Folders manage the basic level of all archival records that you work with. You create folders to capture the metadata, which is descriptive information associated with each record. That information includes Record Title, Cover Tag, Volume, Dates, Locality, and Record Type. The first important step in creating a digital folder in DCam is organizing the records you have in hand into a group size that is appropriate for a digital folder.
The table below shows some of the ways record custodians can organize their records.
| Record Types | Possible Categories | Examples |
| Census Records | Locality Chronological order Census Type | California, Orange County 1910–1920 Ohio State Census |
| Wills and Probate Records | Alphabetical order Chronological order | Cadd, James-Combs, John Wills from 1880–1940 |
| Land Records | Locality Chronological order | Wisconsin, Sauk Co. May 1888–July 1977 |
| Newspapers | Locality Chronological order Title | Rock County or Pipestone County Jan 1894–Dec 1935 Luverne Daily Herald |
When you get records from the archive, you receive “archival units.” These are the basic groups in which the archive has shelved, boxed, filed, or otherwise contained the records. These groups, however, may be too big. The group size that you need to work with is the smallest “natural group” you can find within the archival unit.
A natural group is a set of records that share basic metadata. Often the records are grouped this way by a government agency, as when they are bound in volumes of books or probate packets. While the archival units can be the smallest natural group, as with books (no matter how large the book is) when they are not, you need to select the smallest natural group within the archival units.
Think of the smallest natural group as something that you might pick up with one hand, such as a book, a single folder of death certificates, or a single case file. For example, if the archival unit you are working with is a file box containing probate packets, you will not create a digital folder for the entire file box of probate packets; you will create a digital folder for each individual probate packet within the file box. In this case, probate packets represent the smallest natural group.
The table below shows specific examples of common record containers along with notes on whether they should be identified as natural groups.
| Container | Natural Group or Archival Unit |
| Individual papers | If they do not belong to a larger group, as defined by metadata, they may constitute archival units. Check for other papers that individual papers might be grouped with in terms of metadata, such as time period, locality, record type, or other criteria. For example, a box of letters to a governor may be a natural group of individual papers. |
| Probate packets | Because the documents are grouped naturally as a single case, they share many metadata characteristics. Because they are bound together and create as small of a group as possible, they form the smallest natural group and are a good choice on which to base the definition of a folder. |
| Case files | Because the documents are grouped naturally as a single case, they likely share many metadata characteristics. Like probate packets, case files likely form the smallest natural group and are a good choice on which to base the definition of a folder. |
Manila folders File folders | Do the contents constitute a good, natural group in terms of metadata such as time period, locality, or record type? Should they be combined with other folders to consolidate more records? Can they be divided into smaller natural groups? |
| File boxes | Are the file boxes grouping records that naturally belong together, based on metadata like time period, locality, and record type? Or are they used as receptacles to gather individual groups like probate packets or case files? Do the boxes form the smallest natural group? |
File drawers File cabinets | Are the file drawers grouping records that naturally belong together based on metadata like time period, locality, and record type? Or are the drawers used as receptacles to gather file folders that would better be considered the smallest natural group? |
Albums Books Catalogs Volumes | Each unit has been gathered and bound by the archive based on similarities of metadata such as time period, locality, or record type. Because they are bound together and create as small of a group as possible, they form the smallest natural group and are a good choice on which to base the definition of a folder. |