The not lost but hard to find art of vinyl records

I would 2nd/3rd/4th using Discogs to catalog your collection. I started using it a few years ago to catalog my vinyl and CD collection. Primarily to keep track of what I own and see if I have any hidden (valuableish) gems. I find it very useful when I’m doing a cleaning session of vinyl I haven’t cataloged yet, as I’m halfway through my collection. The great thing is that I’ve discovered that some of the jazz and blues vinyl pressings that I inherited from my dad are valuable. And while I don’t plan on selling anything, knowing that information adds to my personal knowledge of the value of my collection, and if I am trying to decide if a reissue or remastered pressing is worth getting.  Another nice thing about Discogs is that I can pull up my collection on my phone while I’m out at the record store. As I’m flipping through crates, I can check to make sure I’m not accidentally buying duplicates of something I already have. I would also add another value of cataloguing in Discogs, based on condition and pressing, is that you have a running "value" that could be used for insurance purposes should you ever need it.  My collection isn't vast - about 2000 in vinyl and CDs. Modest by many of the folks on here, but it's invaluable to me. 

Good luck and have fun!

don't forget good lighting

Another outlier maybe...

Like the OP, I have rediscovered vinyl, over the last decades. I have developed a ritual when buying an LP: write in the artist, the title, year etc in a data base. It is a bit of work, but I like it. It forces me to take a closer look at the LP and think about it.

In order to do this, I designed my own database, using the program Commence, back when I had only a hundred LPs. I gradually filled in the records I bought, one by one. Today I have 1800.

Each record in the data base has a note log which I can fill in when listening to it, and fields for sound and content, so I can sort records by sound quality rating for example. I can also connect to relevant web pages like the Discogs info on my version of the LP.  It is easy to find price statistics,  although my base is built for non commercial purposes. 

My basic physical sorting of LPs is just by alphabet, by the artist’s last name, with letter dividers, in my shelves. All records are sorted together, no subdivision into music type etc. They are sorted chronogically from first to last record of each artist. Since the physical library of 1800 LPs is registered in the data base, it is easy to search by album title and other info in the base if I forget an artist’s name or the LP placement in the shelf, and easy to update my evaluation in the base when listening.

A convenient habit, when taking out a record for playing, is to lift the next record a bit out from the others in the shelf – this makes it easier to put it back in the shelf. Generous space in the shelf, since tight-bound Lps are a hassle to deal with, is also a good idea.  

My 3000 plus records are all over the place, some stored on shelves, some behind couch, on floor, under desk, you name it. I forget what I even own lol. Someday I will get organized and weed a few out. I am a border line holder. 

Don't be to hard on yourself. "All over the place" is OK. Music, when it engages us, goes beyond predefined categories.