Tools of the Trade, pt.1: Thesauruses
Reference Resources…there are many kinds, on many topics.
The links provided in the More Resources for Writers page are all tools I have used for school, work, or personal research, and are there for your viewing pleasure. *
While there are certainly indexing-specific resources on my virtual and physical reference shelves, there are a lot more that are general reference works that, as well as being useful to indexers, could benefit non-indexers.
Each Tools of the Trade blog post will take a look at just a few examples of a reference tool, starting with…
Thesauruses
A Thesaurus is defined by Merriam-Webster, as being essentially, “a book in which words that have the same or similar meanings are grouped together.”
When indexing, thesauruses are especially helpful because they not only provide definitions or scope notes, but list synonyms as well as other related terms that are broader or narrower in scope. This helps the indexer to determine how and when to construct cross-references.
A List of Some Thesauruses
DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center)
Provides definitions and relationship information for hundreds of terms, divided among 25 categories; scope includes scientific and military subjects.
Library of Congress (LC)
The Subject Headings (LCSH) list is especially helpful; it provides the controlled vocabulary of names & concepts used in the library’s vast collection.
Oxford English Dictionary and Thesaurus
Available online through subscription, usually public libraries will provide free access. Generally, I prefer to have a print language dictionary/thesaurus.
United Nations (UN)
The multilingual thesaurus provides the controlled vocabulary used to catalog documents and other materials in the UN Library's collection.
* The collections include only resources that are freely accessible online, and are organized into the following categories: Reference Resources (e.g., thesauruses); Databases & Digital Collections; Publishers (a list of just that); Research Guides (aka LibGuides or Resource Guides); and Union Catalogs (e.g., WorldCat).
The collections are searchable through the use of tags, which I started doing in a broad sense to be able to tag each linked resource. I plan to add and refine tags, as time permits.
If you would like to suggest a resource for inclusion in the collections, or if you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
