[Genealib] Reprinted books without indexes

[Mara Munroe]

In short, it's a trade-off, as are most things in this world.  

It's important that Craig and other publishers encourage indexing, but
it's even more important that they stay in business.  Of course the
author of a new book can make the choice not to index; neither Craig not
I can force them, even if we think it is short-sighted of them.
Heritage Books published Brian Podoll's Prussian Netzelanders and other
German immigrants in Green Lake, Marquette, & Waushara Counties,
Wisconsin, for instance.  I'm glad to have it, even though it has
multiple sections (over 50!), which a patron must check separately.   

But as an example of the reprint question, we bought French's Gazetteer
of the state of New York in a 1980 reprint, then bought the later
reprint with the every-name index originally done by Frank Place for the
Cortland County Historical Society.  The first one is useful if you know
exactly where in NY they came from, the second is useful even if you
don't.

The 1878 History of Winnebago County Wisconsin has been reprinted by
both Higginson Books and Brookhaven Press.  Brookhaven called to tell us
they would be reprinting it.  They didn't ask if there was any indexing,
but I told them that an every-name index had been prepared by a patron
who would probably allow them to add it.  He was not immediately
available--death in the family--and they just went ahead, despite the
value they could have added.  This is the attitude that drives me nuts.
By the way, we have since put both book and index online. 


Mara B. Munroe
Local and Family History Librarian
Oshkosh Public Library
Oshkosh WI 54901-4985

"History is where the evidence leads us; heritage is what we choose to
remember and celebrate."  Edward T. Linenthal