Solutions for the Index Locator Problem with e-Book Indexes

August 29th, 2012

A paragraph-numbering system for locators, such as the one the Chicago Manual of Style uses, might possibly work for linking all e-book version of indexes the same way.  But this might happen only if all e-reader devices would use a paragraph-based system, a standardized method of numbering screen pages/locations, and consistent placement of the index anchor links on their screen “pages.”

If we want both quick and precise post-coordinate indexing for finding information in e-books, we have to find a way to combine machine-based indexing with the kind of pre-coordinate indexing that indexers do for print books even if whole indexes in e-books are not visible to the reader.  We need a semi-pre-coordinated, post-coordinate system that can sift through a large amount of data while at the same time be able to find a relevant, precise, piece of data.

This kind of indexing is “latticed” indexing.  We need to develop a “latticed” indexing system for sifting through large quantities of data and at the same time connecting a lot of related bits of data together in an organized way.  The use of the flat, one-dimensional alphabetical index, separate from the text in the print book, is both tedious to implement and antiquated in dynamic digital space.  We need a multi-dimensional system of information storage and retrieval that’s appropriate for cyberspace.  A place to begin to envision what a “latticed” index on the Web might look like would be a “faceted” classification system, and would offer e-book readers a way to search more effectively.

For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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Still More Problems with e-Book Indexes

July 6th, 2012

The E-Book Screen Locator Problem

Linked indexes are vital in an e-book because a reader has to “flip” through hundreds of screens of the e-book one at a time to get to a particular page.  The way each type of e-reader divides up an e-book also impacts the text reflow issue for indexes.  Kindle books and iBooks don’t have the same number of “pages,” and, in fact, don’t even use the same word.  While Apple calls its pages “pages,” Kindle calls its pages “locations.”  Amazon numbers the paragraphs in a book and calculates a percentage of the total e-book text to define what the number is for each particular “location” in a Kindle e-book.  Apple uses a different way to create virtual pages and to mark the beginning and end boundaries for an e-book file and to apportion the number of “pages” in its iBooks.

Despite the varying number of either “pages” or “locations” in an e-book, indexers need to be able to drop an anchor into either kind of e-book in order to link a page number in the index to the relevant discussion within the digital text.  In either kind of e-book the hyperlinked print-book page number should be able to take the reader to the right “page” or “location” in the e-book text to begin exploring the topic.

I will offer some suggestions concerning what to do about the index locator problem in the next blog posting.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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More Problems with e-Book Indexes

June 6th, 2012

The E-Reader Device Problem

To distinguish itself from others and to establish its own unique competitive advantage, each e-reader manufacturer uses different methods for displaying an e-book.  These differences include the various size of the physical “frame” for the screen display in the book, as well as the types of navigation methods used, including icons and features that vary, and even the different ways of adding virtual page numbers for each e-reader.

As a result, this variation affects index locators.  Index locators are linked back to the text with a device called an “anchor,” which is a piece of code that is invisible to the reader.  A “page” anchor on an e-book screen corresponds to the beginning of a page in the print version of a book.

Amazon Kindle places anchors in the upper left hand of the e-book screen, while Apple iPad places them in the middle.  Because the iPad has a larger screen, users can rotate the iPad 90 degrees and a two-page image will appear on the screen.  Readers may find the anchor in the middle of the left-hand “page” or in the middle of the right-hand “page” on the iPad screen, and may have to read two e-book pages before finding the beginning of an indexed discussion.

In addition, text in e-books can reflow over a number of pages depending on how large the font is made by the book’s reader.  Consequently, page number ranges in an e-book index are useful only to a very limited extent.  A page range of three pages could become six or even more e-book “pages” if the font size of the e-reader device is changed.

I will discuss another problem with e-book indexes in a future blog posting.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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Problems with e-Book Indexes

May 3rd, 2012

E-Book Text-Reflow Problem

Why do the vast majority of e-books today come without indexes?  Primarily, because of implementation challenges.  A reader’s ability to adjust font size plays havoc with page references.  Where, for example, in an e-book should index entries point to?  At certain font sizes, hyperlinked numbers might lead exactly where you want to go.  Or you might have to page ahead – or back – a click or three to find it.  Which direction?  Varying screen sizes will compound matters.

Indexers are familiar with page reflow. That problem is why we warn our clients to make sure the pages they submit for an index are in FINAL form.  This problem is magnified ten times over in e-books.  The reader of an e-book can adjust their font size.  Some readers of e-books like big font; some prefer smaller font.  Now all have many choices of font-size when they use an e-reader device.

Published e-books have a serious text reflow problem.  This problem makes it almost impossible to include hyperlinks to page references that direct the reader to exactly where you want them to go.

I will discuss other problems with e-book indexes in future blog postings.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Missing the e-Book Index

April 11th, 2012

A well-designed index can help facilitate smarter e-books, making it easier for readers to find and retrieve information more efficiently.  Unfortunately, at least for the immediate future, indexes won’t likely be appearing in most e-books on the the main e-reading systems, such as Kindle and Nook.  The companies behind these reading platforms haven’t programmed their reading software in a way that would make indexes easy – or at least easier – to implement.  Amazon comes closest, with the page numbers you now see on some Kindle books appearing courtesy of so-called “page list” data that many publishers provide – essentially lists correlating e-book location with pages in a print book.  That data could, in theory, be used to automate the implementation of indexes and to make them more accurate.  The indexer needs to move beyond taking a digital snapshot of a print index and turning each entry into a hyperlink.  Instead, search tools and indexes need to work in partnership, passing queries from one to the other as different readers arrive with different questions.

In following blog postings, I will explore specific problems with e-book indexes.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Special Topics on Alphabetizing in Indexes

October 29th, 2011

When articles, conjunctions, or prepositions appear as the first term in a main heading, the phrase is probably a title of a book, an article, a play, or a painting.  If the first term is an article, such as A or The, the term is not alphabetized.  For example, the book title A Tale of Two Cities would appear in the T‘s, sorted on Tale.  The actual entry could appear in the T‘s in one of three ways:

Tale of Two Cities, A

A Tale of Two Cities

Tale of Two Cities

In the last example above, the A has been dropped completely from the entry.  The practice is common and preferred when it is necessary to economize on the length of index entries.

If the first term in a main heading is a preposition or conjunction, the term is alphabetized.  For example, the book title Of Mice and Men appears in the O‘s, sorted on Of.

If a conjunction, preposition, or article appears in any other position besides as the first term in an entry, it is always alphabetized.  The and in the phrase “dogs and cats” is alphabetized.

For more information, refer to Nancy C. Mulvany’s Indexing Books, Second Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Alphabetizing in Indexes

September 10th, 2011

Letter-by-Letter or Word-by-Word?

The two principal modes of alphabetizing – or sorting – indexes are the letter-by-letter and the word-by-word systems.  Indexers must decide which mode to use before indexing begins.  Dictionaries are arranged letter-by-letter, while library catalogs are arranged word-by-word.  Most university presses, such as Chicago University Press, and many other publishers have traditionally preferred the letter-by-letter system; however, it may not be imposed on a well-prepared index arranged word-by-word.

Letter-by-letter system. In a letter-by-letter syetem, alphabetizing continues up to the first parenthesis or comma; it then starts again after the punctuation point.  Word spaces and all other punctuation marks are ignored.  Both open and hyphenated compounds such as New York or self-pity are treated as single words.  The order of precedence is one word, word followed by a parenthesis, and word followed by a comma, number, or letters.

Word-by-word system. In the word-by-word system, alphabetizing continues only up to the end of the first word (counting hyphenated compounds as one word), using subsequent words only when additional headings begin with the same word.  As in the letter-by-letter system, alphabetizing continues up to the first parenthesis or comma; it then starts after the punctuation point.  The order of precedence is one word, word followed by a parenthesis, word followed by a comma, word followed by a space, and word followed by a comma, number, or letters.

For more information on arrangement of entries, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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More on Cross-References in an Index

May 15th, 2011

Continuing our discussion of cross-references, this post explores additional references in the form of see under and see also under.  When a cross-reference directs readers to a subentry another a main heading, see under may be used.  The use of “under” indicates that the term will be found explicitly as a subheading below the main heading indicated.

  • silver coins. See under currency
  • Pride and Prejudice. See under Austen, Jane

If the cross-reference is to a subentry under another main heading, the words see also under may be used.  This cross-reference guides the reader to related and additional information that appears verbatim.

  • Maya: art of, 236-43; cities of, 178;
  • present day, 267. See also under Yucatan

For more information about the formatting of cross-references, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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Cross-References in an Index

April 24th, 2011

Cross-reference refers to internal index navigation guides. These guides generally take the form of See or See also. The See cross-reference performs a vocabulary control function. It directs readers from a term not used in the index to a term that is used:

cars. See autos

See references direct a reader from, for example, an informal term to a technical one, a pseudonym to a real name, an inverted term to a noninverted one, or vice versa.  They are also used for variant spellings, synonyms, aliases, abbreviations, and so on.  The choice of the term under which the full entry appears depends largely on where readers are most likely to look.   The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that See references should therefore be given only where the indexer believes many readers might otherwise miss the full entry.

The See also cross-reference directs readers to closely related index entries:

digital photography, 2, 10. See also image-processing software

The primary function of a See also cross-reference is to guide users to related and additional information at another heading.  See also cross-references may be “two-way” as shown below:

  • drug trafficking. See also narcotics
  • narcotics. See also drug trafficking

I will explore cross-references further in the next post.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

 

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Double Posting of Index Entries

January 15th, 2011

In an index, the indexer may choose to provide multiple access points for the same information.  Given the importance of the main heading, it may be reasonable to assume that readers may look up a topic in more than one way.  One reader may look up automobiles, while another reader may be just as likely to look up cars.  The indexer may decide to double-post the information using both terms, that is list it in two places:

  • automobiles, 35-40
  • cars, 35-40

Double-posting of index entries may take the form of direct inversions:

  • book contracts
  •      of trade publishers, 54-59
  • trade publishers
  •      book contracts of, 54-59

The advantage of double-posting information is that it gives readers multiple access points for information.  Disadvantages are that it may take up too much space in an index.  Also, when an entire entry is double-posted, both entries must contain the same information; the reference locators and subheadings must be the same.  While it may be easy to maintain this consistency when double-posted terms appear only once, it can be difficult for the indexer to remember to double-post all the cited information scattered throughout the text.

During the editing stage, the indexer must be sure that all double-posted entries are mirror images of each other.

For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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