Index

From Library Instruction Wiki

An index is a tool that helps you find specific information on a topic. It differs from the table of contents because of this specificity. For example, a table of contents of a cooking book will have headings for Eggplant Parmagian, Ratatouie, and Veal Parmagian, and the page on which the recipie can be found.

The index to the bookbook will have not only those names, and the page on which they can be found, but also other ingredients or cooking techniques. Look under "Eggplant" and you will see it is an ingredient in Eggplant Paramgian and Ratatouie. Look under "tomatoes" and you will see they are an ingredient in all three. Look under "saute" and you will find the page that describes the technique of sauteing.

There are also indexes of magazines and journals (EBSCO, Proquest and others) that give tell the reader where articles on various topics (or by certain writers) are found. There are indexes to series of books, such as the biography index. These aren't used much anymore, as cataloging improves and books are given a better description in the notes field.

Although indexes may seem obvious to librarians, I have been surprised to discover that many of the "internet generation" are unaware of their use and existance. Their protestation of "I don't want to have to read a whole book" often melts when they are shown how an index can save them time.

Tony Greiner Portland Community College