books, and since they can easily be labeled into categories, it makes it easy to locate what you're looking for without hassle.

plaidman76 · 01-28-2010, 02:42 PM

That's one thing I would love to have, if anyone cares to share. I am horrible at Excel, and have been looking for a nice excel layout for me to keep better record of all my disks....

01-22-2010, 03:16 PM	#1
seanmc1114 seanmc1114 Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 02, 2006 Location: Reynolds, GA Posts: 96	Tips On Storing And Preserving Collections Forgive me if this topic has been addressed somewhere else. I was hoping to get some discussion going about how the members store and preserve their discs. When I first started collecting shows with original commercials, I bought a large CD binder to store my discs, but I have long since outgrown it. Now I have stacks of discs everywhere in my home office and even though I have a good idea where most everything is when I need to burn a copy, sometimes it takes a while to find the particular disc I am looking for. How do you guys store your discs both to protect them as well as to keep track of where everything is for easy access?

01-22-2010, 06:12 PM	#2
videoJoe Nostalgia Buff Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 10, 2007 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 213	Hi Sean, I imagine that many of us are going to chime in. Here's my personal take. After running into the same problems you mentioned, and after getting tired of playing the "look through the spool" game, I started purchasing the dvd/cd binder books from Walmart. For $27, you can get a binder that holds 360 discs. Then what I started doing to keep them in order was I began making the books all theme oriented. Science Fiction, Movies, TV Movies, Sitcoms, Specials, Dramas, etc.. What's nice on the spine of the binders, there is a clear slot for you to put a piece of paper in to say what it is. So it becomes easy to pull a particular book out for what you are seeking. Then on the inside of each book, I tape an index card that lists what shows are in that particular book. That way I don't have to flip pages. Now, this doesn't work for movies, tv movies, and specials, but at least you'd be able to narrow it down as to where something won't be stored. And I do Movies Vol. 1, Movies Vol. 2, and then make a word file when I catalog my movies and note that say Rescue from Gilligan's Island is in TV Movies Vol. 3. There's no practical way to make movies alphabetical, but at least this way you know what book it will be in. Doing things this way has saved me not only space, but tons of time and energy when it comes to trying to locate something to watch or to trade. I am interested in hearing how others do it for their collections. Best, Joe aka videojoe
	__________________ Ecclesiastes 9: 10-11

01-24-2010, 09:12 AM	#5
Atlas Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 14, 2008 Location: texASS Posts: 456	I'm sure this is why people stop collecting movies. I know some people use the big black 200 cd holder cases you can buy at walmart. with these you can build a huge shelf on the wall Now if you go that route it would take 49 of them to hold my DVDs. As it is I went a different way. I use these http://www.supermediastore.com/produ...00+dvd+storage This is a 1000 cd storage holder and you get it for the price of about three of the 200 disk holders. There are varying sizes. 1000 cd holder is really big. I took out a closet and put in shelves, There I have 5 800 disk holders. In my office I have a narrow shelf which is a perfect fit for the 600 cd holders i have. As far as which method is better I can not say. These cases I have are big and awkward and heavy, but they do stack on each other and all the sleeves in them are numbered. I think the most important thing is to just be organized. When you put a DVD in a case or folder or whatever you are using I'd have it all backed up on the computer so it can be easliy found. The best thing about the cases I uses is that I have all my DVDs on word and all I have to do is type in what I'm looking for and it shows me what case it's in and what number. So finding stuff is a breeze!! Good Luck!!!!
	__________________ Check my site out: http://speardog.webs.com/tvshows.htm http://speardog.webs.com/movies.htm

01-22-2010, 06:27 PM	#3
plaidman76 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 07, 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 109	I had the same problem (well, I sort of still do....too many disks). But one thing you can do that really helps is get a shoe cubby (Lowes, Menards, even places like Target has them. I got mine for like 20 bucks at Menards). Like this: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/image/20234.jpg The one I bought is the perfect size for cds and DVDs in either paper sleeves or slim cases. I have each section or row of sections labeled Comedy, News, Cartoons, Movies, Drama, whatever, and keep each in their own section. Plus they are deep, so you can keep your most popular disks in the front row and stack more behind them. I keep my disks in paper sleeves with a description written on the back flap of the sleeve. Sets of disks are banded together. Hope this helps!

01-23-2010, 12:55 AM	#4
kissprof Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 23, 2008 Posts: 57	I started finding these little crates at the dollar store that were perfect. They look like this. They are stackable, and are freakin a dollar apiece. I get paper sleeves dirt cheap off of ebay, built some shelves in my bedroom high up on the wall so the kids cannot get into them. It has worked well so far.

01-24-2010, 02:25 PM	#6
videoJoe Nostalgia Buff Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 10, 2007 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 213	Atlas' post reminds be about that there are those things out there now that all of your discs fit in that you sometimes see old school karaoke hosts use where you move a sliding dial to a number and then pop out that disc.

01-28-2010, 10:12 AM	#7
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	Here is what I do: 520 disc binder...look on Ebay. You can find them for dirt cheap, usually like $25 or $30 for shipping and 1 cent starting bid or $1 "buy it now". The item itself rarely gets more expensive than that. I seriously don't know how these people make any money. However, I have bought 4 or 5 of these 520 disc books this way and almost all of my discs are in them currently. I seriously recommend this route as opposed to buying those 200 or 300 disc binders in stores like Best Buy or Target. They are almost always way overpriced and for less disc storage. I don't think I have ever seen the 520 disc monsters in any store. Then I use Microsoft Excel to create a spreadsheet with 520 columns and I type the title of each disc and any pertinent info. The binders I have are more or less divided up by genre. However, lately I have just been filling them with discs regardless of content/genre. I keep the spreadsheets up to date though, so if I (or my wife or friends) need to find something specific in my collection, it isn't difficult.

01-28-2010, 12:10 PM	#8
videoJoe Nostalgia Buff Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 10, 2007 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 213	Justin, Thanks for the tip about these bigger books. I'm with you, the binders are so easy to store, like books, and since they can easily be labeled into categories, it makes it easy to locate what you're looking for without hassle.

01-28-2010, 02:42 PM	#9
plaidman76 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 07, 2007 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 109	That's one thing I would love to have, if anyone cares to share. I am horrible at Excel, and have been looking for a nice excel layout for me to keep better record of all my disks....