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Creating An Annotation

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The Words—Considering content

Before writers can write or editors edit, they must understand the goals and recognize the elements that make up a good annotation. They also need to be aware of general approaches, specifics that need attention, and areas that can create problems.

What makes a good annotation?

Bad annotations will generally declare themselves; the good ones pass by relatively unnoticed. This phenomenon is not unique to annotations or to good writing of any kind. People send letters to newspaper editors about grammatical mistakes and typographical errors, while accepting as normal and expected all the words that are correctly spelled and properly used.

Therefore, let's take a look at some well-written annotations and focus on what makes them work. The concepts covered in the comments will be developed in more detail later, but an overview here helps to establish the goal.

Eleven Models

1. Open Season: Sporting Adventures

   by William Humphrey

   Annotation: Thirteen urbane articles by an outdoor writer. "My Moby Dick" finds Humphrey in the Berkshire Hills resolved to take a thirty-pounder in a sporting manner befitting its own dark nobility. "The Spawning Run," about salmon fishing, is also an essay on the ancient sport of cuckoldry. A selfrevealing story, "Birds of a Feather," is an ode to a plucky little woodcock.

   Comment: The introductory sentence provides specific information about the book's contents (thirteen articles) and contrasts the approach (urbane) with the subject (the outdoors). The three articles selected illustrate the writer's respect for the creatures he pursues (sporting manner befitting, dark nobility, plucky) and hint at whimsy and another kind of hunt (the ancient sport of cuckoldry). Note how well the descriptions relate to the title of each article.

2. Welcome the Morning

   by Bobby Hutchinson

   Annotation: Charlie Cossini looks like a frail Dresden figurine. But when she bellows orders to her carpenters in that strong, husky voice, it's easier to believe that she's the boss of her own, all-female construction crew. Idle rich playboy Ben Gilmour, a Hawaiian real-estate baron, is captivated by Charlie's incongruities at their first meeting. Explicit descriptions of sex. Harlequin Novel.

   Comment: The description of the heroine, whose name (Charlie) implies a male, is immediately contrasted with her appearance (frail Dresden figurine) and then the traditional masculine image is restored (bellows orders; strong, husky voice; boss of her own...construction crew), and the image is reinforced by incongruities in the next sentence. The hero, in contrast, is described only by who and what he is (idle rich playboy, real-estate baron). The only hint as to plot is in the final sentence; he's captivated by. That's enough plot; these two people are surely going to get together somehow. It's more than enough when followed by explicit descriptions of sex and Harlequin Novel.

3. Magic Kingdom for Sale-Sold!

   by Terry Brooks

   Annotation: When Ben Holiday arrives in Landover, the magic kingdom he purchased through a mail-order department store, he finds the place in a shambles. The taxes have not been collected, the peasants are without hope, the barons refuse to recognize him as king, and a dragon is laying waste to the countryside. Bestseller.

   Comment: What can you expect when you buy a kingdom by mail order? The second sentence builds, with fine parallel construction, from the mundane of uncollected taxes to the exotic of a destructive dragon. The tone fits the book.

4. An Evil Cradling

   by Brian Keenan

   Annotation: Held hostage for four and a half years in Beirut, an Irish teacher describes how he dealt with the mental and physical abuse inflicted by his captors. First in solitary confinement and later in the company of other hostages, Keenan was determined to endure the maltreatment by the Shi'ite militiamen. He attributes his survival in part to his ability to explore the condition in which he found himself. Violence.

   Comment: An appalling subject is given serious and careful treatment. The first sentence defines the evil cradling of the title immediately with held hostage, adds information about the place and duration, identifies the author (an Irish teacher), and concludes with the book's thesis: how he dealt with twofold abuse, both mental and physical. The second sentence adds details about his confinement and his captors, and reinforces the theme of determination. The final sentence deals with how he believes he set his mind to accomplish his goal. Violence is implicit in the subject, and the one-word descriptive tagline sets that out starkly.

5. Pubis Angelical

   by Manuel Puig

   Annotation: Experimental novel interweaves reminiscences and dreams with an examination of political and sexual issues. The story-set in central Europe in the 1930s and a Mexico City hospital ward in the 1970s-contains allegorical excursions, possibly fantasized, into a post-atomic age of the far future. Explores the vicissitudes of twentieth-century Argentine history, the travails of the female psyche, and the necessary role of fantasy in human life. Descriptions of sex.

   Comment: Good defining first sentence: Experimental novel provides an immediate alert to something unusual, followed by the contrast of mystical elements (reminiscences and dreams) with more earthy concerns (examination of political and sexual issues). The rest of the annotation provides supportive details about the approach (allegorical excursions, possibly fantasized; post-atomic age of the far future) and the contrast (the entire third sentence). The plot is alluded to only in an aside about time and place. This book is not about plot.

6. Malice Domestic

   by Mollie Hardwick

   Annotation: The coming of forbidding Leonard Mumbray to the peaceful English village of Abbotsbourne seems to cast an evil spell. Pretty antique-store proprietor Doran Fairweather feels it, as does local vicar Rodney Chelmarsh, a widower with whom she has a budding romance. When Mumbray is found murdered, there is a collective sigh of relief. But Fairweather, a nosy type, is unable to rest until she finds the killer.

   Comment: Again, a fine first sentence, in this case filled with foreboding. The second sentence introduces the main characters, in connection with the attitude already indicated. The third sentence also deals with attitude, this time that of the whole peaceful English village. The final sentence sets the plot in motion.

7. The Panic of '89

   by Paul Erdman

   Annotation: It is late 1988, and eminent economist Paul Mayer contemplates a grim future. The second lucky term of Ronald Reagan-blameless and unworried during his last days in office-is about to end, leaving a very troubled world economy in its wake. As the stock market drops out of sight, Mayer must race against time and adversaries to save international banking from total chaos. Strong language and descriptions of sex. Bestseller.

   Comment: A suspense novel featuring an unlikely hero, introduced in the first sentence along with the date and a hint at the problem. The rest of the annotation continues to set up the situation and the conflict.

8. The Rose in My Garden

   by Arnold Lobel

   Annotation: A story in rhyme about the many kinds of flowers that grow near the hollyhocks that give shade to the bee that sleeps on the only rose in the garden. For grades K-3. 1984.

   Comment: The single run-on sentence, which would not be good for most books, echoes the premise of this one: that all these things are together in the garden and doing something for each other.

9. Lightning: An 87th Precinct Novel

   by Ed McBain

   Annotation: A series of grotesque crimes confronts the officers of the 87th Precinct. First, two women track stars are found hanging, lynch-mob style, from the lampposts of brilliantly lit city streets; then a rapist stalks an increasing number of victims. Gutsy Eileen Burke, an undercover officer in Special Forces, undertakes a key role in catching the maniac. Some strong language.

   Comment: Another in a popular series of police procedurals; all many readers will need is the subtitle identifying the series. The annotation lays out the subject, two types of crimes against women, and the featured detective, also a woman. It catches the flavor with adjectives such as grotesque followed by the most visible image of women hanging, lynchmob style, from the lampposts of brilliantly lit city streets, which is juxtaposed with the dark, stealthy image of a rapist stalking.

10. Maiden Voyage

    by Graham Masterton

    Annotation: In 1924 the SS Arcadia, the greatest luxury liner ever built, is on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York. Among her passengers is twenty-one-year-old Catriona, flapper of the seas and heiress to the vessel. Dramatic adventures occur in rapid succession against a backdrop of wild love affairs, financial intrigues, and popping champagne corks. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. 1984.

    Comment: The annotation is almost entirely setting. Time: the Roaring Twenties, which is reinforced by labeling the young, rich protagonist a flapper. Place: a luxury liner crossing the Atlantic. Background: wild love affairs, financial intrigues, popping champagne corks. What happens? dramatic adventures and in rapid succession too. The reader doesn't need to know more.

11. The Downing Street Years

    by Margaret Thatcher

    Annotation: Memoirs of the grocer's daughter who became prime minister of Great Britain. Thatcher recounts her political life, beginning with the day the Conservatives gained a majority in the House of Commons and she, as head of the party, was asked to form a new government. She speaks candidly of the members of her cabinet, her contacts with foreign leaders, her efforts to reform the Tories, her pursuits of national interests, and her last days at Number 10. Bestseller.

    Comment: The first sentence announces the category (memoirs) and identifies the author from her origins to high office. The next sentence defines the area covered (her political life) and adds information about her party and the British political process. The final sentence adds still more information about the wide range of subjects, both national and international, and about people involved. All three sentences present her voice behind the book (memoirs, Thatcher recounts, she speaks candidly).

Annotating a variety of books

Different types of books need different approaches for annotations. Some are harder to annotate than others, and some have particular things to include and particular traps to avoid. Most books will fall into a recognizable category and some general approaches will apply.

The basic divisions are fiction and nonfiction, and the annotation should make the distinction clear. The annotation should be written from different premises for fiction and nonfiction and should sound different as a result.

Fiction

Give enough information to show the tone of the book, the general plot elements, and the characters involved. Use the language of the annotation to pique the reader's imagination. Prefer present tense and active voice. Don't simply summarize the plot, and never disclose the ending.

Escapist fiction

• westerns
• gothics
• romances
• family sagas
• historical novels
• adventure stories
• science fiction
• detective and mystery stories
• spy stories
• suspense

Probably the largest part of the material in our collection, or any general public library collection, falls into these categories. These books are for fun, relaxation, getting away. Many of these books are written according to a formula:

• Beautiful heroine and handsome hero meet; something or someone keeps them apart for 200 pages; they finally get together (gothics, romances, some historical novels, some mysteries).
• Hero and heroine get together in the first chapter and have trouble with their relationship(s) for 300 or more pages (contemporary novels).
• Stern, lonesome male struggles against outside forces and his own isolation; he eventually wins out (westerns, adventures, some historical novels, some science fiction).
• Someone is murdered; suspects abound; the detective, or other protagonist, must-and will-discover the murderer (mysteries).
• Someone (usually the protagonist or a major world figure) is about to be killed. Alternatively, all of civilization is about to be destroyed. Our hero/heroine must locate the source of danger and avoid that fate (suspense novels and some science fiction).

Such material is among the easiest to annotate. The basic concern is to show what happens or who is involved in this book that makes it different from other books of the same kind. Because the author had the same problem—making this book different in some way—look for his or her plot or character twist and emphasize it.

Some fine books have been developed from such formulas; some authorities argue that there are only five or six basic plots and that all fiction is a variation on one of them. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is plotted around what keeps a beautiful heroine and a handsome hero apart; Shane is a western with the stern, lonesome male as its central character. Both books are generally considered classics-because of what the authors made of the basic plot elements. Annotations for such books should not be simply summaries of plot. Do incorporate plot elements, but stress presentation.

Classics

Annotations for familiar books, classics both old and new, must be handled carefully. These books are well known and people can feel strongly about the words used to describe their content. Annotation writers need to determine and express the factors that make these books exceptional.

Note that a book is not necessarily a classic because it is old. Books generally considered classics will not only have been in print and available to several generations of readers but will also have had an impact on the literature that followed. Minor works by authors of classics may be of interest but are not classics in themselves.

Bestsellers

Current bestsellers have been widely reviewed and annotated in other sources. The authors are probably promoting their books on the talk-show circuit and are available in the reader's living room at a flick of the TV switch. Friends and family members may be discussing these books. Because readers can make critical comparisons between what they already know about the book and what the annotation tells them, the bestseller's annotation should receive careful consideration and be as full, accurate, and interesting as possible.

Just as for other books, however, the annotation will outlive the book's bestseller status, and writers should not assume that patrons will later instantly recognize the contents. Particularly for nonfiction books of timely interest, writers must make sure the subject matter is clearly identified. For example, readers who avidly followed the O.J. Simpson murder trial will probably easily place the lawyers for both sides who have written books on their version of events, but the annotation should spell out what the trial was about and the particular point of view of the author. The material will not be so familiar a decade after the event.

Nonfiction

The language or the annotation should make clear immediately that the content is either factual or a commentary on actual events. Avoid using the story of, which suggests fiction even though colloquially that phrase is also used to describe nonfiction.

Biographies and memoirs

Such books are primarily nonfiction, but occasionally a novel can be a thinly disguised memoir, and fictionalized biographies are quite common. If the bibliographic information is not sufficiently clear, make sure that the annotation explains that the work is a fictionalized biography of... or is based on personal experience.

For biographies, give the authority of the author when it is relevant. For memoirs, the author's name can be sufficient authority, but an identifying word or phrase is helpful (actress, salesman, evangelist). Avoid inserting superlatives; if the person is indeed one of the world's most famous, he or she doesn't need such a wordy label. More information is needed for memoirs that are related to a personal experience of an unfamiliar individual.

Keep the annotation balanced by summarizing the total approach and scope. Don't use all the space for background and early years, even though those may be the least familiar areas of the subject's life, unless that is the emphasis of the book.

Psychology and self-help

These books generally cover a particular aspect of mental function and health or present a method for achieving desired attitudes and behavior. Such information forms the body of the annotation. Some background or authority of the author is essential for readers to understand and give weight to the usefulness of the approach for their needs and interests.

Often in such works, the author uses familiar words in a specific context or coins phrases to apply to this particular method or conclusion. Such phrases are fundamental to the book and often receive fairly lengthy treatment. In the annotation, they need brief definition, at least parenthetically, to define the special meaning. Alternatively, they should be put in quotes to indicate that there is something particular in the way the words are used.

How-to's and practical guides

The annotation should give an overview of the book's content and note any background of the author that has a bearing on his expertise. It can be short if the title and subtitle are close to a full explanation, but it cannot be omitted because an entry without an annotation appears to be an error.

If the book has special sections, indexes, or summaries, the annotation should explain that these are included. Use contains or includes for publications that have separate sections on particular subjects. For content description, it is better to use covers, describes, explains, explores, or an appropriate synonym.

Collections

Collections are popular with many readers; they like material broken into segments that can be read at one sitting. But such fragmentation of material makes it difficult to give an overall picture of the book. There is no space for annotating individual stories, essays, or poems; therefore, the whole collection must be described in general terms, augmented with specifics that can capture interest.

Poetry

Books of poetry are probably the most extreme example of fragmented material. They often cover long periods of time in the poet's thinking and development, many different thoughts with various treatments, and some images and ideas concisely expressed. The nature of the material makes for slow reading, and the concepts are extremely hard to express in a brief annotation.

Don't fall back on vague phrases about love and life that could mean anything and could apply to almost any poetry collection. Be specific. Look for a unifying theme, or summarize two or three representative subjects and approaches. Mention titles that may be familiar or interesting, but offer more than a list.

Short stories and essays

These collections have the same problem of fragmentation—too many subjects—although not to the same degree as poetry. In most cases the same solutions and techniques apply: find a unifying theme or list two or three representative ones. Frequently the collection will be built around a theme covered in the title or subtitle, and all that is needed is some explanation or enlargement.

Usually, tell how many stories, essays, or articles are included; the number will give the reader some idea of the length of each. When one piece is familiar, be sure to list it. If short stories are interrelated, say so. When different authors are represented, select a few of the most popular for mention.

Humor

Books intended to evoke a laugh, or at least a smile or two, can be in either the fiction or nonfiction category. Nonfiction books are most often collections of essays and are subject to the same problems as other collections. Fiction books usually involve odd characters in improbable situations. In either case, the situation should be described, not simply pronounced as funny. There are many types of humor that can be indicated: parody, satire, slapstick, dark. Give examples that evoke the flavor of the book, and use language to intensify the image.

Descriptive adjectives are acceptable; judgmental ones are not. A descriptive adjective applies to the author's intent or approach to the subject; a judgmental adjective tells what the writer thinks about it. The author can intend to be humorous and that term used to describe the approach; how well he or she succeeds in provoking mirth is up to the reader to determine.

Sex, violence, and strong language

Statements about strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex are hard to apply to collections; they may be needed for only one story or a particular section of the material. Readers who are concerned with avoiding these aspects might be deprived of much they would enjoy if the whole book were given a warning label. In these cases, the information is better incorporated into the annotation. Sometimes both notations may be needed, with the information within the description indicating where this material is found.

Children's books

Basically, language and construction are the same as for adult books, but vocabulary is simpler. Character names should be used, since they are usually chosen by the author to be appealing. Content should relate to the child's experience and engage the imagination.

Annotations for older children have the same characteristics, but there can be more detail and more information about real people, especially those whose names do not have instant recognition.

Time and Place

Most annotations need to be anchored in a place and a time frame. Without some allusion to place, the text can be misleading; mysteries set in a large American city and in a small English village are likely to have fundamental differences in approach and atmosphere. Indicating that a book is a historical novel cries out for some reference to the time of the action. Nonfiction works, of course, are usually very specific.

Nonfiction

For some books, the title and subtitle will include this information, and it should not be repeated in the text.

Some figures or events will be familiar enough to suggest an era without adding a date. Most American readers will instantly place George Washington with the American Revolution, Abraham Lincoln with the Civil War, and Dwight D. Eisenhower with World War II-and thereby identify at least the appropriate century. Napoleon has also lent his name to an era. However, some well-known figures of the distant past probably need dating; not all readers could immediately place the Chinese philosopher Confucius in, or even near, the fifth century B.C. Some more recent figures would benefit from dates, a time span, and even a place.

Other nonfiction works can be handled very briefly in the text with phrases denoting the decade or century, references to well-known historical figures or events, or even specific dates.

Phrases that work

• life of the late-nineteenth-century novelist
• during World War II
• with Robert E. Lee at Appomattox
• after the Norman invasion of England in 1066
• the British explorer (1630-1675)
• political and economic decisions of the 1920s that led to the Great Depression
• Jack Benny's popular radio show of the 30s and 40s moved to television in the 50s

Words to avoid

Contemporary works, especially memoirs, usually declare themselves as such by the content but may need a reference to the current decade to retain clarity in the future. For all books, but particularly for nonfiction, phrases that indicate currentness of a book should be avoided. Use specific dates or decades, or tie the annotation to events with a familiar time frame. Avoid such phrases as:

• from ... to the present
• using recently discovered material
• new research shows
• newly released papers
• today's
• in this decade

Fiction

Historical

Historical fiction is the fiction genre that most obviously needs to be firmly rooted in a time and place. It matters in giving substance to the plot elements that the setting is real and tied to a particular location and situation; that the time is in the far past or relatively recent. Some Australian fiction sounds remarkably like an American western if not identified, for the good reason that both are dealing with similar frontier societies. And setting—time and place—can be almost the only thing that differentiates one historical romance from another.

Historical vs. old

Note that there are some traps in dealing with what at first glance appears to be historic in nature. The Grapes of Wrath now appears to be set in the past, but John Steinbeck was writing in the 1930s about a situation that was all too real at that time and presenting characters who could have lived his tale. Thomas Hardy used the English countryside and the attitudes of its people as basic elements of his novels, and the novels belong to that time. The annotation should make clear that the book's subject was contemporary for its author. This can be done through the date at the end, if the writing was long enough ago for the date to attract attention. Generally, it is better to include some time reference in the body of the annotation:

• Nineteenth-century novel explores
• First published in 1819
• Eighteenth-century comedy of manners

Dates, which generally are not included in the examples in this manual, are the last element in NLS annotations and serve to give information about the time the book was written. See Dates and time under Text style

Historical fiction is not a new form, so annotation writers will also have to deal with some older books, including classics, that are about times that were long past when the book was written. Sir Walter Scott may have invented the form in the nineteenth century; certainly he was an early and prolific practitioner with such classics as Ivanhoe and a host of others. Napoleon's invasion of Russia happened two generations before Tolstoy's massive and evocative War and Peace. The American Civil War was only a memory, although a persistent one, when Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind. Both time frames may not need to be spelled out, depending as usual on the content, but make sure the annotation does not cause confusion.

An additional difficulty comes in differentiating contemporary works set in a previous era and written at least somewhat in the style of the era. Regency romances have become a genre in themselves in the past few decades and will probably not be confused with works from that time, even with dust-jacket claims about the author being a successor to Jane Austen. But novels labeled as Victorian should be by authors of that period; contemporary works with a Victorian setting need to be identified as such. See Eras under Dates and time

Contemporary settings

As mentioned earlier, the setting adds to the atmosphere of the book and needs to be indicated, at least briefly if incidental and more specifically if it is essential to the tone and situation. A small, sleepy southern town will present a picture quite different from in lower Manhattan or at a Malibu beach. A city name is usually enough, but towns often need states or countries, especially when the place is obscure or has the same name as several other towns. And New York as a name is rarely sufficient by itself; the city and upstate areas are distinctly different.

Sometimes adjectives describing a character will also indicate the setting. Scotland Yard detective places the setting in England, most probably London. Hollywood starlet covers both a profession and a location.

Using the book's language

Within the book, the setting is doubtless clear and references to places will—and should—be those used in that region. Using the same terms in the annotation will not work unless the setting and the attitude have already been indicated. A reference to the Cape obviously means Cape Cod when the characters are known to be somewhere in Massachusetts, but not other- wise; there are many capes in this country and around the world.

Sensitivities

Word choices can say much about attitudes, and annotations should be free of the annotation writer's attitudes. The author's attitudes are another matter; points of view should be both noted and attributed. The following situations can present problems.

Disabilities

Because the audience for NLS annotations is, by definition and statute, made up of people who have a visual or physical disability, the book collection offers many titles on or about disabilities. Annotation writers must take great care not to stereotype or depict people with disabilities negatively or as objects of pity. So should all writers, but we in particular want to set a standard of writing without even a hint of condescension.

Several organizations working in the field of disabilities produce material about acceptable terminology. Particular phrases change over time, and people concerned with disabilities should refer to current lists for information, particularly as to approach and attitude. Such suggestions are not necessarily definitive, however; some attempts to be politically correct have been so arcane as to be devoid of meaning. Judgment is needed.

In general, NLS writers always try to think in terms of people rather than conditions. Thus, we use phrases such as people with cerebral palsy rather than the cerebral palsied, and blind individuals rather than the blind.

Never use words or phrases like afflicted with (which evokes pity), or the victim of (which indicates some kind of intention). And wheelchair users are not confined by their method of locomotion but rather given the ability to move. Be specific whenever possible (the person has a particular condition), and avoid characterizations and implied judgments. Crippled implies complete dysfunction and has no place in an annotation for nonfiction titles; it might sometimes be appropriate for a fiction work where the physical condition is symbolic of an emotional state or an attitude.

Ethnic and racial designations

We try, as much as possible, to use terms that reflect the preferences of the group involved. These terms also tend to change over time, often by design of the group members themselves, to emphasize a particular aspect of their background or an attitude toward it. Thus, African American is the current term for Americans of African descent, but some annotations for books in the collection reflect the time when they were written by their use of Afro-American, black, Negro, and even colored. These terms should be updated to current usage when such titles are reissued or when older material is listed in subject bibliographies. Note that black is still acceptable and useful, especially when referring to communities or neighborhoods; the other terms listed above are not, except on rare occasions when needed for historical context.

In general, we use Native American to refer to the indigenous people of the whole Western Hemisphere, and more particularly those of Canada and the United States. That does not mean, however, that the word Indian has vanished from our vocabulary or theirs. Those peoples in Mexico and further south are often still referred to as Indians in their own countries and therefore often in material about those countries. Also, references to specific groups sometimes need the word Indian, as in Delaware Indians, where changing the term to Native Americans would be both historically inaccurate and linguistically forced. For groups where the designation is appropriate, the term nation is desirable: the Sioux Nation, for example. This term does not, however, apply to subgroups within a nation or smaller groups that were never affiliated with others; these can always be identified by name. Indian should usually be preferred to Native American in annotations for classics; James Fenimore Cooper was not writing about the French and Native American Wars, and his attitude and approach are distorted by applying modern terms to a historical context.

NLS follows Chicago (The Chicago Manual of Style, Fourteenth Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993), which calls for leaving ethnic designations followed by American open (no hyphens), both as adjectives and nouns: African American, Italian American, Japanese American. It is not always necessary to use the full term, however, if the context makes it clear that a community in this country and not overseas is being discussed. If the annotation places the setting in a section of Boston largely occupied by people of Irish extraction, the reader is not going to be misled into thinking that Irish means people in Ireland.

Jewish is generally used as a religious designation and not followed by American, even though the term also has ethnic connotations.

Hispanic can be used for all groups from a Spanish-speaking background, although some groups immigrating to the United States or with ancestors from western hemisphere countries are endorsing Latino as the preferred term, since the connection with Spain is several centuries old and by conquest to boot.

Needless to say, terms considered derogatory have no place in an annotation. If a biased attitude is a major aspect of the book, readers can be informed of the content without the use of inflammatory language.

Gender

Avoid using gender-specific words to encompass both sexes. Human can usually be used in some form for words like mankind or man's, and both sexes are people. The context will suggest other possibilities.

Most gender-specific words for occupations are rapidly disappearing from the language, partly in response to civilrights protests and partly to reflect reality, as women continue to enter many occupations that were once dominated by men. Often the word has simply been truncated to remove a male suffix or changed to reflect the activity; thus, policemen become police, workmen become workers, mailmen become letter carriers. In many cases, one designation encompasses both sexes, and most of the "ess" suffixes to indicate a female practitioner of a craft have for practical purposes ceased to exist. Poetess, always slightly archaic in sound, is never seen, and even actress is used primarily where a distinction needs to be made, as for awards and the like; collectively, people whose profession is acting call themselves actors.

Pronouns can lead to considerable difficulty. Don't use he or his for both sexes; if a singular is called for, use he or she or his or her. Sometimes indefinite pronouns such as anyone or everybody can be used, but these can lead to a reappearance of the problem in a later clause that refers back to the singular subject and leaves the writer again reaching for a way around he or his. Using the plural form after this construction is not acceptable to NLS, even though it is often done elsewhere. The easiest solution, when possible, is to use the nonspecific they (or a plural noun) to begin with, followed by the plural form of a verb and plural references thereafter.

All of these guidelines concern language and usage, but some more subtle practices can also relegate women to a secondary position. Books by or about a man and a woman should indicate an occupation or characteristic for both, not just for the man. The phrase wife of, by itself, is insufficient and demeaning, especially when applied to coauthors or subjects of a dual biography; both people must be credited for their activities and achievements. Likewise, referring to male characters by their last names and female characters by their first names indicates that the women are somehow less important or less worthy of respect. The type of book will determine whether first or last names are used, but the sexes should be treated evenhandedly. Even the choice of descriptive adjectives can contain not-so-subtle put-downs: all denoting vigorous and powerful for the men and vapid and voluptuous for the women.

Lifestyle

More and more books are featuring characters with nontraditional family arrangements and lifestyles, not surprisingly, as these situations become more common and more openly discussed in our society. Descriptions of this material should let the reader know what to expect, just as in descriptions of any other kind of book. If the annotation depicts a tender love story, the reader will assume two sweet young people of different sexes unless told otherwise, either directly (homosexual, lesbian) or by sentences that feature men or women together. This practice does not mean that the sexual orientation of all characters has to be listed any more than does other descriptive information, but features bearing on motivation or the direction of the plot should be clear.

Judgments

One of the fundamentals of annotation writing is to avoid judgments. This concept can be difficult for people who are accustomed to reading book reviews. Reviews are supposed to give opinions; that is their function. Reviews in publications like Library Journal not only give opinions but recommend books for general collections or for specific types of libraries and clientele; these reviews help librarians in buying books for their collections. Selection in these cases means choosing where to expend funds, and advice can be useful.

The purpose of an annotation is different. The book has already been selected—and deemed worthy of inclusion in the collection—according to a carefully written policy designed to provide many books of interest to the majority of readers and something in all fields for readers with particular interests. In that sense, it has already been judged to be good. The annotation is there to help an individual reader decide if this particular book is one he or she would want to read. The decision is up to the reader; the annotation gives information for making that choice.

There are two strong reasons for avoiding judgments. One is credibility. It is not unusual for people reading a book because of a recommendation to find that they disagree, sometimes strongly. People react to books in different ways, and a reader may react to the same book differently at various times. After a few experiences with following someone else's opinion and being disappointed, the reader can easily mistrust information that is supposed to be helpful.

A second reason for avoiding judgments is that they often appear as condescending. See Sensitivities, above. Most blind people have experienced the degrading attitude that their blindness makes them inferior and renders them somehow incapable of making their own judgments and decisions. They surely do not want that kind of negative thinking reflected in information they receive about books produced specifically for them by a service that should be well aware of this issue.

Taglines-sex, violence, and strong language

Information on the existence of strong language, violence, and sex is available to library patrons who can handle print books, either through summaries on book jackets or by skimming through the pages. These elements are frequently more vivid in spoken than in written form and can disturb some readers. Because our readers cannot sample the content before ordering the book, they need to be made aware of the presence of these elements.

These phrases are not considered judgmental; they simply contain information for readers similar to information conveyed in the other parts of the annotation. It is up to the reader to determine whether he or she wishes to read the book, or if such content has any bearing on that decision.

Neither are these taglines a form of censorship, as has sometimes been suggested. The books are available for any reader who wishes to order them. It would be censorship to delete the passages or to decide not to produce the books in recorded or braille formats because they contain offensive elements, rather than to follow general selection guidelines for the approximately two thousand titles that can be produced each year from the more than sixty thousand titles listed in Books in Print. (For specific use of taglines, see p. 155.)

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Posted on 2006-02-24