Systems of Filing

The main systems of filing adopted by different offices in Nepal are: Traditional Filing and Modern Filing.

Traditional Filing System

Traditional filing is used in small and traditional types of offices having a limited number of documents and files. It consists of misil filing and box filing. In misil filing, the documents are collected, arranged and preserved in the chronological order under a certain misil or subject. In box filing, the written documents are collected and preserved in a wooden, metal or paper box in an order of date keeping in loose form. The following are the main types of traditional filing system: -

Misil Filing

Misil filing is the systematic process of collection and preservation of all letters and documents of a particular case in a chronological order in a pile by punching.It is simple, economical, flexible and suitable to court.

Advantages

1. It is simple and easy to understand.
2. It is convenient to retrieve file by using misil number.
3. It is does not require any guide card, drawer, and cabinet so it is economical.
4. It is flexible as unnecessary documents can be removed and new documents can be added easily.

Disadvantages

1. It is unscientific, unsuitable and impractical to the offices other than courts.
2. It consumes more time in punching and filing the documents.
3. It is not the safe type of filing because the files are kept on the floor or open drawer or cabinet.
4. It is not the convenient type of filing. It creates difficulty to add new documents and remove unnecessary ones because the documents are punched and tied together.

Box Filing

The act of collecting and preserving the letters and documents of the temporary nature in a box in a loose position is known as box filing. It is such type of filing under which a box of certain size made up of metal or wood or cardboard is used for filing the documents. All the documents are preserved in a box in a loose manner one after another in a chronological order.

Advantages

1. It is simple to understand and easy to operate.
2. It is economical because one box is sufficient for filing the documents.
3. It provides greater safety to the documents because the box always remains closed.
4. It consumes less space as the box can be kept on a corner of the table or floor.

Disadvantages

1. It is not suitable for large and modern organizations.
2. It is not flexible. Only a limited number of documents can be kept in a file.
3. It is unsuitable for large sized valuable and permanent type of papers.
4. It keeps documents loosely due to which there is a greater chance of misplacement of documents.

Modern Filing System

The tradition filing system is did not meet the requirements of the modern business organization having a large number of documents. Hence, it was replaced by modern and scientific filing system . The following are the main type of modern filing system: -

Horizontal Filing

Horizontal filing is also known as flat filing under which the files or folders are kept in drawers in horizontal or sleeping position in chronological order. The files are kept in a pile one upon another. Under this system, papers are punched and kept in a file by tying with a lace or held using a metal clip attached with the file.

Advantages

1. It is simple and can be operated even without special knowledge.
2. It is an economical system as it requires less equipment and manpower.
3. It ensures safety to the documents as they are punched and tied with lace or clip.
4. It occupies less space because the folders are placed in sleeping position one upon another.

Disadvantages

1. It is difficult to locate the required file due to their sleeping position.
2. It is more time consuming as it requires punching, arranging, fastening, and opening the lace or clip frequently.
3. It is the less flexible system because the file cannot hold a large number of documents.
4. It has the chance of disappearing the words and figures due to the punching of documents.

Vertical Filing

The act of keeping folders in a drawer in a standing position with the support of one another is called vertical filing. It is such type of filing under which folders are arranged in a upright position. File are usually made of hard paper and aligned alphabetically, numerically, geographically or subject wise as per office need.

Advantages

1. It discloses the position of all the folders at a glance.
2. It ensures the safety of documents as a special type of folder and drawer or cabinet is used.
3. It is most suitable for huge organizations as a great number of documents can be kept in the folders.
4. It can maintain secrecy because the drawer remains locked.

Disadvantages

1. It consumes more space as the folders are kept in standing position and big cabinets are also needed.
2. It is comparatively more expensive as the special type of folders and drawers are needed.
3. It is not suitable for the small organization due to limited resources.
4. It has the greater chance of misplacing the documents as they are kept in loose forms.

Differences between Horizontal and Vertical Filing Systems