Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:58:03 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: "Barbara E. Cohen" <becohen@well.sf.ca.us>
Subject: Thesauri and Authority Files
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I agree with some of the comments made about using standardized
lists--librarians and indexers have complementary but not identical purposes
in developing authority files.
On the other hand, I would like to see indexing information refer to some of
the authority files more, because I think this is just the sort of thing
beginning indexers find hard to uncover. Except for Webster's Biographical
and Geographical, I don't recall the Chicago Manual of Style mentioning any
other standard lists--and most of my clients say "follow CMS."
Maybe ASI needs to develop a publication listing suitable authority files
and standard books that might prove useful for recurring subject areas. I'd
particularly like to find a source for names in the current news, because I
do a number of political science books, in which authors consistently avoid
using full names or even any names (how often is the shah of Iran referred
to by name?). Right now I rely on my local library information line, and
the reference librarians are most patient with me. I try to annotate
Webster's Biog. so I don't have to call again about the same person. What
do other people do?
I would also like to see Cindex develop a version of Webster's Biographical
on-line like the spell-checker, because that would save me lots of time.
Does anyone know any complementary software that could handle this?
(Oh, I mean compatible software, not complementary--It's getting late and my
brain is not working too well at the moment. Sorry.)
Barbara E. Cohen
(becohen@well.sf.ca.us)
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:58:51 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: Joan Stout <sasjcs@unx.sas.com>
Subject: Re: CINDEX
In-Reply-To: <199301212104.AA13952@lamb.sas.com>; from
"DHUERTA%COLGATEU.BITNET@pucc.Princeton.EDU" at Jan 21, 93 3:39 pm
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I am looking for information about using CINDEX. What do you folks who
> use it think about it? Where is it available? What sort of competition
> does it have? I am contemplating using it for a small desktop publishing
> enterprise in which indexing is critical and somewhat specialized.
>
> Debbie Huerta
> IN%"DHuerta@Colgateu.bitnet" or @Center.Colgate.edu
> Thank you!
>
Hi, Debbie. I've been using CINDEX for about six years, and I like
it a lot. It's very flexible, and it has many capabilities that
I've never even used. Most of my work is for three publishers. Each
one uses a different format, and CINDEX can handle them all. In
November, I had my first case of having to re-number pages. The
compositor had mis-numbered everything by 3. The editor was very
apologetic about all the work I was going to have to do to fix it.
With CINDEX, it took a one-line command and about 20 seconds.
I've never had a problem with CINDEX. I once thought I did, but it
turned out to be a computer problem. I called Ms. Lennie at CINDEX,
and she spent about half an hour with me, trying to figure out the
problem.
The only thing I dislike about CINDEX is the lack of a spell-checker.
I import my indexes to WordPerfect to check spelling. However, the
latest version, 5.1, has spell-checking. I suppose I should upgrade!
You say that indexing is "somewhat specialized" in your business. It's
likely that CINDEX can handle your requirements.
You can order a CINDEX demo for $35. When I did this, it included the
manual and a disk that worked like the real thing, but with a limit of
100 entries. The address:
Indexing Research
Box 18609
Rochester, NY 14618-0609
(716) 461-5530 FAX: (716) 442-3924
CINDEX's biggest competition is Macrex. I've talked to several indexers
who were as happy with Macrex as I am with CINDEX. When I was looking
at software, I also ordered the Macrex demo. The instructions for the
demo completely confused me. I tried to read the manual, and it totally
confused me, also. To be fair, I was rather computer illiterate at the
time. Also, that was six years ago, and the Macrex documentation is
probably better now. The Macrex demo is $50. The address:
Bayside Indexing Service
265 Arlington Avenue
Kensington, CA 94707-1401
(510) 524-4195 FAX: (510) 527-4681
Happy searching!
Joan Stout
sasjcs@unx.sas.com
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 10:43:35 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: Michael Hutchins <pmh@draper.com>
Subject: Automated Indexing / Linkin
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Subject: Time:19:26
OFFICE MEMO Automated Indexing / Linking /_ Date:1/22/93
I've been looking for systems / applications / tool kits that do non-trivial
Automated Indexing / Linking / Tagging / Content Analysis. I'm interested in
these for application to Technical Reference Manuals (TRMs), rather than for
the broader general IR types of application. The only thing I've found so far
is Lotus(Samna)'s SmarText. A "non-trivial automatic indexing" thing it does
(for example) is to look at the pattern of distribution of each term, towards
figuring out which pieces of a document contain significant information about
that term's topic. A TRM-specific thing one could do, for example, is to
assume that if a term appears in a section header, the occurrence of its topic
in that section is substantive.
Does anyone know of any other such products?
Michael Hutchins
pmh@draper.com
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:49:43 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was
cweaver@CARSON.U.WASHINGTON.EDU
From: Carolyn Weaver <cweaver@u.washington.edu>
Subject: "Home Office Computing" Index
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I noticed in recent issues of "Home Office Computing" that they are
offering the annual index to the magazine on disk for approximately $6.95,
and also claim that the software for the index can be used to index other
magazines. Has anyone tried the software? My assumption is that it's far
too elementary for professional indexing but might work for some personal
applications; and since that question sometimes comes up across the
reference desk from people who don't want to shell out large $$$ for
professional indexing software...
Carolyn Weaver
cweaver@u.washington.edu
voice: 206/543-3401 (days); 206/643-1614 (evenings)
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:50:10 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: HANKS@UTHSCSA.BITNET
Subject: Re: CINDEX
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
As far as I know, it is only for the PC or its equivalent. My brochure does
not indicate a MAC version. Ellen Hanks, Briscoe Lib., U Tex HSC, San Antonio
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:50:31 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
From: HANKS@UTHSCSA.BITNET
Subject: Re: CINDEX
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I would be interested in MACREX (which I've never heard of). I would like to
comparison-shop before investing a substantial sum of money. Ellen Hanks,
Briscoe Library, U Tex HSC, San Antonio.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 09:24:10 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: ASI's 25th Anniversary Conference
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
INDEXING, PROVIDING ACCESS TO INFORMATION: LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
25th Anniversary Conference of the American Society of Indexers
May 20-22, 1993
Old Colony Inn
Alexandria, Virginia
Conference Chair: Nancy Mulvany (nmulvany@well.sf.ca.us)
PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE PROGRAM
PRECONFERENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1993
MORNING SESSIONS (8:30AM TO 12:30PM)
Workshop 1A
The Business Side of Freelance Indexing: Bidding and Scheduling
Frances Lennie, Indexing Research
Alexandra Nickerson, Nickerson Indexing Services
We will address the practical business needs of new and
established freelance indexers alike. The arcana of running an
efficient and professional indexing business venture will be
explored together with strategies to improve your productivity
and morale.
We will examine the components of the bidding process; how to
cost your time, how to prepare an estimate for a project and
present it to the client, and how to formalize the arrangement.
We will also look at solutions to projects that do not adhere to
their original specifications.
Hand-in-hand with the bidding process is the art of scheduling.
We will introduce tools to help you keep track of current and
future projects. Suggestions as how best to liaise with editors,
evaluate your personal work habits, audit your own performance,
and cope with unexpected contingencies will also be examined.
Workshop 1B
Thesaurus Management
Dr. Jessica Milstead, The JELEM Company
This workshop will introduce you to design and development of
information retrieval thesauri. Since a thesaurus is not
necessary for every indexing project, we will consider the kinds
of projects for which one would be useful. This will be followed
by an introduction to the basic principles of thesauri, the kinds
of terms used and their structure, and the devices which aid both
indexing users and search users in locating useful terms. We
will also give attention to the ways in which a thesaurus shows
relationships among terms.
Dr. Jessica Milstead is Principal of The JELEM Company, which
offers consulting services in index and thesaurus development.
Jessica has taught workshops in thesaurus management and indexing
for such organizations as the National Federation of Abstracting
and Information Services and Rutgers University. She is the
author of numerous journal articles and several books.
AFTERNOON SESSIONS (1:30PM TO 5:30PM)
Workshop 2A
Contracting with the Federal Government
Victoria Agee, Agee Indexing Services
This is an introductory seminar for those needing to understand
the federal procurement process. The focus will be on businesses
that are developing a marketing program that targets the federal
government as a prospective buyer. We will discuss:
Getting into the loop
Finding out about government contracts
How the SBA can help you
Bidding on contracts
Writing proposals
Understanding the process
How to deliver once you get the job
An expert trainer will explain the contract process. We will hear
from a federal contracting officer and independent contractors
with service-oriented, federal contract experience.
Workshop 2B
Working as an Indexer in the Database Industry
Judith Douville, NdS Information Consultants
A Quarter-Century of Database Indexing
Working In-house as a Database Indexer
Working Freelance as a Database Indexer
Freelance Opportunities in Database A&I
This session will provide participants with an excellent
opportunity to hear about the diverse field of database indexing
from those with years of experience in the database industry.
Judith Douville, NdS Information Consultants, Workshop Coordinator
Mauro Pittaro, Engineering Information, Inc.
Janet Berkson, National Agriculture Library
Marie Kascus, Elihu Burritt Library
Kevin Mulrooney, freelancer
All workshops will be held at the Old Colony Inn. Space is
limited. Register early!
THURSDAY EVENING RECEPTION FOR ASI'S PRESIDENTS
7:30PM TO 9:00PM
All conference participants are invited to join us on Thursday
evening at an informal reception honoring the ASI presidents of
the past twenty-five years. The reception will be held at our
conference site, the Old Colony Inn. There will be snacks and a
no-host bar. Please indicate on your Registration Form if you
plan to attend.
FRIDAY
MAY 21, 1993
Keeping Up With the Times (& the Deadlines): Indexing at BNA
Enid Zafran and Coleen MacKay,
Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
Delivering Database Information to the User: Technology, Media, Content
Barbara Preschel, Public Affairs Information Service
Daniel Uchitelle, Modern Language Association
Sarah Mulholland, American Psychological Association
Monica Pronin, American Petroleum Institute
Keynote Speaker
Christopher Locke, Vice President,
Avalanche Development Co., Boulder, CO
Chris Locke has worked in AI research environments for Fujitsu,
Ricoh and the Japanese government's Fifth Generation Computer
Systems project. As a thoughtful critic of knowledge-based
systems, Locke is a frequent contributor to various publications
including Byte and Newsweek.
Buffet Lunch
Computer-Assisted Database Indexing
Dr. Bella Hass Weinberg, St. John's University
Gail Hodge, BIOSIS
Susanne Humphrey, National Library of Medicine
Matthew Koll, Personal Library Software
Linguistic Analysis Tools for Computer-Assisted Indexing
Derek Proudian, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
Standards for Indexes: Why Should We Care?
James D. Anderson, Rutgers, Chair of the NISO committee to revise
ANSI Z39.4-1984.
Janet Shuter, England, member of the international ISO 999
committee and the British BS 3700 committee for index standards
SATURDAY
MAY 22, 1993
The Profession of Indexing: An International Perspective
Garry Cousins, Australian Society of Indexers
Michele Hudon, President, Indexing and Abstracting Society of Canada
Tom G. McFadden, President, American Society of Indexers
Elizabeth Wallis, Chair, Society of Indexers
ASI Oral Histories: The First Twenty-five Years
Dorothy Thomas, moderator
Participants include: Alan Greengrass, Barbara Preschel, BevAnne
Ross, Hans Wellisch, Ben-Ami Lipetz, Jessica Milstead, Jeanne
Moody, Nancy Mulvany, Linda Fetters
Presentation of the 1993 ASI-H.W. Wilson Award
Buffet Lunch
Keynote Speaker
Hazel K. Bell, Editor, The Indexer
Perhaps best known in the US as the editor of The Indexer for the
past fifteen years, Hazel Bell is also the editor of Learned
Publishing, the journal of the UK's Association of Learned and
Professional Society Publishers. Bell is the author of over 300
published indexes, numerous articles, and the booklet, Indexing
Biographies and Other Stories of Human Lives.
Reality Check: Book Index Characteristics that Facilitate Information Access
Elizabeth D. Liddy and Corinne L. Jorgensen
Syracuse University
Making the Case for Professional Indexers: Where Is the Proof?
Ira Kleinberg, Rutgers University
Freelancers on Indexing
Nancy Mulvany, moderator (Kensington, CA)
Babs Klein (Cheyenne,WY)
Frances Lennie (Rochester, NY)
Elinor Lindheimer (Mendocino, CA)
Jane Maddocks (Reston, VA),
Alexandra Nickerson (Cincinnati, OH)
CONFERENCE HOTEL
The Best Western Old Colony Inn (625 First Street, Alexandria,
VA) is the site of ASI's 25th Anniversary Conference. From the
Inn, it's a pleasant walk to the heart of Old Town Alexandria
where you will find brick and cobblestone streets lined with fine
colonial homes, quaint townhouses, local shops, and restaurants.
Just across the Potomac River from Alexandria is Washington, D.C.
A free shuttle takes guests to and from National Airport and the
Metro subway that runs directly into the nation's capital. A
block of rooms has been set aside for our conference. Our group
rate is $95.00/single room or $105.00/double room plus 9.5% tax.
Make your reservations early. Call the Inn at (703) 548-6300. Be
sure to indicate that you are attending the ASI conference. The
cut-off date for group rate reservations is April 28, 1993.
For conference fee schedule and registration form, please
contact:
American Society of Indexers
1993 Conference
P.O. Box 386
Port Aransas, Texas 78373, U.S.
(512) 749-4052
email: asi@well.sf.ca.us
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 13:32:30 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Comments: From ALL-IN-1 account BALCH,TIM
From: Tim Balch <LIB007@MARSHALL.MU.WVNET.EDU>
Subject: Re: Standards for French Names
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 26-Jan-1993 10:36am EDT
From: Tim Balch
BALCH,TIM
Dept:
Tel No: 304/696-2335
TO: _IN%INDEX-L@BINGVMB ( _IN%INDEX-L@BINGVMB )
Subject: RE: Standards for French Names
Linda Hill, I think, has correctly stated the real aim of standards
for names: to make the entry consistent across data sources. In
reference work it can be very frustrating trying to find infor-
mation on a person when every source uses a new form. A friend
developed a list several years ago of the dozen or so forms used
for the leader of Libya, Al-Qaddafi/Khaddafi. Of course, getting
everyone to agree on _one_ form may not be possible.
(As a sidenote, the March 1992 issue of "FBI Law Enforcement
Bulletin" had an article on problems police have dealing with
various ethnic names, and urging them to include every possible
form in their databases. An article on Chinese names and the
various transliteration systems is in the same issue.)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy A. Balch LIB007@MARSHALL.WVNET.EDU LIB007@MARSHALL
James E. Morrow Library voice (304) 696-2335
Marshall University fax (304) 696-5858
"Knowledge is of two kinds; we know a subject ourselves, or we
know where we can find information upon it." Samuel Johnson
---------------------------------------------------------------
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 16:31:48 ECT
Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group <INDEX-L@BINGVMB.BITNET>
Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was
cweaver@CARSON.U.WASHINGTON.EDU
From: Carolyn Weaver <cweaver@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Attn: Medical Indexers
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
If you are a medical indexer who will be attending the MLA Annual Meeting
in Chicago I would be interested in meeting informally with you to discuss
the trials, tribulations, and rewards of freelancing (or even salaried
indexing!). Please reply directly to me if you would like to get together
(perhaps 4-7 p.m on Tuesday, May 18, when there is a slot in the program
for informal meetings/special interest groups). If there is sufficient
interest (i.e. more than can be accommodated in the hotel bar or a
restaurant) I'll try to pry a meeting room out of the Local Arrangements
Committee and reply back to this list with the time/location.
Carolyn Weaver
Univ. Washington Health Sciences Library (day job!)
cweaver@u.washington.edu
voice: (206)543-3401 (days); (206) 643-1614 (home)
=========================================================================