Who uses indexes and abstracts?

Indexes are inherently useful for anybody seeking information, not just librarians. Since they group information according to key words or descriptors and not just by title and author, people can use these indexing terms to locate items that might be useful to them. However, the existence of a key word in an index doesn’t guarantee that the item will be what the information seeker is looking for. Since the abstract is an objective and brief summary of an item’s content, it will help users decide if the item is relevant to their needs.

Indexes and abstracts are useful for students.

For example, say a student needs to answer a specific question about an emergency medical response. A book might provide information in too much detail for the student’s need. If the student did a search for articles in medical journals, the abstract would provide just enough information to prompt the student to reject or read the article. If the student looked in a reference book at the library, an index in a medical reference book would point out where the information is located in the book. Since the reference book is providing condensed information, this might be just the right amount of information for the student.

Indexes and abstracts are useful for reference librarians.

A reference librarian can use indexes and abstracts to help answer a patron’s questions about specific or broad subjects. Perhaps a patron wants to find out more about California history. A reference interview might reveal that the patron is especially interested in large cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. An index in a reference book about California history could further break this down into categories such as 1906 Earthquake, Gold Rush or film industry. Searching databases in the same manner will reveal different articles about broad or specific articles. The abstract will reveal key indexing terms of the article so the patron can decide whether or not to spend time retrieving and reading the article

Indexes and abstracts are useful for the average library user.

A patron might want to read poems by a certain poet. Many libraries have research pages to facilitate research. For example, the Sonoma County Library offers Granger’s Poetry Index to library card holders. Once the library card number is entered, patrons can search by author or title. Then, the sources where the poem can be found appears.

Perhaps the patron wants to read books or articles about a specific poet. An abstract will provide details such as if the item is about the family of the poet, or the travels, or specific works, a certain period in the poet’s life, etc.

Indexes and abstracts are useful for professionals.

A journalist might be researching a person before conducting an interview. A doctor might be searching medical journals for a specific condition. A business owner might be considering moving to another city and wants to read newspapers local to the area. In all these cases, indexes and abstracts will help users sort through information to find what they are looking for.