From: SMTP%"LISTSERV@BINGVMB.cc.binghamton.edu" 23-APR-1996 08:26:39.33 To: CIRJA02 CC: Subj: File: "INDEX-L LOG9603C" Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 08:04:49 +0000 From: BITNET list server at BINGVMB (1.8a) Subject: File: "INDEX-L LOG9603C" To: CIRJA02@GSVMS1.CC.GASOU.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 11:58:11 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Alison Chipman Subject: Data Security ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Can anyone help me find some ready information, i.e., journal article, checklist, as opposed to a lengthy monograph, on the topic of data security, particularly in the context of large institutions? It must be a relevant issue for indexing and abstracting agencies, who have many people accessing their computerized system(s) and very likely exchange data and documents in electronic form frequently. They'd need to control access to their data and guard against unauthorized changes, destruction, viruses, and other awful things. Possibly publishers too have similar concerns with data security. If anyone knows of any writings or papers on data security, published or otherwise available (contacting the author and begging?), I would greatly appreciate hearing about them. Please respond to my e-mail address given below. Thanks very much, Alison Chipman achipman@aat.getty.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 11:58:19 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Simon Cauchi Subject: Re: How long do you get to compile an index ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The following extract may be of interest. I have found it accords pretty well with my own experience (of commissioning indexes as well as being commissioned to do them). Claire Andrews, of Blackwells, from her 1988 conference paper printed in The Indexer, April 1989: Desk editors try to book indexers two or three weeks ahead of proofs being sent out. . . . In setting the deadline for return, we standardly ask for the index to be compiled within two weeks, if at all possible, allowing time in addition to this for postage to and from the indexer. Naturally, this length of time is adjusted for short, long or complex books. From Simon Cauchi, 13 Riverview Terrace, Hamilton 2001, New Zealand. Telephone and facsimile: +64 7 854 9229. Email: cauchi@wave.co.nz ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 11:58:27 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: jonathan@zeta.org.au Subject: I need help on Automatic Indexing and Abstracting ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- ----------------------- Hello all, I have been asked to present a 30-minute paper on Automatic indexing and abstracting at the forthcoming Indexing Workshop in Robertson, NSW. I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has practical experience of automatic indexing and abstracting. By this I do not mean computer -assisted indexing, using Macrex or Cindex, but computer indexing where the computer extracts terms from the item (e.g. by selecting words which are found commonly in the text), or uses some sort of thesaurus to assign terms, again based on word frequency and other measures of the text being indexed. If you have opinions about automated indexing I would also be glad to hear from you (especially if you have something *positive* to say about it, as I imagine most indexers are likely to feel negative for a number of reasons). I have seen the list of publications in the FAQ list, have copies of the discussion on Indexicon from the Index-L archives, have consulted a number of Web pages, have a few articles from The Indexer and the proceedings of the 1995 indexing conference in Australia, and have the 1990 textbooks on indexing and abstrating by Lancaster, and Cleveland and Cleveland. If you have any other ideas about significant information sources I would be delighted to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your help, Glenda Browne. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 11:58:50 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: jonathan@zeta.org.au Subject: How long to compile an index? ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- At 11:34 11/03/96 ECT, you wrote: >----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > My question is, how long does an indexer have, once proofs are >received, to compile an index? My first main job was a 600 p. book on chemistry. I had very little idea of how much money and time to ask for, and said it would take me 5 - 6 weeks. The editor would have liked it in less time, but wanted the right indexer for the job (my main claim to the job was that I had a science degree). I actually did it in about 4, working part-time, then full-time (I was just then changing jobs). Looking back from many years experience I realise that this was an extremely generous allocation of time. My last big job was 900 p. on pharmacology which took me three weeks. I would expect to finish a 300 p. book in about a week, if I was spending most of my time on it. I was recently offered a job indexing a two volume medical text (1200 p.). I said it would take me a month, and the editor thought that was too long. I have to fit book indexing around a few part-time jobs and a family, but I imagine most indexers have to fit another job around previous committments, eg. finishing other indexes. I guess it all depends on the deadline the editor has to meet for that specific book. At times deadlines might be negotiable, especially if someone thinks you are the best person for the job. At other times you have no choice, and have to fit a tight deadline or decline the job. Also, you don't always get all the book at the same time, but might only get the final pages a few days before the index is due. Strict deadlines are one of the things that take book indexing one step away from being the absolutely perfect job. Glenda. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 16:25:33 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: DStaub11@aol.com Subject: Re: Bias-Free Writing ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Guidelines for Bias-Free Writing, by Marilyn Schwartz and the AAUW Task Force, is published by Indiana University Press. I think I got it directly from them, but don't have address right here. Do Mi ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 16:25:45 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: director@djsa.com Organization: Online Service Subject: DJSA's Who's Who Guide ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Just a message to let you know that DJSA's Who's Who Guide can be accessed from...... http://www.djsa.com The guide is packed with listings and links of WWW Sites and is accessible from any browser. The guide is written in html and also links each site to the Home Page(s) that have been prepared by each company, educational facility, government or information provider. It is a great way to "surf the net". If you prefer, you can download the guide from our location. Just telnet to djsa.com and download djswww02.exe. If you would like to add a FREE listing to this Guide, you can do so by sending five lines (see below) by reply to this message. Line 1...................Name of Company Line 2...................E-Mail Addresses (two max) Line 3...................WWW Address Line 4...................Modem Number and/or Telnet Address Line 5...................Description of Service (70 char max) We can activate your WWW Site so that it can be accessed directly >from the Who's Who Guide. You can also receive E-mail from the Guide. The is a small charge for activation but the listing is free for all. Thanks! DJSA Bulletin Board, Inc. http://www.djsa.com telnet://djsa.com ftp://djsa.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 17:00:49 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Neva J. Smith" Subject: Room in Denver, May 15, 1996 ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hello Denver-trippers: I have decided to come to Denver a day earlier than originally planned. My roomie won't be there til Thursday. So, If you would like to share a room on the 15th (only), please drop me a line. Neva = < +> = * = < +> = * = < +> = * = < + > = * = < + > = * = < + > = * = < + > Neva J. Smith, MLIS DataSmiths Information Services njsmith@bga.com PO Box 2157, Round Rock, TX 78680-2157 voice/fax +1-512-244-2767 & Editor, _Library Currents_ PO Box 2199, Round Rock, TX 78680-2199 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 17:00:59 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: JPerlman@aol.com Subject: Re: Alphabetizing Term with Subscript ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- A question for all of you who work with chemistry material (or math or other sciences) ... how would you alphabetize a term with a subscript, such as Psub-L promoters? As if were PLP, or as if it were PP, ignoring the subscript L? I wasn't sure, and my editor didn't know either. All suggestions and help appreciated. Janet Perlman Southwest Indexing (jperlman@aol.com) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 17:01:14 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Carol Roberts Subject: HyperIndex review delayed ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- A while back I announced that my formal review of HyperIndex would appear in the next issue of KeyWords. I've just learned that it's been put off until the May/June issue. Sorry 'bout that. Cheers, Carol Roberts, indexer and copy editor | Life is good. Carol.Roberts@mixcom.com | Milwaukee, WI | ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 10:12:37 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Wildefire@aol.com Subject: Re: Alphabetizing Term with Subscript ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- In a message dated 96-03-18 17:30:00 EST, you write: >A question for all of you who work with chemistry material (or math or other >sciences) ... how would you alphabetize a term with a subscript, such as >Psub-L promoters? As if were PLP, or as if it were PP, ignoring the >subscript L? I wasn't sure, and my editor didn't know either. > >All suggestions and help appreciated. > >Janet Perlman >Southwest Indexing >(jperlman@aol.com) Janet, Eek! I looked in an index I did for a solid state physics book and found that I had an entry P(sub z) orbitals that I sorted after an entry for Pylenes. Since this is the typeset copy, which implies that the publisher wanted it that way, I'd recommend sorting your P(sub L) promoter at PLP since their standards are pretty rigorous about these things. (In fact, it may be the same publisher we share as a client. If so, you can tell them about that particular index, if you wish, as an example of how it was printed before in one of their own books. ;-D) I know this isn't definitive, but maybe this would help. (Chicago and Webster's have nothing to say about this, nor could I find relevant examples in my technical/scientific dictionary or Merck's Chemical Index. Well, in Merck's you can only scan a page or two at a time without a psychotic interlude. And the ACS Style guide doesn't say anything either.) Lynn Moncrief TECHindex & Docs Technical and Scientific Indexing ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 10:12:52 ECT Reply-To: Lee McKee Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Lee McKee Subject: KWIC/KWOC utilities ? ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Does anyone know where I might get some shareware or easily obtainable software that will generate KWICs and KWOCs? Or does anyone know enough dBase programming to tell me how to write a little engine to do this? thanks, -- Lee lmckee@us1.channel1.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 16:00:16 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Barbara J. Stroup" Subject: indexing query ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I am working on a linguistics text which, in part, deals with parts of speech, especially prepositions, and their meanings. Would it be better: 1)to index each preposition, for example, in their normally-occurring alphabetical sequence and italicize them ("at", "in" etc), or 2)to set up a separate list/index and indicate this at the beginning of the index? The same text also uses algebraic and geometric formulae as interpretations of concepts in linguistics/language. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to index these large chunks of mathematical discussion in a basically non-mathematical book? Formulaic discussions are new to me. Thanks, all! ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 16:00:27 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: mcminn@calvin.usc.edu Subject: Re: text(s) for usda course ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- At 02:09 PM 10/24/95 ECT, you wrote: >----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >On Tue, 24 Oct 1995, LAUREN TITUS (WESLEY'S MOM) wrote: > >> can someone please tell me if nancy mulvany's book is one of the texts for the >> usda indexing course? > >Yes, Nancy Mulvany's book, Indexing Books, is one of the texts for the USDA >Basic Indexing course. Students also receive the indexing chapter of the >Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition) and a course guide. > >If you're taking the Basic Indexing course, I'd strongly suggest that you >look at the entire Chicago Manual of Style. It should be in the reference >section of your local library. As an indexer, you'll need to refer to CMS >frequently, and not just to the chapter on indexing. CMS costs about >$40.00, so don't go out and buy a complete one until you're sure that you >need it. > >Hazel > >Hazel Blumberg-McKee (hazelcb@symnet.net) >Life in Florida: "A loggerhead turtle fell from the sky and > hit a man in his white Chevy Nova."--Tallahassee Democrat, 9/17/95 > > I know this is an old posting, but I am also interested in taking the beginning indexing course, I already have some textbooks on indexing but not Mulvany's book. Please tell me as of Mar. 19, 1996 is her book still being used for the course? Thanks to all the indexers, Walter McMinn ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 16:00:37 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Carolyn Weaver Subject: April meeting, Pacific Northwest Indexers ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Please join your fellow Pacific Northwest Indexers on Saturday, April 6, 1996, 10:30 am - 3 pm, for the Spring meeting of the soon-to-be-official Pacific Northwest Chapter of ASI. WHERE: Bellevue Regional Library Meeting Room 1 1111 - 110th Avenue N.E. Bellevue, Wa. WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 1996 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. TOPIC: "Indexers and the Internet" This workshop is presented by our own Jan Wright and Kari Bero, who also happen to be web gurus for the ASI Web Site . Some of the topics to be address: - What is the Internet, and what do you need to get access? - In what ways will having Internet access enhance your business? - Do you really need email? - How can you benefit from INDEX-L? - What is involved in creating a Web page? - How can you use FTP to get indexes to clients quickly? We also need to take care of chapter business and will be discussing procedures for electing officers and filling committees. Come with nominations for officers and ideas for committee participation. There will also be time for lunch and networking; so bring a brown bag lunch and your business cards. Coffee and tea will be provided. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR DIRECTIONS, contact Carolyn Weaver, Interim Vice-Chair/Program Coordinator, at cweaver@u.washington.edu or 206/930-4348. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 10:08:18 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Alison Chipman Subject: Thanks for Web Site Citation Styles ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- March 19, 1996 Thanks to all on this list who answered my posting asking for information about style sheets for citing World Wide Web sites, list postings, and other documents carried on the Internet. i received several responses, and visited three style sheets on the Internet - where else? Here, briefly, is what I found. Walker, Janice. MLA-Style Citations of Electronic Sources. http://222.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/mla.html (4 March 1996). Very helpfully organized according to the particular type of electronic route to the site, e.g., FTP sites, WWW sites, Telnet sites, MOOs, MUDs, Gopher sites, e-mail and listserve postings. This style is relatively simple and concise. Li, Xia, and Nancy Crane. Bibliographic Formats for Citing Electronic Information. http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reference/estyles.html (4 March 1996). This is derived from the forthcoming book, Li and Crane, Electronic Styles: An Expanded Guide to Citing Electronic Information (Westport, Conn.: Meckler, 1996). It gives two separate styles, one based on the MLA style, the other on the American Psychological Association style. (I examined only the MLA-based style.) It's somewhat more elaborate, and includes more data elements, than the Walker style; it also deals with documents available in both electronic and print form, and gives examples of citing both versions in a single citation. It's organized by type of document, e.g., individual works, parts of works, magazine articles, and so on. Wainwright, Mark. Citation Style for Internet Sources. http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/maw13/citation.html (4 March 1996). One-page document, very concise. Like Li & Crane, the style seems more elaborate than Walker's, though he gives options for omitting some data elements. Page, Melvyn E. A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities. http://www.nmmc.com/libweb/employee/citguide.htm (19 March 1996). This is arranged, like Walker, according to the particular type of electronic route to the site. He also includes footnote and endnote citations. It's based on the 5th edition of Kate Turabian's style manual. All the authors of the above state that ways of citing Internet documents are as yet far from being standardized, and bound to change as more types of these documents evolve. Most of them give an e-mail address where comments can be sent. My workplace has chosen to follow Walker for now, as being the simplest style while yet including all the data elements which are absolutely necessary. We do, however, plan to purchase the Li & Crane work when it is published, for reference. Hopefully, as more and more documents become available on the Internet, and more and more people cite them, these styles will be compared and contrasted in depth, and one standard (or two!) emerge. By the way, the style followed in this posting is that of Walker. Alison Chipman achipman@aat.getty.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 10:08:28 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: JPerlman@aol.com Subject: Re: Arizona/New Mexico Indexers ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I'm pleased to announce that the Arizona/New Mexico Indexers Group has fulfilled the requirements of an ASI chapter-in-formation. The group, has met twice, in December and March 16th. At this meeting, the following officers were elected: Janet Perlman, interim president/chair; Nan Badgett, interim secretary; and Chris Burawa, interim treasurer. We meet quarterly, with the next meeting scheduled for June 15th in Phoenix; the following meeting will be on September 21st in Tucson. A fall gathering in New Mexico is also in the planning stages. Meetings so far have been informal, with a lot of networking; more structured meetings are anticipated in the future. The group will continue to work toward full ASI chapter status. All ASI members in the Southwest states are invited to affiliate with our group. To be added to the mailing list, please contact me at jperlman@aol.com. Janet Perlman Southwest Indexing ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 10:08:40 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: BethJT@aol.com Subject: Re: text(s) for usda course ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >On Tue, 19 Mar 1996, Walter McMinn wrote: >>----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >>At 02:09 PM 10/24/95 ECT, you wrote: >>>----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >>>On Tue, 24 Oct 1995, LAUREN TITUS (WESLEY'S MOM) wrote: >>> can someone please tell me if nancy mulvany's book is one of the texts for the >>> usda indexing course? >>Yes, Nancy Mulvany's book, Indexing Books, is one of the texts for the USDA >>Basic Indexing course. Students also receive the indexing chapter of the >>Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition) and a course guide. >I know this is an old posting, but I am also interested in taking the >beginning indexing course, I already have some textbooks on indexing but not >Mulvany's book. Please tell me as of Mar. 19, 1996 is her book still being used for >the course? > Thanks to all the indexers, > Walter McMinn I just got my package of texts from the USDA Monday and it still includes Nancy Mulvany's book (published by University of Chicago Press). I also found Mulvany's book in all the local university libraries if you wish to examine the book before ordering the course. Beth Tudor ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 10:09:29 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Dan Freidus Subject: Re: Alphabetizing Term with Subscript In-Reply-To: <199603182213.RAA12541@biology.lsa.umich.edu> ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- On Mon, 18 Mar 1996 JPerlman@aol.com wrote: > how would you alphabetize a term with a subscript, such as > Psub-L promoters? As if were PLP, or as if it were PP, ignoring the > subscript L? My preference would be for alphabetizing it as "PL promoter", because presumab the subscript has some meaning, which should be included in the alphabetization. Of course, at work I have no choice, since we work with TeX and the TeX commands are ignored by our alphabetization algorithm. (we also use word by word rather than letter by letter, which is why I include the spaces in my examples.) Dan Freidus Science Editor, Dissertation Abstracts UMI, Box 56 300 No. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 freidus@biology.lsa.umich.edu 800-521-0600 x4172 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 16:35:32 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: IRCINDEX@aol.com Subject: CINDEX Tutorials in Denver ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- To: All CINDEX users From: Indexing Research Re: CINDEX tutorials in Denver Please look out for mail notification about three 2-hour tutorials to be held on Wednesday, May 15, 1996, at the Executive Tower Inn, in Denver, CO. Registration will be accepted by mail after March 31st., or at the door 20 minutes prior to the start of each tutorial (space permitting). All Tutorials will be led by Maria Sullivan Young. Tutorial #1 - 8.30 -10.30 a.m. - Views, Views, and more Views. When and how to work with Draft versus Formatted Views, Sorted versus Unsorted Views, Summary View etc. Also explore working with subsets of records formed by the FIND, GROUP and DUPLICATE commands. Tutorial #2 - noon - 2 p.m. - Delivering what the client wants. How to produce ASCII text files, and files encoded for word-processors and type-setting systems. Learn simple DOS commands to check the file you've made and how to transfer it from your computer to floppy disk. Also explore the types and multiple uses of data files produced by CINDEX. Tutorial #3 - 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Indexing Solutions. A look at answers to the most commonly asked questions about sorting, page reference ordering and printing. Included is an introduction to the use of patterns as both a time-saving and problem-solving tool. During the morning interval between sessions, David Ream of Leverage Technologies will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions about LevTech's utilities which let you simplify quality assurance, improve productivity, create indexes for the Web, and more! During the afternoon interval LevTech will introduce NEW Indexing Tools to select text & names from a MS-Word document for transfer to Cindex without retyping the headings! Please direct any inquiries about the tutorials to: Indexing Research IRCINDEX@aol.com (716)461-5530 Inquiries about LevTech utilities and products to: Leverage Technologies, Inc. info@lvt.com (216)838-1203 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 20 Mar 1996 16:35:46 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Wildefire@aol.com Subject: Re: indexing query ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- In a message dated 96-03-19 16:03:57 EST, Barbara wrote: > I am working on a linguistics text which, in part, deals with parts of >speech, especially prepositions, and their meanings. Would it be better: >1)to index each preposition, for example, in their normally-occurring >alphabetical sequence and italicize them ("at", "in" etc), or >2)to set up a separate list/index and indicate this at the beginning of the >index? Barbara, Because of the nature of your text (linguistics), I'd go with your first option and italicize them in the index at their normally occuring sequence position in the alphabet (as well as double-post them or make a general cross to them, depending on the structures of the index and book). As for setting up a separate index, Bella Haas Weinberg made an excellent point in favor of integrated indexes in her Jan/Feb 96 KeyWords article (page 10) that Liddy and Jorgensen (1993) found that even graduate students in library/information science may not be always aware of separate indexes. (IMHO, headnotes advising of separate indexes aren't always seen if the reader lands in the middle of the index and starts scanning from there.) > > The same text also uses algebraic and geometric formulae as interpretations >of concepts in linguistics/language. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to >index these large chunks of mathematical discussion in a basically >non-mathematical book? Formulaic discussions are new to me. I've encountered this situation quite often in books on physical sciences and certain software manuals. Often these formulae or expressions have names for their types in the text that can be plugged into the index. By that, I mean Hamiltonians, Green's functions, Markov chains, scalar wave equations, etc. Some readers, IMHO, when interested in modeling a certain phenomenon could first look up the name of the formula, function, etc. rather than the phenomenon itself (especially if they remember that the text includes a section on it). Here are some examples of how I've handled mathematical discussions from the same physics index (still right at hand) I used in answering Janet's subscript question yesterday. Bloch functions CMR representation expansion, 180 density matrix and, 316-318 photonic band-gap representation, 173 Wannier functions in terms of, 175 Green's functions for modeling femtosecond laser excitation, 429-435 resonant-tunneling diodes, 442-448 quantum transport and real-time, 335 These are then double-posted where applicable. For example, the subsubentry under Green's functions for "resonant-tunneling diodes" appears as: Resonant-tunneling diodes modeling using Green's functions, 442-448 (which probably could have been worded more elegantly) As you can see, most of the subentries refer to the phenomenon that the mathematical expression is used to quantify or model (though this book had extensive sections on mathematics per se as well). If they are neatly grouped together, e.g., a section on geometric formulae, I'd also make an entry "geometric formulae". I doubt if you have any vectors in a book on linguistics (I've encountered lengthy discussions about particular vectors). If so, I'd boldface them in the index if discussed in a substantive manner because they're typically bolded in text. (Have fun getting that centerline dot in entries for dot products. ;-D) Sometimes authors give extensive discussions (even in non-mathematical books) about specific variables in mathematical expressions, devoting entire paragraphs to them. This also happens in many computer programming texts. In these instances, I also make entries for the specific variable names (with the word variable after them). Hope this helps. Lynn Moncrief TECHindex & Docs Technical and Scientific Indexing >Thanks, all! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1996 16:31:48 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Pat Fowler Subject: Introduction/call for help ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hello. I'm Pat Fowler and I'm a librarian at Sherman Texas and new to the internet. I am indexing our local newspaper using dBase but I don't like the way we are doing it. I need sugggestions and pointers for software and similar advice from other librarians. Thank you very much.