Windows 7 provides a new approach for accessing files with Libraries and Desktop Search.
You can view your Libraries by clicking on the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar.
These are your default Libraries: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos.
Libraries give you an easier way to "find your stuff," so you don't have to spend lots
of time navigating through various folders.
They're also integrated with the Desktop Search feature, which means you can search for files
much more quickly when they're part of a Library.
To use Libraries, you first have to add folders to them.
Let's add a folder to our Pictures Library.
Right-click a folder, go to "Include in library," and then click "Pictures."
Now the folder hasn't moved; it's still on the desktop.
But it now also appears in the pictures library.
When you add a folder to a library, its contents are indexed so that Desktop Search can work
much more quickly.
If you start typing in the search box in the upper right, it will immediately start locating
matching items, even before you finish typing.
To be even more organized, you can add tags and other details to the files in your Library,
making the Search much more powerful.
The details that you can add will vary depending on the file type.
Let's add a tag to an image.
Click on an image, and then where it says "Add a tag," add a keyword of your choice.
We'll type "yellow."
Then click "Save."
You can add more than one tag; just be sure to separate them with semicolons.
Now, when you search for these keywords, you'll instantly see those images.
You can also add a Search Filter to filter by type, date, or other criteria.
The more details you add to your files, the more powerful your search will become.
If you want, you can create your own Libraries.
If you're working on a project, you may want to have a Library so you can easily get to
all of the folders pertaining to that project.
Click on "Libraries," and then click "New Library."
We'll name ours "Africa."
Now you can add any folders you like to the new Library.
So that's how Windows 7 uses Libraries and Desktop search to make organizing and finding
your files easier than ever.