I agree with Ludger. You probably will find little use for anything except tables in your documents. Engineering standards change about every 2-3 years, so while the principals of what you did will stand, the specifics probably will not. It sounds like you are focusing on structural, and that stuff changes by state, city, and country.
If you really want to keep them, spend $100 and have them scanned. Or spend $100 and buy a printer/scanner during Black Friday, and scan them yourself, and keep the printer/scanner. My brother has printed about 80,000 pages and is still going. For 5 books you can probably get them all on one flash drive.
Keep your thesis or dissertation documents on a different flash drive or two. Label them well, and put them all in a safety deposit box (if you have one) or lockbox with your passport. You will probably use your passport more.
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Dwayne Culp, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng, M.ASCE
Culp Engineering, LLC
Rosenberg TX
(713)898-1977
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-07-2018 07:41
From: Ludger Suarez-Burgoa
Subject: What Would You Do With University Notes, Quizzes, and Exams?
After I finished my graduate course in Civil Engineering (20 years ago), I also had all my notes, photocopies and books in a complete book-shelf. In that moment I decided to conserve it.
My first work was not at the same city I studied, therefore I moved to the city and after six months I move the book-shelf to my new city.
At work, I performed specific tasks that formed perhaps 5 % of the notes and books located in the shelf. Also I noticed that my notes (that I considered were well made) were not enough for the specific tasks I wanted recall. I started to consult specific books that in my work place they have.
After a year, I returned my book-shelf to my parents store. Then I made my own work-notes that were never talked in classes.
Six years passed, the humidity at my parents store damaged 60% of my notes and books. One day, my father told me that those books and notes where occupying to much space. I decided to conserve some notes of my best works I performed in graduate course as a sentimental memento. The others, were dropped to the trash and some good books (but old editions) were sold.
Conclusion, I never consulted my notes again. I lost time and money trying to conserve all of them. When working, the relationship with your manager and colleagues transmit you the knowledge that it is specific for the place you work.
Twenty years ago, one still consulted books because the Internet does not have too much information. Also, today you have access to electronic books in a pair of minutes if you bought it or if it is available free in the Internet. You can solve problems 'on the fly' consulting Internet of your work colleagues.
I recommend you: choose some sentimental notes as a souvenir; then throw all your notes, sell your books and be FREE in your new status. If you consider it is not the time to do that, then put all that stuff in a store and time will tell you what to do with it.
Regards,
Profesor Asociado (Associate Professor)
Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Facultad de Minas
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Original Message------
Hi all,
I finished with 5 binders of quizzes, exams, and notes. The notes are from San Francisco State University graduate program. Most of the notes are from concrete, steel and communication classes. Physical space is a bit of a problem at the moment. I'm not sure whether to trash them or not?
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Sayed Maqsood S.M.ASCE
Oakland CA
(510)395-4361
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