Re: indexing

[Charles Cantrell <chc -at- ONTARIO -dot- COM>]

You wrote:

> So I have two questions:

> 1. Is there anybody out there in the Toronto/Mississauga/Hamilton/Milton
> area who is a specialist at indexing who would be interested in coming to
> our office and putting on an indexing workshop//training session for our
> staff of five for anywhere between an hour and a half-day?

> 2. Is there a newsgroup/listserve for indexers where this query would be
> better placed?

I would make a suggestion. If your company really wants to produce high
quality documents, don't try to create the index yourself, with a minimum
of instruction. Contract out this tedious, time-consuming (for amateurs),
and very needed job.

I am a technical writer with about 12 years of experience, and I always
did my own indexes until recently. Then, I had a professional do one. You
cannot believe the difference.

You must still edit the index closely to find the things that the indexer
may misinterpret, but a good indexer can do an excellent job, even when
they are not expert in your particular application, particularly if they
have experience in your field.

Professional indexers do specialize in areas. Some do history texts, for
example, while others only work only in computer software. So, find one
who specializes in your area, and try them on just one book. I think you
will be pleasantly surprised. Plus, it really leverages your in-house
resources because a pro indexer will work faster at the task than you
will.

You can mail Lori Lathrop at 76620 -dot- 456 -at- compuserve -dot- com
She is sort of the guru of indexing on the web. I sent some of my writers
to a seminar she did, and they reported favorably.

--
Charles Cantrell
Ontario (no, not Canada) Systems Corporation
Muncie, IN 47305-1588
(317) 751-7000