1. Indexes and Abstracts Group Presentation Prepared by Abigail Smith, Gregg Winsor, Jennifer Arnold & Shelley Carney

2. "Information that cannot be located might as well not exist." - Nancy C. Mulvany (Weihs, 2007, p. 6).

3. Uses & Characteristics Can be used to reveal a library’s resources that may not be seen in the catalog Are a value-added service List additional resources not located in a given library’s collection

4. Indexes Indexes list authors, titles, or subjects of publications without comment

5. Abstracts Serve as an aid in assessing the content of a document and its potential relevance Improve access to the growing number of publications

6. Two Trends that question the future of Indexes/Abstracts Table of Contents services providing subject access to periodical article titles Publications are online and searchable

7. Enhancements to meet user needs: Addition of newspaper, newswire, radio, & television transcript indexes have expanded Inclusion of abstracts in what were formerly only indexing services Some full text articles Marketing of different subsets of a service to meet needs of different libraries Creation of rich networks

8. Evaluation C hoose according to what reveals the contents of library best Or, that which will refer users to information outside the collection Consider format, scope, authority, accuracy, arrangement, and special features Consider specialized indexes, or broader scope indexes

9. Evaluation Language Level of material covered (popular vs.. scholarly) Print vs.. electronic – Print may provide clear statement of materials covered – With electronic, it is necessary to database descriptions found in directories or in documentation provided by the database producer or vendor

10. Format Print may be best for browsing Electronic typically have more powerful search capabilities by using Boolean logic Older literature relies on print version Databases may combine multiple sources Readability

11. Scope Time covered Frequency and cumulation Currency Types of material covered Number of publications covered & depth Some are inclusive, covering letters & letters to the editor Some restrict coverage to research articles

12. Authority Reputation of the publisher or sponsoring organization Qualifications of editorial staff Publishers include: – Commercial firms – Professional associations – Government agencies – H.W. Wilson Company is one of the longest- established commercial firms

13. Accuracy Are all authors associated with an indexed item included in the author index? Are all major facets of the content of the article represented by entries in the subject index? Full author names vs.. initials Controlled vocabulary Cross-references May include augmented titles and abstracts

14. Arrangement Determines approach Indexes are typically arranged alphabetically Abstracts often appear in a classified arrangement that makes it easier to browse entries for related material Additional indexes may offer access points to the publications indexed – Access points in print sources are limited to subject, author and title – Electronic form will provide additional search options, such as keywords

15. Special Features List of periodicals List of other sources indexed – Clear indication of materials covered/bibliographic information for those not Published list of subject headings – Helps to formulate effective search strategies in print & electronic indexes and abstracts

16. Selection Both print & the electronic format is expensive Take into account characteristics of particular collection Needs of users for access beyond library’s catalog

17. Print Vs. Electronic Electronic is often twice as expensive as the same print resource Electronic offers more services that the print can not offer – Simplify browsing with federated searches – Multiple users may access information at the same time – Appeal to younger generations accustomed to Google and Yahoo – Research may be done from home

18. To use an electronic database, libraries must: Have a subscription Computers with internet access Network capability to handle information flow Internet browser compatability user-friendly search interface IT personnel on hand Access to vendor & tech support

19. Selection Assistance Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory – Section on abstracting and indexing services/cross- references to subject-specific sources Magazines for Libraries Gale Directory of Databases

20. Needs of Users Indexes/Abstracts chosen should reflect the types of information and publications that the library’s users wish to access General periodical indexes, table-of-contents services & newspaper indexes could be useful in all types of libraries

21. Specific Indexes: Citation indexes, emphasize scholarly literature Indexes to special types of materials Indexes to reviews Indexes to literary forms

22. Cost Subscription prices for print & CD-ROM Binding & shelving costs for print Equipment cost for CD-ROM or online databases Per-search charges or subscription costs for online access

23. Cost Assistance: Publishers give discounts if more than one format of a source is purchased Consortial licensing arrangements Subscribers pay an amount determined by the number of indexed periodicals they hold Price may reflect the number of users being served

24. Uniqueness Relates to coverage and arrangement Overlap in sources indexed Access points and search capabilities

25. Full Text Coverage “Full text” does not have a standard definition – Article level may include main text but not sidebars & illustrations – Issue level may include major articles, but omit letters to the editor, short columns, book reviews, and advertisements – Journal level, covers all issues of publication, including supplements

26. General Periodical Indexes Index periodicals covering current events, hobbies, popular culture, & school curriculum- related areas The “Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature” has filled this need since 1900

27. Table of Contents Services Grouped in broad subject classes, and a keyword subject index provides access to article titles “Current Contents”: seven different subject editions – Single database on the Web, and available from online vendors & CD-ROM

28. Newspaper Indexes Access to information on current events at the national and international level, as well as regional and local news “New York Times Index” is the best-known print newspaper index Gale Group (National Newspaper Index) & ProQuest (Full-text Newspapers) are a couple of well-known electronic indexes

29. Broad Subject Periodical Indexes Are needed when the scope of a library’s periodical collection exceeds that of the coverage of a general periodical index Published by OCLC Public Affairs Information Service, “PAIS International in Print”, incorporates the “Bulletin” & the “PAIS Foreign Language Index” – Covers public policy, business, legal, economic, social science & related literature

30. Citation Indexes Allow the user to locate items based on a different type of relationship: the links created when authors cite earlier works by other authors (or even some of their previously published works) Primary use is to find, for a particular publication known to the searcher, later items that have cited it

31. Indexes for Special Types of Materials Access to dissertations Locate pamphlets on particular topics Conference proceedings and research reports Conference literature Patents Technical reports

32. Indexes of Reviews Help to locate reviews of book – “Book Review Digest” & “Book Review Index” Non-print materials, such as film & software – “Media Review Digest”

33. Indexes for Different Literary Forms Poetry anthologies Collections of plays or short stories Collections of essays – “Essay and General Literature Index”, “Play Index”, & “Short Story Index”

34. Search Strategies Reference Interview is essential – Be able to direct user to the proper index, including format Be able to give instruction on how to use an index – Explain how to begin with most specific heading and proceeding to more general headings Librarians should study the electronic databases

35. References Bopp, R.E. & Smith, L.C. (2001). Reference and Information Services: An Introduction. Englewood, CO: A Division of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.