Indexing Newspapers

Indexing books and periodicals is admittedly an art as well as science. It is taught in schools of information studies at the post-graduate level in different Universities around the world. The increasing trend of preserving newspapers on either microfilm or microfiche for posterity requires a retrieval device. Newspaper Indexing is instead a complex and skilful operation that information specialists and qualified librarians carry out. The lack of trained indexers has prevented newspaper establishments from initiating indexing projects. This book will serve as an essential textbook for students and lecturers alike. Journalists and non-professionals seeking a career as newspaper indexers can gain practical knowledge by self-study. The book is intended as easy-to-understand and simple to comprehend. Indexing procedure and skills, news analysis and news selection policies, and thesaurus construction are the most notable aspects of news indexing discussed here in detail and illustrated with practical examples to facilitate the teaching and learning process.
 
Since 2000, new technological advances have reduced the scope of newspaper indexing, albeit book indexing continues to be an essential retrieval tool for book lovers.  Besides, fiction writers and children-book producers are still turning out a vast number of publications for the public. Google helps retrieve any information within minutes, eliminating the traditional compilation of indexes, commercial catalogues, and subject bibliographies. No wonder public libraries have systematically closed due to limited use and inadequate demand. We are entering a new phase of internet access that facilitates information acquisition without much hassle and effort.