I recently attended the annual conference for the American Society for Indexing (ASI) in San Antonio, Texas. Held at the Hotel Contessa on the San Antonio’s famed Riverwalk, the keynote address was given on Thursday, April 18th by Judith Pascoe, Professor at the University of Iowa and author of “My Last Index.” Prof. Pascoe gave an… Continue reading American Society for Indexing Conference
Tag: indexing
Special Topics on Alphabetizing in Indexes
When articles, conjunctions, or prepositions appear as the first term in a main heading, the phrase is probably a title of a book, an article, a play, or a painting. If the first term is an article, such as A or The, the term is not alphabetized. For example, the book title A Tale of… Continue reading Special Topics on Alphabetizing in Indexes
Alphabetizing in Indexes
Letter-by-Letter or Word-by-Word? The two principal modes of alphabetizing – or sorting – indexes are the letter-by-letter and the word-by-word systems. Indexers must decide which mode to use before indexing begins. Dictionaries are arranged letter-by-letter, while library catalogs are arranged word-by-word. Most university presses, such as Chicago University Press, and many other publishers have traditionally preferred… Continue reading Alphabetizing in Indexes
More on Cross-References in an Index
Continuing our discussion of cross-references, this post explores additional references in the form of see under and see also under. When a cross-reference directs readers to a subentry another a main heading, see under may be used. The use of “under” indicates that the term will be found explicitly as a subheading below the main… Continue reading More on Cross-References in an Index
Cross-References in an Index
Cross-reference refers to internal index navigation guides. These guides generally take the form of See or See also. The See cross-reference performs a vocabulary control function. It directs readers from a term not used in the index to a term that is used: cars. See autos See references direct a reader from, for example, an… Continue reading Cross-References in an Index
Double Posting of Index Entries
In an index, the indexer may choose to provide multiple access points for the same information. Given the importance of the main heading, it may be reasonable to assume that readers may look up a topic in more than one way. One reader may look up automobiles, while another reader may be just as likely… Continue reading Double Posting of Index Entries
The Indexer’s Reference: The Chicago Manual Of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition, which was recently published by the University of Chicago Press, remains the authoritative reference for indexers. Indexers consult the one chapter on Indexes in The Chicago Manual of Style for guidelines relating to kinds of indexes and components of an index, as well as general principles of indexing. Rules… Continue reading The Indexer’s Reference: The Chicago Manual Of Style
Why is an index needed?
Even if a book is well-written and contains a clear table of contents, a reader may still have trouble finding what he or she is looking for. A good index acts as a bridge between the author’s concepts and the readers’ particular needs. A good index saves the user time. Whether the reader is looking… Continue reading Why is an index needed?
Welcome to Optimal Indexing, my indexing blog!
This blog will focus on optimal indexing for effective search retrieval. How do you index books and documents in such a way that patrons will easily and effectively find the needed information? As an Information Professional for Stellar Searches LLC, I depend on quality indexing to find the information that fulfills a query. While I… Continue reading Welcome to Optimal Indexing, my indexing blog!