EndNote21 Desktop: 1. Create an Endnote Library

EndNote Library Basics

• A library is a collection of references (also called citations). Each reference is stored as an individual record with different data fields for author, title, etc.
• We recommend that you store all your references in one library and use Groups and Group Sets to organize and categorize references. You can only sync one library with EndNote Web, so it will be easier to collaborate if all of your references are in the same library. 
• While there is no limit to the number of references that can be stored in one library, we suggest that the number not exceed 100,000.

Creating a Library

1. Open EndNote. In the dialog box that appears, select Create a new library OR from the menu bar, select File > New.
2. The New Reference Library dialog box will appear.  Enter a name for your new library.  EndNote will automatically add the .ENL extension, which stands for EndNote Library.
3. Choose where you would like to save your new library. It is important to save your EndNote library locally on your computer and not in a cloud-based storage system (OneDrive, Dropbox).  
4. Click the Save button.  The new EndNote library appears.

Opening a Library

1. Open EndNote. In the dialog box that appears, select Open an existing library OR from the menu bar, select File > Open. 
2. A list of libraries that you have previously opened will be displayed.  Select the library that you wish to open.  If the library does not appear in the list, click Open Library...
3. The Select a Reference Library dialog box will appear.  Locate your library and click the Open button.

Tip #1: After creating an EndNote library, don't delete or separate any folders.

EndNote will generate an EndNote Library file (which is what you click to open your library) and a .Data folder. Both of these must be located together.

In the .Data folder, you'll see one folder named "sdb" and if you have PDFs in your EndNote library, you'll also see a folder named "PDF." 

These folders contain essential data about each library you create. Never delete them!

Tip #2: Store all of your EndNote libraries locally on your computer; do not store them in the cloud.

Make sure to store your libraries on your device such as the documents folder, or a designated EndNote folder. If you store EndNote library data in the cloud and then move it onto your local computer, key files in the .Data folder may separate and cause errors in your library. One common error is that PDFs become detached from their citations.