APG-L Archives

From:
Subject: Indexing question
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 21:51:05 EDT

Hi List,

I received this request from Tom Broadfoot, a long time friend who has does a
HUGE amount of indexing in Civil War records. I'm hoping that some of you
more familiar with large indexing problems can help answer this.

Please contact Julie direct. <>

Thanks so much

************************

Ms. Melchiori,

I am researching indexing software for Broadfoot Publishing, trying to come
up with a feasible program for the type of indexing we tend to encounter.
Currently I’m facing a 750-page genealogically dense index covering 15
generations, with enough name duplication to follow the author’s suggestion
that indexing be done with the birth year in parenthesis to differentiate
generations.  This is only one index, but we need to find something flexible
enough to handle different indexes, also.

Apparently any indexing program does the basics, but I need something that
can handle a very large number of entries, in the 100,000-200,000 range,
maybe more.  I am gathering information from CINDEX and SKY-software.

Do you have any recommendations for indexing software that can:
1)    copy from an existing file,
2)    reverse name order (i.e. pick up Tom Broadfoot in the text and insert
into the indexing file as Broadfoot, Tom),
3)    combine entries after input (i.e. Smith, Sue 6, 14, 23 and Smith,
Susannah 7, 8, 9, 10, 21, 22 entries to Smith, Susannah 6-10, 14, 21-23),
4)    differentiate many characters into the entry (i.e. Higgenbottom,
William
D. (b. 1670) and Higgenbottom, William D. (b. 1843) - this one is 30
characters into the entry before there is a difference in the two),
5)    use various types of page numbers, to include roman numerals, Arabic
numbers, and combined letters and numbers in a page field  (The current book
in question is numbered in sections and subsections and page numbers, i.e.
8-4-25, indicating section 8, subsection 4, page 25.),
6)    handle index entries with multiple citations without needing to be
re-entered after a certain number of entries (say 100 or so as an old
program years ago did),
7)    merge smaller indexes into one larger index.

Any recommendations and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  The
ability to handle very large files is absolutely necessary; other features
we may be able to work around.  Thanks for your help.

Julie Nichols

************************

Marie

Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CGRS, CGL
---------------------------------------------------------------
CGRS, Certified Genealogical Records Specialist and CGL, Certified
Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists,
used under license by Board-certified associates after periodic competency
evaluations.

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