Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 09:37:30 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: Charlotte Skuster <SKUSTER@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Subject: Seeing your own messages
If you send a message to the list, and want it to be posted back to you,
you will need to send the following message to listserv@bingvmb:
set index-l repro
The default setting is " no repro". I was not aware that this was the case
until a subscriber asked why he did not see his own message in the index-l
postings. Now we know.
Charlotte
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Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 08:47:17 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: Carol Roberts <carol_roberts@qmrelay.mail.cornell.edu>
Subject: Address for Wellisch Book
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Address for Wellisch Book
I've just ordered my copy of _Indexing fro A to Z_. Additional info for anyone
interested in doing same: complete address is H.W. Wilson, 950 University Ave.,
Bronx, NY 10452. The cost is indeed $35 plus (your) local sales tax. HOWEVER,
if you're not in New York State, you may not have to pay sales tax at all;
you'd have to call the publisher to find out: call 800 367-6770 and talk to a
pleasant woman with a decidedly Bronx accent. I don't know whether you have to
pay a shipping charge if you're overseas.
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Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 09:14:33 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: ANDRE DETIENNE <ADETIENN@INDYCMS.BITNET>
Subject: Hypercard-based index program
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
To Macintosh-user indexers:
In the last two months I have designed two HyperCard-based programs that c
an help manual indexing considerably. One program is for single volumes (SV),
and the other for multi-volume periodicals (MVP). I use SV to index the fifth
volume of "The Writings of Charles S. Peirce" (Indiana University Press), and
MVP to index the "Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society" (28 volumes).
Both programs are essentially the same, except that SV sorts roman as well as
arabic page numbers, while MVP adds a volume number to the page numbers
automatically. At this time, only SV is designed to help index either a hard-
copy text or a computer text-only document; MVP can only be used to index hard
-copy texts (although it would take me only a few days to add the other feature
to it). The way those programs function is as follows:
1) Entering data -- hard copy
SV and MV: Five fields on the screen (card 1 of the stack) allow entering
the main entry (ME), its page number, the subentry (SE), its page number, and
a "see (also)" entry. Sorry, no sub-subentries are accepted at this time. Page
numbers can go from 1 to 999 (the program does not handle more-than-1000-page
books, though it could be revised to allow that) and they are automatically thr
ee-digitized (001, 025, 011-012, etc.) for sorting purposes (superfluous digits
are removed later). A mouse click on a button allows you to inverse entries
(ME to SE or ME to "See" entries, and vice versa). The "enter" button makes su
re each entry is formatted correctly, and sends different error messages if it
is not the case.
MVP does not accept roman numerals (they are almost never used in periodic
als) but this feature could be added later on to index regular multi-volumes.
2) Entering data -- computer file (SV only)
Convert your text from any word-processing program to a text-only document
(HyperCard cannot import text with a different format; this is not a problem
for indexers, who deal with the words only). Break your text-only document into
as many 25000-character documents as is required (a Hypercard text field canno
t hold more than 30000 characters; allow some room for marking). Import, by a m
ouse click, one document at a time (in page order), type in the page breaks and
page numbers at the correct places. Then there are three options to enter the
index data: select entries with the mouse, click on the words with the mouse (
this is very fast, but works for single words only), or type entries (when you
want to phrase them differently from the text); after each ME is entered, you
are asked to enter a subentry if you wish (in any of the three options) -- this
also works with "see also" entries. You also have the option of creating a fa
st list of main entries (without subs) by marking them (this works only page by
page), then click on the "enter marked entries" button to process them all at
once. In every case, the page number has to be preset in any form you wish.
3) Entry list
Each time a complete entry is entered (in any fashion: ME, #; ME, SE, #;
ME, #, SE, #; ME, "See (also)" entry), it is sent to a special entry field as
single line with four items, each separated from the others by a comma (commas
within entries must be turned into semicolons to avoid confusion; they are turn
ed back into commas at a later stage). You have access to the complete list of
entry lines at any time, either to copy any part of them back to the entry
card (card 1), or to edit or correct them. You can also sort the list either a
lphabetically or by page numbers (roman and arabic numbers welcome), and print
it.
4) Indexing
When the list of entries is complete, hit the "index entries" button.
Each main entry is sent to a single card that will bear its name, together with
all its subsequent page numbers, subentries, and "see (also)" entries. You thu
s get as many cards as there are MEs. Further corrections can be done, if nece
ssary, on each card. Another button allows you to sort all ME and SE page numb
ers, and to sort all subentries alphabetically (ignoring prepositions, articles
, and some pronouns). When done, hit the "alpha-index" button to compile the w
hole index in an alphabetical order, and then the "full index" button to see
everything in a single field. At that point you can start, at great speed, for
matting the index as you wish, ordering MEs and SEs either in column or in run-
on. Different buttons let you remove all superfluous digits (zeros, 100-digits
, redundant volume numbers), capitalize each main entry, italicize specially
marked entries, punctuate them (according to the Chicago Manual rules), etc.
You print when completely satisfied. You can also export the index to a regula
r word-processing program.
5) Availability
Both programs come in two versions:the short one lets you only enter the
data (thus creating the entry list); by duplicating this short version, you
create as many index-data documents as you want, and at a later stage you may s
end them to the larger version of the program (which includes everything) to
process them one by one (this is due tothe 30000-character limitation per field
; this limitation is not a problem in the final stage, for the program creates
as many fields as is needed). All you need to run the programs is a Mac (any
type will do -- of course the program runs much faster on a Mac II than on a
Mac Plus) and a HyperCard 2.0 or higher, plus some knowledge of the HyperCard
basics (stack, button, field, etc.). Though both programs are still at an expe
rimental stage, I am willing to make them available to the indexers' community
for a very small fee (that covers shipping, handling, and further design improv
ements). All suggestions for improvement will be welcomed. Anyone interested
can send me his or her address, together with a bug-free, virgin disket, and a
$5-dollar check. In return you will get: two versions of each program (in two
sizes: Mac Plus-screen, and 12" screen), plus a short manual (the program is
really easy) and a few sample pages.
Andre De Tienne
Asst Editor
Peirce Edition Project, IUPUI
CA 545, 425 University Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202
ADETIENN@INDYCMS.BITNET
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Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 12:47:38 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: "Nancy C. Mulvany" <nmulvany@well.sf.ca.us>
Subject: Accreditation of Indexers
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Accreditation/Certification of Indexers
A few months ago I agreed to respond to the question, "Should ASI
members be accredited?" for the ASI newsletter. I will take the
negative position on this question. If I may, I'd like to test
the waters here!
What are your thoughts about accrediting indexers?
This issue has been simmering for a long time within the ranks of
ASI. On a very basic level, I understand the desire to weed out
incompetent indexers since they reflect badly on the rest of us.
However, I also feel that the marketplace does a good job of
weeding out the bad apples.
Any meaningful accreditation scheme must be rigorous. That is
another problem with attempts to accredit indexers. How do we do
that? Some proposals involve the submission of an index for
review by a panel of assessors. What can that tell us? If the work
submitted is in final form (i.e., a published book with index)
how is the panel to know how much work was done by the editor on
the index? What does such a review indicate about
professionalism, such as, was the work delivered in a timely
fashion and in the format requested? How will the index be
judged? According to "pie in the sky" standards or according to
the specifications requested by the client? Judging one or two or
three books, what does that say? If the books are all in the same
subject area, does the panel certify the indexer by subject area?
And then there is the question of who is on the assessors panel?
Quite frankly, some of the people who I have heard volunteer
their time for such work are the last ones who I would want to
judge my work!
Another method of accreditation is testing. Good luck on that
one! I have yet to see a test that adequately assesses the skills
of an indexer.
Lastly, another method of accreditation is fulfillment of course
work with a passing grade. That also is not really an option in
the United States since there are so few courses available that
attempt to prepare people for the book indexing field.
Thus far I have only discussed this topic in terms of book
indexing. Needless to say, there are other types of indexing.
Certification of someone's skills for database indexing would be
different than certification for book indexing or periodical
indexing.
If some of you would like to discuss this further, I'd appreciate
it! One area that I think we need to consider is: Who is served by
accreditation?
-nancy
nmulvany@well.sf.ca.us
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Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 16:39:56 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: "1.7c Revised List Processor" <LISTSERV@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Subject: Delivery error notice sent to list INDEX-L
Reply to: RE>Accreditation of Indexers
My initial reaction would be that what you and others have said applies to
accreditation-the good publishers will only hire good indexers. There are
always going to bad indexers out there (including a whole bunch of aspiring
indexers ;o)), but they don't _really_ give talented, professional indexers a
bad name, do they? So accreditation seems something of a moot point or, in the
words of a former student of mine, a mute point.
Carol Roberts
PUBS, Cornell University
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