How repeated reading becomes project-specific research notes

How can repeated reading become usable research notes?

He rereads books to build familiarity, maintains a spreadsheet, and writes focused notes linking relevant passages to each research project.

The method uses several layers rather than relying on a single reading or one universal set of notes. Reading a book three times builds a working memory of its contents and location on the shelves. An Excel spreadsheet provides a broader catalogue of the collection. For a specific writing project, targeted notes record which parts of each book relate to the argument. This separates general familiarity with a library from evidence selected for a particular piece of research.