Libraries are a great tool for finding and organizing your content in Windows File Explorer. They separate your stuff -- pictures, music, documents, etc. -- from the wilderness of information that makes up your computer systems. And they act like uber folders, offering one-stop-shop access to multiple folders that you see as related.
For instance, pictures tend to be automatically saved to your My Pictures folder. But, perhaps you're also doing a spot of genealogy, and you're storing family pictures in your Genealogy folder that you'd like to make available with your other pictures. Instead of storing duplicates -- one set in My Pictures and one in Genealogy, you can have a Pictures folder in your Genealogy folder and then set your Pictures library to access your genealogy pictures folder as well as your My Pictures.
If you don't see Libraries at all in the Navigation Pane of your File Explorer,
choose View at the top of the screen to open the ribbon,
choose Options,
and then in Windows 8, you'll choose Change Folder and Search Options. For both Windows 8 and 8.1, under Navigation Pane in the new small window put a check in the box for Show Libraries, and click Apply.
There are four libraries that come with your system - Pictures, Videos, Documents, and Music. If you want something more personal (I have a Professional library, for instance, to keep track of my various money-making pursuits), you can create your own. Just right click or long tap* on the Libraries heading in the Navigation Pane on the left, choose New, and then Library.
To add a folder to a library, right click or long tap* on the name of the library in the Navigation Pane, choose Properties, and click Include a Folder (Windows 8) or Add (Windows 8.1). You'll be able to browse for the folder you want to add.
Libraries are also a feature of Windows 7, and work about the same, although the interface looks a little different. Play around with them and see what kind of order you can bring from chaos.
*Long Tap - This is a touchscreen technique that serves roughly the same purpose as right clicking with a mouse -- it brings up menus specific to where you are in a program, and offers options that aren't available otherwise. To long tap, hold your finger down on the screen until something appears and then let go. You will be left with your hidden options. If nothing happens, there's nothing there to be found by long tapping. Try this in various places as you use your tablet; you'll come up with some surprising hidden possibilities.
*Long Tap - This is a touchscreen technique that serves roughly the same purpose as right clicking with a mouse -- it brings up menus specific to where you are in a program, and offers options that aren't available otherwise. To long tap, hold your finger down on the screen until something appears and then let go. You will be left with your hidden options. If nothing happens, there's nothing there to be found by long tapping. Try this in various places as you use your tablet; you'll come up with some surprising hidden possibilities.
