========================================================================= Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 10:01:04 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Susan Healy Subject: Re: Gratitude In-Reply-To: <199401052129.AA21638@freenet2.scri.fsu.edu>; from "bob wallace" at Jan 5, 94 4:30 pm ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hello! Let me introduce myself. My name is Susan Healy. I am a legal indexer for the Florida Legislature's Division of Statutory Revision and a member of ASI. I am new to the List and hope to be able to participate in discussions. Would be happy to answer any questions regarding indexing of laws, codes, statutes. Susan Healy P.S. Good luck in your new career, Carol! -- ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 10:12:37 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Randolph L. Reagan" <71544.757@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Ready-to-publish indexes ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I'd like to get some feedback on how frequently publishers request indexes that are in ready-to-publish form, ie., those printed by LQ printers on bond paper, perhaps by a Desktop Publishing Program. Randy Reagan New to this Business ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 13:41:31 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Ted Koppel Organization: CARL Systems Inc. (Atlanta) Subject: Indexers - books vs. journals ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I have been reading this list for some months now and it seems like the focus is strongly on those people and issues relating to people writing indexes to books. Where in the scheme of things does a journal indexer fall? Take, for example, the person who works at Wilson and assigns terms to the journals that are indexed in Social Sciences Index. Do you consider that person an indexer? Is there a more precise name/label? Are there different levels of index status -- are book indexers more respected than journal indexers? Or is that book indexers are (usually) free-lance, while journal indexers work for the publisher directly? -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ted Koppel * tkoppel@carl.org ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 13:43:17 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Joan Stout Subject: Re: USDA Correspondence Program In-Reply-To: <199401062143.AA26962@lamb.sas.com> from "MaryEllen Read" at Jan 6, 94 04:43:35 pm ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > > ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > I am very interested in getting into indexing, eventually to get to > freelance. Before getting on this list I've only done a small index > using WP51. i have some major, basic questions. What is the general > reputation of the USDA correspondence program ($269) for indexers? > Is this a worthwhile program? Has anyone done it? Hi, Maryellen. I began my indexing career in a newspaper library, indexing daily newspapers and the Duke University student paper. I learned indexing on the job. A few years later, I decided I wanted to expand my skills and start doing freelance book indexing. One of the other indexers gave me some information on the USDA course, and I decided to do it. I had been a member of ASI for a while, and I was familiar with Nancy Mulvany's reputation as an indexer. When I saw that she taught the course, I figured it must be worthwhile. Since I had been indexing for a few years at that point, I expected the USDA course to be a piece of cake. After all, it was just a correspondence course, and I had experience. I was in for a surprise! It was a serious course, and Nancy took her duties seriously. I learned a lot from the course and especially from Nancy. I think the course is a good introduction to book indexing, and I think it gives you a good credential. I think Nancy and Jane Maddocks are teaching the basic course now. They are both well known and respected in the field of indexing. If Nancy Mulvany still teaches the course, I think you can count on the course having a good reputation. The course was worthwhile *for me*. In addition to what I learned, I got two basic reference books and a workbook that I have used to teach others about indexing. Completing the course also helps to show that you have genuine interest in indexing and the initiative to do something about it! > What are the alternatives that someone would recommend? Join the American Society of Indexers, if you haven't already. Attend chapter meetings, if possible. (I got my first book indexing job at a chapter meeting.) Check out the ASI publications list. Read anything you can find about indexing. I work fulltime as a technical writer, and we are always getting brochures about indexing seminars. If you are interested in these, send email and I'll send you more information. Consider buying the demo disks for Cindex and Macrex indexing software. Practice! Think of a book that has an index that you found useful. Index the book, or part of the book, and compare your index with the one in the book. > Thanks for any and all input. > I will make a list of the answers if anyone else is interested. It > might turn out to be an interesting profile of the professional on > the list. Thanks. > Maryellen Read > mread@creighton.edu > Joan <--------------------------------------------------------------------> | Joan Stout | "I worked as a technical writer...editing | | Freelance Indexer | manuals...on how to dispose of sewage in | | Technical Writer | permafrost; we all had to wear white shirts | | sasjcs@unx.sas.com | - that was mandatory - and I was fired at | | SAS Institute, Inc. | the end of two weeks for spending too much | | Cary, NC | time staring out the window." (Edward Abbey) | <--------------------------------------------------------------------> ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 13:44:54 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Charlotte Skuster Subject: Re: Indexers - books vs. journals In-Reply-To: Message of Mon, 10 Jan 1994 13:41:31 ECT from Ted, As moderator of index-l and a journal indexer, I'd like to say that indexers of journals are indexers for sure! I happen to be a free-lance indexer who provides back-of-the-journal indexes (appearing in the last issue of a volume). Since I tend to index the same journals year-after-year, there is no need to consult with colleagues about my work. That is speaking for my- self, of course. The impetus to start a listserv for indexers came about when I was indexing a book of literary criticism (I'm a science type) and wished for a convenient way to consult about problems I was having. So I would guess that the need for consultation from back-of-the-book indexers is more acute. That being said, I want to assure you that discussion from indexers of all stripes is welcome. As a librarian, I would find it useful to see conversation among those that index for Wilson, Carl, Medline, etc. I hope you will stay with us...I am fairly sure that there is broad representation among subscribers...can we hear from others on this subject? Charlotte Skuster ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 16:46:23 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: King Co Lib System Subject: Re: Ready-to-publish indexes In-Reply-To: <9401101512.AA32912@rs6a.wln.com> ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- It's been some years now that *any* publisher I've worked for wanted an index in any form *but* electronic, i.e., either on disk or I have transmitted via modem. I know this isn't responsive to your question directly but thought you might want another perspective. Charles ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 11:55:37 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Jessica Milstead <76440.2356@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Indexers - books vs. journals ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- All the people you talk about are indexers, and IMO there's no difference in rank and status. A lot of the indexers who work for outfits like HW Wilson are employees, and you're unlikely to see them on index-l. Freelancers do work for the collective journal index publishers too, however. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 12:03:44 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: VANFOSEN Subject: Re: Indexers - books vs. jou ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I index individual journal issues for the Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI). I've been on the list for several months and think the discussion is quite interesting. I'd like to get into book indexing eventually. Mike Van Fossen, UNC Chapel Hill vanfosen.davis@mhs.unc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 12:04:48 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Michael Kalen Smith Subject: Re: Indexers - books vs. journals In-Reply-To: <199401101840.AA17538@metronet.com> ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Ted, I don't think it's a matter of status so much as economic uncertainty. When you work for H.W. Wilson or NY Times or any other large, in-house indexing operation, at least you know where your next paycheck is coming from. Back-of-the-book indexers are (I believe) mostly freelance and the potential anxiety level leads to a need to confer ("We are going to survive, aren't we...?"). I've done a couple of journal indexes for the societies publishing the journal, strictly freelance, and I regard it as rather more difficult than doing a book. You have a variety of subjects about which articles have been written, all by different authors with their own styles, and you have to boil some uniformity out of all that to produce a usable index. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael Kalen Smith / Dallas, Texas Internet: mksmith@metronet.com / CIS: 73177,366 **NEW ADDR ----> ^^^^^^^^^^^^ <----NEW ADDR** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 13:49:54 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Mary Durham Subject: free-lance indexer sought ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- We are trying to locate someone to do free-lance indexing of a technical book. Ideally, but not necessarily, in the Chicago area. Inquiries to: Jean Tabaka Sybase, Inc. jet@sybase.com Thanks, Mary Durham Sybase Corporate Technical Librarian mjd@sybase.com 617/238-6251 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 16:33:45 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: maryann@mnrosdp.revisor.leg.state.mn.us Subject: Re: Indexers - books vs. journals In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 10 Jan 94 13:41:31 +0700." ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I agree with other respondents that freelance indexers and their concerns (pricing jobs, dealing with editors, etc.) loom larger in this list than the concerns of salaried indexers. By "salaried indexers" I mean not only journal indexers, but also legislative indexers (like me) and indexers for services like MeSH and MedIndex. Salaried folks need to be encouraged to contribute to the discussion, and they need to feel included. I've always felt that being salaried enabled me to give my time and energy to ASI more readily than a freelancer could. I'm sure any chapter would welcome participation from journal indexers and other salaried folks. Maryann Corbett ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 16:35:04 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: MaryEllen Read Subject: Editing Citations and Reference Lists (fwd) ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I think many of us would be interested in the answer to this question. (I forwarded it from the copyediting-l list) Maryellen mread@creighton.edu ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 10:44:38 -0500 From:rda@cogsci.edinburgh.ac.uk To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Editing Citations and Reference Lists A colleague and I are currently working on a computer program whose aim is to help copy editors with the editing and correction of citations and reference lists in scholarly works. This is (a) a specific request for information and (b) a general request for interested parties to contact us. The specific requests: - Somewhere I picked up the snippet that "as much as 50% of a copy editor's time can be spent on bibliographic information". Can anyone point me to a source that would substantiate this claim? - We're currently looking at corrections to reference list entries. The vast majority of these we've seen are moving the date from the end of the reference entry to the beginning, putting the initials of second and subsequent authors *after* their surnames rather than before, separating the main chunks of a reference entry by full stops rather than commas. But perhaps these are just idiosyncracies of the data we've looked at: so we'd be interested to hear of any other common or perhaps not so common corrections people have come across, or things they think are a particular nuisance. The general request: - There are whole hosts of questions we could ask and learn from the answers to, but this is perhaps rather a specific area which could bore the readers of this list to tears. If this is an area you work in or are interested in and would like to be on a smaller mailing list to discuss some of this stuff, please let me know. Before you decided to mail me to tell me that ProCite, EndNote, BibTeX solve all these problems already, let me stress that that we're looking at the cases where such tools, for whatever reasons, haven't been used. R -------- Robert Dale | University of Edinburgh Phone: +44 31 650 4416 | Human Communication Research Centre Fax: +44 31 650 4587 | 2 Buccleuch Place Email: R.Dale@ed.ac.uk | Edinburgh EH8 9LW Scotland ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 14:52:11 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Charlotte Skuster Subject: archive going It is time to remove some more archived materials. On Monday, Jan.17 the archive for April 1993 will be removed. If you want to save it before it dissapears send the following message to listserv@bingvmb: get index-l log9304 This is a fairly large file--I think it contains the standards draft. If you are unable to send for the file before Monday, let me know. I have saved it and will keep it for while. Charlotte Skuster Index-l moderator ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 14:59:07 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: American Society for Information Science Subject: ASIS - AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE - Mid-Year Meeting Info ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- -- ADVANCE NOTICE -- - ASIS CONTINUING EDUCATION OFFERINGS - - AT THE - - 1994 MID-YEAR MEETING - - NAVIGATING THE NETWORKS- - PORTLAND, OREGON - - MAY 21-25,1994 - FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION -- Call 301/495-0900 or send e-mail to asis@cni.org NOTE: All ASIS members will receive a Conference program and registration form in the mail. SUMMARY (detailed course descriptions are below) Saturday, May 21, 1994 NEW! * BUILDING AN ELECTRONIC NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER: IMPLEMENTING NETWORK TOOLS (Alan Emtage) * CROSSING THE INTERNET THRESHOLD (Roy Tennant) * TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR DATA TRANSFER AND MANAGEMENT (Jim Rush) Sunday, May 22, 1994 NEW! * BEYOND THE INTERNET THRESHOLD: RESOURCE TOOLS (Roy Tennant) NEW! * LIBRARY AUTOMATION SOFTWARE, SYSTEMS, AND SERVICES: AN UPDATE ON AVAILABLE RESOURCES (Pamela R. Cibbarelli) NEW! * MANAGEMENT AND PRIVACY ISSUES FOR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (Alan Emtage) NEW! * PRACTICAL INDEXING (Jessica Milstead) NEW! * ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SERVICES (Tom Kinney) DETAILED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOLLOW Saturday, May 21, 1994 9:00AM-5:00PM BUILDING AN ELECTRONIC NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER: IMPLEMENTING NETWORK TOOLS Archie, Gopher, FreeWAIS, Whois++. Worldwide Web, Netfind... Which tools are best for the electronic delivery of information at your site? How do these tools work together? What kinds of skills and resources are needed to install, implement, and maintain these tools? What are the tips and tricks which will make installation and maintenance easier? For the system administrator responsible for building and maintaining an electronic network information center, this seminar will answer your questions. The specific purposes of the utilities available will be discussed, including a neutral assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing and using them. A brief look into the near future will include a look a directory services alternatives. An understanding of the Internet, UNIX and basic C programming is assumed. INSTRUCTOR: ALAN EMTAGE is Vice-President of Research & Development, Bunyip Information Systems, Inc. Alan holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from McGill University in Computer Science and was co-creator of the Internet directory service "Archie". Alan also co-chairs the Internet Engineering Task Force working groups on Internet Anonymous FTP Archives and Uniform Resource Identifiers and is currently working on the integration of several internet information systems such as WAIS, Gopher, and WWW into the archie system. In addition, he works closely with several groups in the library community on facilitating the interoperation of internet and library information systems. 9:00AM-5:00PM CROSSING THE INTERNET THRESHOLD (to be held at Oregon Health Sciences University - transportation will be provided) This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the vast array of online resources on the Internet. Sitting at a terminal, you will receive a full day of instruction, demonstrations, practice and discussion. The agenda will include E-mail and electronic discussions, remote login (Telnet), online resources, file transfer, network archives and extended services (WAIS, Archie, Gopher, etc.). INCLUDED FREE! Each participant will receive a copy of "Crossing the Internet Threshold: An Instructional Handbook", which contains exercises, a glossary and a wealth of information that will be useful beyond the workshop. INSTRUCTOR: ROY TENNANT is Head of Information Systems Instruction and Support for the UC Berkeley Library. He co-authored the book "Crossing the Internet Threshold: An Instructional Handbook" and was a recipient of the 1992 Network Citizen Award of Apple Library. 9:00AM-5:00PM TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR DATA TRANSFER AND MANAGEMENT This course presents the fundamentals of telecommunication for data transfer and management (in contrast with voice telephony) and does so in a non-technical, easy to understand manner. Concepts include the purpose of data communication, the fundamentals of telecommunication networks, physical transmission media (e.g., wire, fiber optics), scope and use of networks, data signal transmission (modulation, modes), data encoding (ASCII, EBCDIC, etc.), routing and flow control (e.g., circuit switching, packet switching), telecommunication carriers (common, value-added, private), traffic management and control (protocols, services), error detection and correction, standards and regulations (including ISO Open Systems Interconnection Basic Reference Model), local area networks and network management. A basic understanding of networks such as the Internet, NSFnet, Bitnet and the proposed National Research and Education Network (NREN) will be provided. This course is intended for anyone with an interest in data communication, but who has neither the desire nor patience to delve into the technical details. A 360-page workbook is furnished to each participant, and examples of equipment, transmission media and basic systems are shared with those who attend. INSTRUCTOR: JAMES E. RUSH is Executive Director of PALINET, a multi-state, multi-type library cooperative serving libraries and information centers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He also is current chair of the Regional OCLC Network Directors Advisory Committee, on the Board of Directors of the National Information Standards Organization and President-elect of ASIS. SUNDAY, MAY 22, 1994 9:00AM-5:00PM BEYOND THE INTERNET THRESHOLD: RESOURCE TOOLS (to be held at Oregon Health Sciences University - transportation will be provided) Using the vast information resources of the Internet is now made easier by resource tools such as Gopher, World-Wide Web (WWW), and Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS). These tools provide ways to easily navigate among a variety of databases, access specific documents or computer files, and/or search collections of full-text documents by keyword. This Hands-on workshop will introduce these resource tools through lecture and demonstration and provide an opportunity to gain experience using them. Each participant will receive handouts that complement what is presented. INSTRUCTOR: ROY TENNANT (see bio above) 9:00am-5:00pm LIBRARY AUTOMATION SOFTWARE, SYSTEMS, AND SERVICES: AN UPDATE ON AVAILABLE RESOURCES The library automation marketplace has seen major changes in direction in a startlingly short time. Just three years ago only four UNIX- based IOLS products were available and Windows was just appearing on the scene. Today UNIX and Windows garner an ever-increasing share of the market and appear to be the operating systems of choice for new product development. At the same time vendors have gone through a period of consolidation and acquisition. In the midst of the turbulence, this seminar is designed to provide the latest information on the features and functionality of the most successful library automation systems and services on the market. IOLS software packages will be grouped by platform (IBM PCs and compatibles, Macintosh, UNIX, and other minicomputer & mainframes). The features and functions of the most important packages in each group will be compared and contrasted, including compliance with Z39.50 standards, ability to interface with CD-ROM products, boolean retrieval, and accessibility via the Internet. User's Ratings Surveys conducted by CIBBARELLI'S sites will be provided for all packages for which they are available. In addition, Retrospective Conversion services and products will be compared in terms of the services offered by each and the leading Library Automation Consulting firms will be reviewed including their specialties and scope of services. Anyone involved in the selection or upgrading of Library automation systems or in helping others make software and systems decisions will benefit from this course. INCLUDED FREE! Workshop attendees will receive a copy of the most recent release of the "Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems, and Services" (Learned Information, Inc.) The directory is a $79.00 value and is recognized as the primary reference sources for selection of library software and services used in automating libraries. INSTRUCTOR: PAMELA R. CIBBARELLI, M.L.S. is an automation specialist who teams with librarians to plan and implement automation solutions. She is owner of CIBBARELLI'S, a consulting firm specializing in information retrieval services and assistance with library automation projects. She is also adjunct faculty at California State University, Fullerton. Ms. Cibbarelli has been providing seminars and classes nationally for 15 years, sponsored by CSU Fullerton, CSU San Jose's Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Learned Information,Inc., ASIS and ARMA. Some of her publications include: "Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems and Services"; "CIBBARELLI'S Surveys: User Ratings of Library Software"; "Modern Times: User Ratings of Information Management Software"; "Integrated Online Library Systems Proceedings 1993 & 1994" 9:00am - 5:00pm MANAGEMENT AND PRIVACY ISSUES FOR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS The arrival of commercial internet user services lends new urgency to the management issues associated with publishing information in this environment. In this course, we examine a range of privacy and security issues and explore how they might affect your installation. Issues covered will include: Internet security protocols, firewalls, access control, privacy laws and customs in the U.S., privacy laws and customs on the Internet, How to be a good neighbor, and Internet culture made easy. INSTRUCTOR: ALAN EMTAGE (see bio above) 9:00am - 5:00pm PRACTICAL INDEXING This is a fundamental course dealing with the foundations and principles of indexing - a critical skill for information professionals. The course is designed for information professionals who have not had formal indexing training and who are faced with real-life indexing problems. The course will cover the major considerations affecting the design of subject indexes. It will provide an overview of indexing strategies. It will emphasize hardware and software issues and discuss indexing software options. INSTRUCTOR: DR. JESSICA MILSTEAD is Principal of The JELEM Company, which offers consulting services in development of indexes and thesauri. She works with database publishers and corporate clients on development of indexing schemes, thesauri, and end-user search tools. She has taught indexing both as a library school faculty member and in continuing education programs. Jessica is active in professional organizations, serving on the Standards Development Committee of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), and is the author several books including the forthcoming "Information Science Thesaurus" (Published by ASIS and to be released in 1994) 1:00PM-5:00PM ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SERVICES The development of the emerging National Information Infrastructure is being driven largely by the desire to provide entertainment services such as video-on-demand and interactive television to the consumer market. This course is designed to give information providers and users an overview of technologies, trends, and key players in the multi-billion dollar electronic entertainment industry so that they can better prepare for and shape tomorrow's information services. Topics to be covered include new television technologies (HDTV, interactive TV, etc.), video-on-demand, wireless systems, video game systems, virtual reality systems, and more. Scenarios for the development of new information services, such as online multimedia encyclopedias and virtual reality-based information retrieval systems, will be explored. INSTRUCTOR: TOM KINNEY is a Dallas-based writer and information technology consultant and author of the forthcoming ASIS Monograph "Entertainment Technology and the Information Business". He has written on a wide range of information technology-related topics, including "Memex meets Madonna: multimedia at the intersection of information and entertainment" (THE ELECTRONIC LIBRARY, 6/92). He has appeared regularly as a speaker at national meetings of ASIS, LITA, and the NOTIS Users Group. He served as Assistant Head of the University of Florida Library Systems Office from 1986 through 1992, and as Systems Librarian at the Superconducting Super Collider from 1992 through 1993. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 15:00:02 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Norm Howden Subject: Re: Editing Citations and Reference Lists (fwd) ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- MaryEllen - Are you willing to summarize a response to the bibliographic editing question? I have some real concerns, because that query seems a bit naive. If you are dealing with only one style manual then you might be interested in moving dates and initials around. To really be useful, format conversion should be capable of outputting any format required. Another question that needs asking is whether the problem can be solved with a really good software like Papyrus which can import, reformat, and export in a wide variety of data formats and bibliographic styles? +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | Norman Howden | | | | School of Library and Information Sciences | | University of North Texas | | howden@lis.unt.edu (817) 565-2760 | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ =========================================================================