Index Passport – A visual history of cataloged Indexes from 500 to 1950

Abstract

Index Passport – A visual history of cataloged Indexes from 500 to 1950

PASSPORT This catalog, titled "Index Passport," compiles significant developments and typographic-index innovations across history, providing an overview of homogeneous and heterogeneous index text-images. It presents 128 meticulously selected index designs from the period 500-1950, illustrating pivotal moments and trends in typography. A matrix has been constructed to compare index design parameters across various categories, enhancing the visibility of historical developments. The catalog's design and its indexes are informed by these findings, featuring detailed case studies. Notable historical periods highlighted include:

• The inception of indexes around 1230, with their emergence in print circa 1450. • The 'typographic golden age' (approximately 1470–1540) was marked by the first innovations in printing. • The Age of Enlightenment (approximately 1700–1800) reflected shifts in information retrieval through index designs.

Employing a multiple-case study approach, this research provides an in-depth analysis of specific (proto-)typographic and index features that were innovative over the centuries. Patterns and commonalities have been identified by comparing and contrasting multiple cases within the index passport catalog. This longitudinal case study design has facilitated a comprehensive understanding of how various factors evolved over time.

Imagery on website (in this order): 1499 Terrence's Comoediae (Digital Library of Wrocław), 1450-1459 Biblica – Petri de Rosenheym (University Library Gent), 1472 De civitate Dei-Epigrammata in S. Maximinum – Jacobus de Stephelt (University Library Gent), ±1473 Astrologische tractaten in het Latijn – commissioned by Raphael de Mercatellis (University Library Gent), End 15th century Epistolae-Tabula – Bernardus van Clairvaux (University Library Gent), 1578 Historia siue descriptio plantarum omnium, tam domesticarum quam exoticarum_Leonhard zum Thurn – Michael Hentzske (Allard Pierson Amsterdam), 1644 Tristani Chalci Mediolanensis historiographi – Joannis Petri (Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience Antwerp), 1746-1748 Dictionnaire universel de médecine, de chirurgie, de chymie, de botanique, d'anatomie, de pharmacie, d'histoire naturelle, Volume 1 – Diderot (University Library Utrecht)

TIMELINE A comprehensive timeline, spanning from 3000 BCE to 2024, tracks key historical developments in book design, with a particular focus on the evolving usability of index designs, including index-typography and other (proto-)typographic access structures, up to the standardization of indexes around 1900. This timeline is a core component of the "Index Passport" catalog, which showcases innovative indexes that have shaped effective search reading through unique systems, novel typographic elements, and adaptive content presentation methods, reflecting the changing needs and expectations of readers.

The "Index Passport" catalog is a dynamic component of an ongoing PhD project and is scheduled for print in July 2024, with a digital version expected in September 2024. The PhD project is made possible by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen – FWO 1146822N and Hasselt University. With special thanks to Allard Pierson Amsterdam (Special Collections), University Library Gent (Special Collections), Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience Antwerp (Special Collections), University Library Utrecht (Special Collections), National Library of The Hague (Special Collections).