The art of indexing

Let me start by giving an example. A Danish comic was indexed as follows:

AA1999-01    h3 [issdate:1999-01-07] [price:16.50] [pages:64] [inx:ORN]
AA1999-01a  D 14906        1 c                  DD  [desc:saws hole for ice-fishing - so does sawfish] [xapp:DD]
AA1999-01b  YD 50-04-28    0q           AT      DD  [desc:wants to kiss the bride] [xapp:DD]
AA1999-01c  D 98078       12        ->  JCF     DD  Nødhjælp [writ:PMG,CMG] [xapp:DD,HDL]
AA1999-01d  D 97317        1        PBl PAC     DD  Kulinarisk kollision [xapp:DD]
AA1999-01e  D 97195        6        JSu TSa     DD  Spøgelseshuset [xapp:DD,HDL]
AA1999-01f  ZM 49-11-13    1        BWa MGo     MM  Elefantastisk sprogtalent [xapp:GO,MM]
AA1999-01g  D 97563        4        PHe JMl     MIM Et hundeliv [xapp:MIM]
AA1999-01h  D 97363        6    LJe CSp AUz     US  Et glimt af fremtiden [xapp:QF,GY,US,Chip Gearloose]
AA1999-01i  D 97241       10        ->  JCF     DD  Skytsengel på glatis [writ:Per Olsen] [xapp:HDL,DD,US,DA,Jones,GD]
AA1999-01k  ZM 49-02-13    1        BWa MGo     MM  Startkapital [xapp:MM,GO]
AA1999-01l  D 94138        8        SPt CFe     MM  Musefælden [part:1] [xapp:CL,GO,MI,MM,PL,HH]
AA1999-01m                 1 g                  GY  [puzzle] [desc:plays trumpet wearing earmuffs]
AA1999-01n  ZM 41-08-10    1                    MM  Dårligt varsel [xapp:GO,MM]

1. One line with "header" information, listing the issue number (AA1999-01 = Anders And #1, 1999), publication date, price, number of pages, and the indexer of the issue (ORN = Ole Reichstein Nielsen).

Then several lines with the contents of the comic: covers, stories, illustrations.

2. Every line starts with the issue code (AA1999-01) and a sequence letter ('a' to 'n').

3. A story code. This is the most important data on a line. It links the issue data with other data in the database. For instance, the cover of the comic is coded "D 14906". Elsewhere we already stored information about the cover (data from other sources), like its main character, English description, appearing characters, etc.
We use story codes that look a lot like the printed codes in the comic. But there are some differences (see for instance our way of writing newspaper dates in "ZM 49-11-13").

4. Page count and page layout. "0q" = 1/4 page ("zero and a quarter"). "1 c" = one page, a cover. "1 i" = one page, an illustration.

5. Plot credit of a story (if not the same as the writer). In the example above, only LJe (for AA1999-01h).

6. Writer of the story.

7. Artist of the story.

8. Inker of the story (if the artist did not ink as well). For these four credits, we use abbreviations. Some less-frequently appearing people don't have an abbreviation. So we list "->" in the column, and list the full name somewhere behind the title. For instance [writ:Per Olsen]. It's also possible that a credit does not fit in the column, because two people worked together. In the example: [writ:PMG,CMG].
The abbreviations to use are [plot:] [writ:] [art:] [ink:].

9. Title hero of the story. For Disney characters, we also have abbreviations (DD = Donald Duck etc.). These are mostly based on the characters' English names.

10. The title of the story. In the example above: Danish titles.

11. Extra information, like a full list of appearing characters in the story [xapp:...], an English description [desc:...], or an indication of the part of the story [part:1].

Now this all is very elaborate, and lots of data is given that is not necessary per se. If the story codes are known in the database, other info (like credits, appearing characters) may also already be known. The minimum amount of information we need for an issue is, for instance, as follows:

AA1999-01    h3 [issdate:1999-01-07] [inx:ORN]
AA1999-01a  D 14906        1 c                  DD
AA1999-01b  YD 50-04-28    0q                   DD
AA1999-01c  D 98078       12                    DD  Nødhjælp
AA1999-01d  D 97317        1                    DD  Kulinarisk kollision
AA1999-01e  D 97195        6                    DD  Spøgelseshuset
AA1999-01f  ZM 49-11-13    1                    MM  Elefantastisk sprogtalent
AA1999-01g  D 97563        4                    MIM Et hundeliv
AA1999-01h  D 97363        6                    US  Et glimt af fremtiden
AA1999-01i  D 97241       10                    DD  Skytsengel på glatis
AA1999-01k  ZM 49-02-13    1                    MM  Startkapital
AA1999-01l  D 94138        8                    MM  Musefælden [part:1]
AA1999-01m                 1 g                  GY  [puzzle] [desc:plays trumpet wearing earmuffs]
AA1999-01n  ZM 41-08-10    1                    MM  Dårligt varsel

So you could start making indexes like the second example. If you're still interested, please contact me (hfl at inducks.org - replace the at) so we can discuss things a bit further before you start!

If you're scared away by the many spaces in the above: there are some other ways to enter your data. But the above way is the one we prefer. In any case: contact us first, then we can work things out.

For more information, choose a link on the how-to-index page.