In the November issue of Intercom, Neil Perlin briefly discussed the ePub standard in his article, “Tech Comm and Mobile: What You Need to Know.” He mentioned in the article that the ePub standard does not currently support an index. I would like to share some news about some behind-the-scenes work that will hopefully add indexing to the ePub 3.0 standard.
Indexes have always been able to be included in ePubs, as long as they were in chapter form and used basic hyperlinks to let the reader navigate to the text. The work involved in creating the links has kept many publishers from using this method. This style of index presentation may not be the most usable, but it is available.
In April 2011, the American Society for Indexing (ASI) formed a Digital Trends Task Force (DTTF) that is looking at new and emerging technologies and how these are affecting the world of indexing. We have also become involved with leading digital publishers and organizations to ensure indexes are included in nonfiction digital documents. We are members of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), which defines the ePub standard, and the eBook SIG Working Group of NISO (National Information Standards Organization).
In October, the DTTF submitted a proposal to the IDPF to consider adding better and more usable index functionality, including quicker pop-up access and exploratory capabilities, to the ePub 3 standard. The proposal has moved forward with the publication of an Indexes Charter document. (To view the charter, go to https://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/IndexesCharterProposal). If the IDPF board approves this charter, a working group will move forward with writing the index specification.
For more information and updates about the DTTF's activities, visit its Web page at www.asindexing.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3647. We also have a very active open LinkedIn group, which contains a vast repository of resources about webinars and other educational opportunities related to digital indexing, news, and up-to-the minute updates on the task force's activities. To join, search for “ASI Digital Trends Task Force,” and click the Join Group button.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Landes, STC Fellow
Member, ASI Digital Trends Task Force
Author Response
I don't know why the IDPF didn't add indexing in the ePub standard. I suspect that it was partly cultural (supposedly, everyone uses search now) and partly because many authors don't like indexing and don't create indexes (so why spend effort on an indexing feature?). However, I've always thought that an index is a crucial navigational feature in any medium. Because of that, I'm pleased to read Cheryl Landes' letter and look forward to the DTTF's work on getting indexing included in the ePub 3 standard. I also hope that our help authoring tool vendors add support for indexing in their ePub output after the DTTF finishes its work.
Neil Perlin
