Observation

• This was one of the regular questions and most of the candidates that attempted it did very well.

  (a)        Attributes of a good filing system

  1. There must be an easy access to the records so as to be able to produce them promptly as and when required;
  2. It must be simple to operate;
  3. It must be cheap and economical to operate;
  4. It should give room for comparison when required;
  5. It should have protection against any damage;
  6. It should have safety devices (protection against fire and theft);
  7. It should be protected from unauthorized personnel access;
  8. It should be compact and should not consume too much space;
  9. It should be flexible to operate.                                                                     

              (b)       Types of indexing

  1. Card indexing
  2. Visible card indexing
  3. Visible loose-leaf indexing
  4. Wheel or Rotary indexing
  5. Strip indexing
  6. Vowel indexing
  7. Book indexing
  8. Card indexing: The index is prepared in cards and each card is allotted for one information. For example, customers, company, staff, creditors, debtors and so on.
  9. Visible card indexing: The card is placed flat in a transparent cover in a shallow tray or metal frame that hinges the name and address which makes it visible without touching another card.
  10. Visible loose-leaf indexing: This involves a sheet ruled like the pages of ordinary index which is inserted in or taken out from metal hinges or screws as and when required.
  11. Wheel or rotary indexing: It is a system where the cards are mounted round the hub of a wheel while the wheel moves or rotates.
  12. Strip indexing: This consists of strips of cards or thick paper fitted in a frame in such a way that it can be taken out or inserted.                                                                                                                                                         168
  13. Vowel indexing: This is used when the number of correspondence is very few. It can be further classified according to vowels.
  14. Book indexing: It is in the form of a book or register in which every page is allotted to an alphabet.