tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post6412546516193099737..comments2024-03-28T11:48:17.788-07:00Comments on Publishing Archaeology: Do you like indexes?Michael E. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03942595266312225661noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-73214565469385062032015-12-20T21:34:48.687-07:002015-12-20T21:34:48.687-07:00I agree with Michael E. Smith's latest comment...I agree with Michael E. Smith's latest comment. Most professional indexers use dedicated indexing software, but it most definitely is not automated indexing software.Rather, it removes the clerical aspects of indexing (alphabetisation, format etc) and allows the indexer to focus on the intellectual aspects of term selection, wording, structure etc. <br /><br />As a librarian I see many poorly structured indexes, and I think the fault sometimes lies in reliance on concordance-generation type software, which results in numerous entries for certain topics, and misses others when the words used were not an exact match. <br /><br />(I'm also an indexer). <br /><br />Glenda BrowneAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09890368324303908739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-26568978195324728202015-12-07T08:28:11.484-07:002015-12-07T08:28:11.484-07:00Michael - I am not an expert in this field, but I ...Michael - I am not an expert in this field, but I do know some of the scholarly literature on index construction, and mostly it coincides with my own opinions based on indexing a variety of books. If you use an automated indexing tool and your indexes are useful to your readers, then that is fine. I do know that for a number of years university and commercial publishers used an indexing tool that worked with proofs in pdf format (they made it available to authors to use), but then they abandoned it. I have been using my old Excel methods for some time now. The program you cite creates concordances, not indexes.Michael E. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942595266312225661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-65357144906050786802015-12-06T22:12:44.416-07:002015-12-06T22:12:44.416-07:00I am not sure about this review Michael ! .. When ...I am not sure about this review Michael ! .. When i was used to hire indexers; most of them were already using professional software to organize their index. That's why i thought about doing the same thing myself. I wanted to create the index myself, but with a help of a tool to arrange my collected entries(Which i already collect myself) and write the index to my book. From my last four index experiments i am now able to create indexes similar to the one in your sample photo, and with a nice look suitable to my book design, with the help of such a tool.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09220266298977523569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-45025588565005245442015-12-06T13:43:53.602-07:002015-12-06T13:43:53.602-07:00My own reactions and inclinations don't agree ...My own reactions and inclinations don't agree with Peter and Michael. Maybe I am a dinosaur with an old and outdated view of books and publishing, but really think indexes are important in books. Peter, perhaps you use books differently than I do. I'd like to see some research on this point. Given the large body of scholarly research on books, publishing, citations, libraries, and such, I would guess that there are research results on the use of indexes. And given the cost-cutting that has been going on in the publishing industry, I would think that if indexes were not useful parts of books, they would have been omitted from books years ago.<br /><br />Peter, perhaps you are compiling concordances, not indexes. Here is a quote from a review of PDF Index Generator. It confirms my view that software cannot create an index that is acceptable to editing and publishing professionals:<br /><br />"When it comes to writing book indexes, frankly, the tool is<br />terrible. It provides no subject analysis, does not combine terms,<br />creates no subheadings, has no functionality for overriding strict<br />alphabetical sorting or applying cross-references, and does not<br />even combine page numbers into ranges. I cannot recommend this<br />tool as a shortcut to writing indexes."<br /><br />This is a review from the journal, The Indexer, volume 28(1):<br />http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/index/tiji/2010/00000028/00000001/art00013;jsessionid=1p0xyng1h7tey.alexandraMichael E. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942595266312225661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-19392002604784216202015-12-06T13:04:21.026-07:002015-12-06T13:04:21.026-07:00I do agree with Peter; indexes used to cause a hea...I do agree with Peter; indexes used to cause a headache for me too. That's why i've looked everywhere for an easier way to create my indexes. I've found a couple of programs that could help, and i've settled down with the one called <a href="http://www.pdfindexgenerator.com" rel="nofollow">PDF Index Generator</a>. I've used it in indexing 4 books until now, and it includes 10th of nice features like defining cross references, header and subheader words, in addition to many styling options. This has saved me thousands of dollars for hiring indexers.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09220266298977523569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-25126567601778870812015-12-06T13:01:52.163-07:002015-12-06T13:01:52.163-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09220266298977523569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-67783786356872719322015-12-05T00:34:19.553-07:002015-12-05T00:34:19.553-07:00Řekni, zda potřebuješ rejstříky, ať vím, kdo jsi
R...Řekni, zda potřebuješ rejstříky, ať vím, kdo jsi<br />Rejstříky ano! I když pro mnohé čtenáře jsou zbytečným papírem a grafickou skvrnou na tváři krásné knihy<br />Rejstříky jsou velmi důležité a jejich schvalování či odmítání vypovídá hlavně o tom, jak kdo s literaturou pracuje. Jistě jde i o problém ekonomický a organizační (na vytvoření musí zbývat čas a síla). Rejstříky obecně sklidily spíše pohrdání v souvislosti s nástupem „fulltextového“ vyhledávání. Bohužel tento přístup našel živnou půdu i v knihovnách. Potřebnost rejstříků v obecné míře bude teprve znovu objevena, a to včetně potřeby nástrojů pro jejich kvalitní propojování. Nicméně je možné, že to bude pozdní lítost, jelikož při nynějším kvantu on-line přístupných dat se již nedá nic efektivního v tomto smyslu dělat.<br />O přístupu k „rejstříkování“ v nové době svědčí to, jak je stále běžné, že IT a webdesignéři preferují „searching“ před „browsingem“. Ačkoliv i zde by prostě byla možná klidná symbióza a uživatel by dle situace a letory použil jednou to, podruhé ono…<br />I tištěné rejstříky by měly být závaznou součástí odborného díla. A kdo by nechtěl, nemusel by je používat…<br />:-) http://wp.me/pqrNE-vbMONUDEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00175762698266012023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2971081717687612908.post-66849609269844846492015-12-04T11:29:36.279-07:002015-12-04T11:29:36.279-07:00Hi Mike,
Unlike you, I hate indexing, and this ap...Hi Mike,<br /><br />Unlike you, I hate indexing, and this applies to my own books. In my previous books, published with mainstream publishers, I always bargained, and usually got them to agree to pay for a professional indexer. <br /><br />Similarly, I don't find indices particularly useful. The great majority of them are poorly executed, and cannot compare to having the complete searchable text of the work. I still prefer to read books as real, paper books, but I often try to find an electronic file (PDF) for the paper book I bought. Then I can be sure that the author never said, for example, "culture." You can't assum it if "culture" is missing from the index. It's easy enough and instantaneous to search for alternative keywords - market, trade, commerce, whatever. And you end up in the right place where the keyword is used. How many times I had to read the whole page carefully, to confirm that the indexed word is actually NOT used on the page. <br /><br />So I could pay $1000 to a professional indexer to generate an index for my book. Or I could provide an electronic version of the book at a nominal price. I chose the second route. If you buy my book in paper at Amazon, you can also get the electronic copy (It's called kindle-match).<br /><br />And for the rest of you, the book we are talking about can be found here: <br />http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0185P69LUAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03644274153642252732noreply@blogger.com