Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 10:14:40 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Paula Presley Subject: Re: common knowledge (was Victor Hugo) In-Reply-To: In reply to your message of MON 20 DEC 1993 13:32:56 CST ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I like the cultural literacy resource--never thought it before! A sort of rule of thumb on "common knowledge" for me is: who is in general encyclopedias in the narrow area in which I index (Ren/Ref history, mainly on the Ref)? If the person is in general reference works or Ren/Ref "standards," I figure that if the reader doesn't know the person (or event or document), more information is readily available. However, if I can't find it quickly myself, I figure the reader is even more unlikely to find it quickly, so I use explanatory word or two. After all, how many of you know that Cajetan's real name is Tommaso de Vio?--as a matter of fact, how many of you know (or care) who Cajetan is! :-) Season's greetings, Paula Presley Assoc. Editor, The Thomas Jefferson University Press Copy Editor, The Sixteenth Century Journal Northeast Missouri State University McClain Hall 111L Kirksville, MO 63501 (816) 785-4525 FAX (816) 785-4181 Bitnet: AD15@NEMOMUS Internet: AD15%NEMOMUS@Academic.NEMOState.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 10:21:42 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Jessica Milstead <76440.2356@CompuServe.COM> Subject: common knowledge (was Vi ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >> So now I am wondering whether there isn't some resource we could use (at least as a rough guideline) to decide which people are famous enough to require no further explanation. I see no need for providing an explanation of who people are in the index. Presumably that information is in the text to which the index leads. It's not the job of a (typical) index to give encyclopedia information. Explanations are needed for ambiguous terms -- whether names, topics, or whatever -- not for less-known terms. That is, if two people in the index have very similar names you need to distinguish them, just as you need to distinguish homographs. But you don't need to say who Ms. Peabody is in the index, any more than you need to give a definition of "transputers." ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 10:33:28 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Robert Lee Hadden, US Geological Survey Library" Subject: Re: common knowledge (was Victor Hugo) ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- When I was in High School, I remember the discussion in English class that common knowledge was that set of knwoledge contained in generalized (non-specialized) reference sources, and a series of books every educated person was supposed to be familiar with. Included in those books were Shakespeare and the Bible. Other works were to be familiar, so everyone should know the plot and characters of Huckleberry Finn, but a quote from the book should still be in quotation marks. Remember that "A house divided against itself cannot stand" was Lincoln quoting from the Bible. He did not need to give a reference or a footnote, since everyone should have been familiar with his source. 130 some years later, most people attribute the quote to Honest Abe. So if it is in a dictionary, encyclopedia, standard biographical reference, it should be OK. If it is from the types of English and American lit you went through in high school, that should be OK too. Anything more specific should be acknowledged. lee hadden usgs library OK, I'm going to stick my neck out on a limb (my favorite mixed metaphor). I know Hirsch's _Cultural Literacy_ is controversial and that his list of "What Literate Americans Know" is not exhaustive. But mightn't we use that list as a guideline? Karl Marx is on the list, but Peter Kropotkin is not, which sounds about right to me for a general, general, general audience (not for an audience of, say, political scientists). Would any of you consider using it? Have any of you used it? Suggestions for other such resources? PLEASE, no flames. I'm just asking. Thank you. Carol Roberts, freelance copy editor and indexer rw16@cornell.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 10:38:38 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Matthew Gilmore Subject: indexing software ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Help! I need some suggestions for software to do a bit of simple indexing. I am trying to index a newspaper -- or rather the marriages/deaths--1850s. So I need software for the PC with several searchable/sortable fields--date, name(s), kind of event. We do have some much more sophisticated, supporting a full MARC record. That seems like overkill. Any suggestions? Matthew Gilmore mgilmore@cap.gwu.edu -- on CapAccess Washingtoniana Division DC Public Library (202) 727-1199 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 10:39:37 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Eileen Allen Subject: Re: common knowledge (was Victor Hugo) In-Reply-To: <9312201928.AA08397@sunyit.edu> ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Somehow I missed the Victor Hugo story...As for Hirsch's work, my impression was that this is what Americans *ought* to know, but often don't. I might use it as a rough guideline, however, in combination with my own experience. ~ signatur On Mon, 20 Dec 1993, bob wallace wrote: > ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > My Victor Hugo story posted about a week ago has generated a lively > discussion on copyediting-l, although not here. But it raises questions > about when to add explanations in an index. That is, in an index to a book > intended for a general audience, you would list Thomas Jefferson without > any parenthetical comment to identify him, but not so with, say, Elizabeth > Palmer Peabody, right? So now I am wondering whether there isn't some > resource we could use (at least as a rough guideline) to decide which > people are famous enough to require no further explanation. > > OK, I'm going to stick my neck out on a limb (my favorite mixed metaphor). > I know Hirsch's _Cultural Literacy_ is controversial and that his list of > "What Literate Americans Know" is not exhaustive. But mightn't we use that > list as a guideline? Karl Marx is on the list, but Peter Kropotkin is not, > which sounds about right to me for a general, general, general audience > (not for an audience of, say, political scientists). Would any of you > consider using it? Have any of you used it? Suggestions for other such > resources? > > PLEASE, no flames. I'm just asking. Thank you. > > Carol Roberts, freelance copy editor and indexer > rw16@cornell.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 13:34:34 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Norm Howden Subject: Re: indexing software ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Try a look (FTP) at the LIBSOFT archive. One location of several is at SUNSITE.UNC.EDU in the directory /pub/academic/library/libsoft. You can find a string indexing program or a KWIC index program in that location. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | Norman Howden | | | | School of Library and Information Sciences | | University of North Texas | | howden@lis.unt.edu (817) 565-2760 | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 13:35:16 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Torsten Wesley Adair Subject: Re: common knowledge (was Vi In-Reply-To: <01H6RXKEOYUY0015O5@crcvms.unl.edu> ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- On Wed, 22 Dec 1993, Jessica Milstead wrote: > ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > >> So now I am wondering whether there isn't some resource we could use (at > least as a rough guideline) to decide which people are famous enough to > require no further explanation. > > I see no need for providing an explanation of who people are in the index. > Presumably that information is in the text to which the index leads. It's > not the job of a (typical) index to give encyclopedia information. > > Explanations are needed for ambiguous terms -- whether names, topics, or > whatever -- not for less-known terms. That is, if two people in the index > have very similar names you need to distinguish them, just as you need to > distinguish homographs. But you don't need to say who Ms. Peabody is in the > index, any more than you need to give a definition of "transputers." Library (card) catalogs are indexes on a large scale. The only time qualifiers are placed in the main entry (called a "unit card", usually based on the author, or title if no author exists), and in the added entries and subject headings is if there might be some confusion. For people, dates are usually added. For subjects, a parenthetical qualifier (e.g. Saturn (mythological figure)) will be used. As for explanations of who the person is/was, subject headings will sometimes give some indication of what occupation the person is/was involved with. For Mr. Hugo, the subject heading: Authors, French--19th century might be used (Library of Congress Subject Heading). Torsten Adair torsten@cwis.unomaha.edu Omaha, NE, USA ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 13:42:07 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: MaryEllen Read Subject: I know what I want to be when... ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Dear Indexers, I've been lurking on the list for a while now. I was introduced through a recommendation in the copyeditors list. Before that I never realized there was a specialty *Indexer*. (I do know who Victor Hugo was though). I now know what I want to be when I grow up--an Indexer. I read about it in CMS (reference courtesy of the list). I need to know more, like where can I get classes, how to's etc., how to find niches and people who need indexing done, what software is preferred (I've done indexing with WP51, but after lurking here for a while, maybe the job wasn't as good as it could have been--the author was pleased but..there's always a "but.") Is *Indexer* where the Meyers Briggs INTJ's of the world hang out. Please tell me everything you will about the field, training, opportunities, salary, specialties etc. Thanks for any and all info. Maryellen Read mread@creighton.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 13:44:08 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Charlotte Skuster Subject: FAQ and Season's Greetings The only addition to the FAQ is the e-mail address for American Society of Indexers (ASI). Happy Holidays to all...I will be away from my computer from Dec. 24-Jan. 4. You can send messages to index-l but they will not be posted until after my return. Charlotte INDEX-L FAQ BOOKS ON INDEXING? Knight, G. N. Indexing, The Art Of. Allen & Unwin, 1979. Lancaster, F. W. Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice. U of Illinois Press, 1991. Lancaster, F. W. Vocabulary Control for Information Retrieval, 2nd ed. Information resources Press, 1986 Wellisch, H. Indexing and Abstracting, an International Bibliography ABC-Clio, 1980. Wellisch, H. Indexing from A to Z. H. W. Wilson, 1991. WHAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT AUTOMATIC INDEXING? Books: Salton and McGill Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval Salton, Automatic Text Processing Van Rijsbergen Information Retrieval Jones, Karen Spark Information Retrieval Experiment Papers: Bell, C. and Jones, K. "Back-of-the-book Indexing: A Case for the Application of Artificial Intelligence", Informatics 5, ASLIB Pub., pp. 155-161, 1979 Bennion, B. "Performance Testing of a Book and its Index as an Information Retrieval System", JASIS, pp. 265-270, July 1970 Borko, H. "Experiments in Book Indexing by Computer" Information Storage and Retrieval, 6:5)16, 1970 Dillon, M. and McDonald, J. "Fully Automatic Book Indexing" Journal of Documentation 39(1):135-154, 1983 Dion, M. Thesaurus-Based Automatic Book Indexing", Information Processing and Management, 81(4):167-178, 1982 Salton, G. "Syntactic Approaches to Automatic Book Indexing", Proceedings of the 26th ACL, pp. 204-210, 1988 WHAT SOFTWARE DO INDEXERS USE? (All of these are for DOS machines...no Macs) IN>SORT Kensa Software P.O. Box 4415 Northbrook, IL 60065 (708) 559-0297 Macrex Bayside Indexing Service P.O. Box 3051 Daly City, CA 95015-0051 (415) 756-0821 FAX: (415) 757-1567 Cindex Indexing Research Box 18609 Rochester, New (716) 461-5530 FAX: (716) 442-3924 COURSES OR TRAINING FOR INDEXERS (OUTSIDE OF LIBRARY SCHOOLS)? Graduate School of the USDA Correspondence Programs Room 1114, South Agriculture Building 14th St. and Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20250 (202) 720-7131 Tuition: $269.00 (includes all materials) PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES/ORGANIZATIONS FOR INDEXERS? (this question was not actually asked..but here's the answer anyway) American Society of Indexers (ASI) P.O. Box 386 Port Aransas TX 78373 (512) 749)4052 FAX: (512) 749-4052 E-Mail: asi@well.sf.ca.us Indexing and Abstracting Society of Canada Box 744 Station F Toronto Ontario Canada M4Y 2N6 National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services (NFAIS) 1429 Walnut Street Philadelphia PA 19102 (215) 563)2406 FAX: (215) 563-2848 Society of Indexers (SI) 16 Green Road Birchington, England CT79JZ Australian Society of Indexers (AusSI) GPO Box 1251L, Melbourne Victoria 3001, Australia NETWORK CONNECTIONS America Online (800) 227-6364 CompuServe (800) 848-8199 Delphi (800) 495-4005 GEnie (800) 638-9636 The Well (415) 332-4335 Real/Time Communications (512) 459-4391 See also. Maren, M. "The Age of E-Mail. Home Office Computing, December, 1993, 63-70. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 15:29:18 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: GLDT@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu Subject: UTexas GSLIS Continuing Educ. Calendar ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Continuing Education Seminars, 1993-94, (updated 12/14/93) Sponsored by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) The University of Texas at Austin Program Update (7 seminars) 1) Austin, Texas, February 19, 1994 -- one-day seminar, "Cataloging Audiovisual Materials for On-line Systems," will be held at the Education Building, The University of Texas at Austin. Fee is $45 ($40 @ grouprate). The speaker is Dr. Joanna Fountain, professional consultant and lecturer at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, The University of Texas at Austin. This seminar will serve as an introduction and refresher to school public, academic, and other librarians confronting the need to create original cataloging records for print and non-print materials, or to edit records obtained from bibliographic utilities and other vendors for local use. The presentations will review (1) pertinent AACR2 and MARC applications, including proposed revisions for simplification and format integration, and (2) selection of subject headings based on current authorities. Participants are encouraged to bring cataloging questions, a copy of AACR2 (1988 revision), and any other cataloging tools about which they might have questions. 2) Austin, Texas, March 3-4, 1994 -- two-day workshop, "Library & Information Leadership Institute 1994: Moving Up in Academic Library Administration," will be held at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel in Austin. Fee is $195 ($180 @ group rate). The speakers are Dr. Brooke E. Sheldon, dean of the GSLIS, The University of Texas at Austin; Richard W. Meyer, director of the library at Trinity University; Shelley Phipps, assistant dean for team facilitation, University of Arizona; and Mary Moore, Karen Seibert and Mary Lynn Rice-Lively, doctoral candidates in library and information science at The University of Texas at Austin. Topics include: "The nature of leadership," "Developing essential qualities for success," "Values and decision-making in the academic environment," "Restructuring the organization: the team approach," "Evaluation of academic library services; outcomes assessment; quality factors in academic environments," "Transforming the reference room--trends in delivery of electronic information," "New roles in fundraising," and "Developing a personal leadership development agenda." 3) NEW*** Austin, Texas, March 25, 1994 -- one-day seminar, "Using Micrographics and Optical Disks to Manage Records" will be held at the Thompson Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Fee is $95 ($85 @ group rate). The speaker is Dr. Eugenia Brumm, of Brumm Consulting. This program is designed to provide a basic understanding of the tools and technologies being utilized to organize, store and retrieve records, so that attendees can make informed choices about the varied forms of micrographics and optical disk systems. Topics for micrographics include microfilm, microfiche, microfilm jackets, aperture cards, COM, CAR, rotary and planetary cameras, legal issues, and quality issues. Topics for optical disks include a technology overview, advantages/disadvantages of OD, critical success factors for OD, and legal issues. 4) NEW*** Austin, Texas, April 8, 1994 -- one-day seminar, "Non-paper Based Collections: Strategies for Preservation" will be held at the Thompson Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Fee is $65 ($55 @ group rate). The speaker is Paul Banks, senior lecturer in preservation and conservation studies at The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Types of media discussed will include works of art, photos, film, sound recordings, realia, and computer media. Topics covered include causes and rates of deterioration, copying for preservation and use, controlling environment, and housing and management issues. 5) Austin, Texas, April 29, 1994 -- one-day seminar, "Business Reference: The Basics and Beyond," will be held at the Thompson Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Fee is $65 ($55 @ group rate). The speaker is Elisa Bass, research librarian at Sematech in Austin. Topics include: "Know your Customer"--characteristics of the business community that influence your customers and their requests; "Laying the Groundwork"--key things to ask and know to help you answer requests more effectively even if you don't have a business background; "Tools of the Trade" --standard published sources, creative published sources, government filings, industry watchers & players, major online databases, using the Internet, and international resources; and "Competitive Intelligence"--how it adds to the big picture. 6) Austin, Texas, Thursday and Friday, June 2-3, 1994 -- due to popular demand, we will be having a SIXTH PRESENTATION of the two-day seminar, "APPM and Archival Cataloging: a Workshop in the Practical Application of Archives, Personal Papers and Manuscripts, 2nd Edition," held at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel in Austin, TX. Do call to see if space is available, because this seminar is limited to 40 registrants and filled up very early when given previously. Fee is $250 (no group rate is available). Lunches and handout material are included, but you must bring your own copy of APPM 2nd edition for use in the workshop. Copies may be ordered from Teresa Brinati at the Society of American Archivists, Chicago, phone (312) 922-0140. The speaker is Steve Hensen, assistant director of special collections at Duke University Library, and author of "Archives, Personal Papers and Manuscripts," the AACR2-based cataloging manual recommended by LC, OCLC, RLIN, and SAA as the authorized standard for all archival cataloging. The program will be a hands-on workshop utilizing a combination of lectures, open discussion, and working exercises. It is aimed both at practicing archivists with responsibilities in bibliographic description as well as library catalogers who need to know more about modern archival cataloging. Some familiarity with US MARC-AMC format will be useful. Topics covered include: "Archival Cataloging in General," "Bibliographic Components and Record Types," " Archival Titles," "Physical Description and Statements of Extent," "Archival Cataloging Notes in General," "Principal and Other Notes," and "USMARC AMC Format Considerations." 7) DATE CHANGE*** Austin, Texas, Monday-Friday, June 20-24, 1994--the five-day workshop, "1994 Workshop in Visual Resources Collection Fundamentals: Current & Emerging," will be held in the Fine Arts Building at The University of Texas at Austin. Fee is $395 (no group rate, very limited enrollment), dormitory accommodations are available in Jester Center through UT Summer Conference Housing. The Speakers are Nancy Schuller, senior lecturer and curator of visual arts for the Visual Resources Collection, Department of Art, The University of Texas at Austin; Christine Sundt, curator of the Slide and Photograph Collection, The University of Oregon Library of Architecture and Applied Arts; and Toni Petersen, director and one of the founders of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus Project of the Getty Art History Information Program. Co-sponsored by the UT Austin Department of Art and Art History. This workshop is a revised version of the Visual Resources Collection Fundamentals Workshop held in previous years. In addition to aspects of traditional image management, this workshop will introduce emerging issues that visual resources curators must now begin to consider in their long-range planning. It is designed for persons just beginning as visual resources curators in educational institutions, museums, archives, or the private sector, those who wish to gain knowledge of the field as a potential career choice, as well as for those wishing to refresh their training and learn about how new technologies are changing the visual resources landscape. Topics will include: acquisition and collection development; facilities planning; conservation and maintenance; circulation and control; administrative activities; descriptive cataloging and classification; ICONCLASS and The Art and Architecture Thesaurus; and electronic access to images. ****************************************************************************** Group rate applies for 3 or more participants from the same organization or association who register as a group. For more information, or to register, contact David Terry at (512) 471-8806; email: gldt@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu; fax (512) 471-3971.