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Indexing Procedures Manual Checklist

Master List of Terms

  • Main and secondary subjects:
    • Personnel positions in your organization
    • Committees and boards
    • Properties belonging to the organization
    • Geographical features (including roads, bridges, buildings)
    • Businesses, organizations, and government agencies
  • List of actions before the board
  • List of departments or units with their abbreviations
  • Determining when to add terms to the master list of terms
  • Updating the master list of terms

Selection Criteria

  • Information to index
  • Information not to index

Conducting the Indexing

  • Adding, revising, and deleting entries
  • Determining when to add a memo field
  • Selecting subjects
  • Cross-referencing

Data Formatting

  • Format of dates
  • Format for location within minutes (volumes and pages)
  • Abbreviations or codes to be used
  • Capitalization
  • Format of personal names

Updating the Index

  • How often to update the index
  • Updating to the next version of the software
  • Rules for revising subject terms

Backing up the Index

  • Frequency of backups
  • Location of backups
  • Medium used for backups

Retrieving and Reporting Information

  • Search procedures
    • How to conduct a search
    • Techniques for narrowing a search
    • Techniques for broadening a search
  • Generating reports
    • Standard formats of reports (alphabetical, by department, etc.)
    • Annual or cumulative reports
  • Access to the index
    • Who will have access to the index and in what format
    • How staff will handle queries for information

Distributing the Index

  • Who will receive updates to the index
  • How often to distribute the index

Definitions of Terms

  • Terms used in the minutes
  • Terms used in the procedures manual