May 31, 2007 The American Society of Indexers and the H.W. Wilson Company have presented the 2007 Award for Excellence in Indexing to Do Mi Stauber of Eugene, Oregon for her index to The Self-Possessed: Deity and Spirit Possession in South Asian Literature and Civilization, by Frederick M. Smith, published by Columbia University Press in 2006. Based on years of intensive research, Frederick Smith analyzes Indic literature from all time periods and over a hundred ethnographies, identifying several forms of possession.
Kay Banning, speaking for the 2007 Wilson Award Committee, commented that Do Mi Stauber’s index to Frederick Smith’s complex work has a strong conceptual base, with well-developed headings and a solid network of cross references. The thoughtfully phrased subheadings have a narrative flow, appropriate for the run-in style of the index. Ms. Stauber received the Wilson Award, including a plaque and a check for $1000.00, at a formal presentation during the annual meeting of the American Society of Indexers on May 25, 2007. The publisher, Columbia University Press, also received a plaque.
Do Mi Stauber began indexing in 1986 at the Twin Oaks Cooperative and now has her own freelance business. She indexes books in the social sciences and humanities. Ms. Stauber has also published a book on indexing, Facing the Text, and embraces indexing as part of a multi-faceted life including colored-pencil art, art teaching, instrumental and vocal music, and web design.