All About Indexing: From Thesauri to AI, Tools and Tips for Working Smarter
Friday, December 6, 2024
When you run an indexing business, you spend time indexing, and you spend time running a business. You seek out ways to be more efficient, and you look for tools—both indexing- and business-related—that help you to work smarter. We've gathered renown experts to help you navigate your path to a more savvy 2025 work experience.
Nothing devastates a business more than a cyber attack. Our expert tells you how to protect yourself. Wondering what the future holds, with the threat of AI on the horizon? Our keynote speaker is a futurist who studies publishing including savvy ways to harvest the power of AI in our industry. And whether you're looking for a new resource, software to do some of the work for you, or tools that increase efficiency, we've got you covered.
Join us for a day of learning and networking to launch you into the new year.
Overview of the UNBIS Thesaurus
9:00 AM, Pacific / 12:00 PM, Eastern (55-minute session)
This presentation will provide an introduction to the United Nations Bibliographic Information System (UNBIS Thesaurus), its history and its role within the controlled vocabulary of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library; and the larger UN community. It will provide insights on how updates to the vocabulary are managed, and who is involved in the decision making process. Current and future initiatives will also be highlighted.
Susan Hussein is a Metadata Librarian in the Information Analysis and Metadata Unit of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library at the UN Headquarters in New York City. She is responsible for maintaining the UNBIS Thesaurus, and the Library's other authority collections. Prior to joining the UN in 2010, Susan worked as a Reference Librarian at University College Dublin in Ireland. She also holds a Higher Diploma in Library and Information Studies from this institution.
KEYNOTE—Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Publishing
10:00 AM, Pacific / 1:00 PM, Eastern (55-minute session)
Thad will look at the use of Generative AI across the book publishing industry, from acquisitions, through editorial, design, production and marketing. He will review the many concerns that we face around the use of AI in publishing, as well as more broadly. He'll look at the copyright cases, and the recent moves toward licensing content to the AI companies. The session will include his thoughts on the applicability of language-based AI technologies to the challenge of book indexing.
Thad McIlroy writes and blogs at The Future of Publishing and is a contributing editor at Publishers Weekly. He is the author of The AI Revolution in Book Publishing: A Concise Guide to Navigating Artificial Intelligence for Writers and Publishers. He is a visiting scholar in the Masters of Publishing program at George Washington University, and on the advisory board at Johns Hopkins University Press. As a consultant, he has worked with publishers on strategies for incorporating AI into their workflows, run AI seminars for publishing personnel, and worked with startups developing AI-related products for writers and publishers.
BREAK
10:55 AM, Pacific / 1:55 PM, Eastern (15-20 minutes)
Back-of-book Indexing with TExtract 11: How to use TExtract’s automated and manual features to boost indexing quality and efficiency
11:15 AM, Pacific / 2:15 PM, Eastern (55-minute session)
TExtract combines manual and automated indexing, enhanced by linking of the index with the text. This supports a suite of powerful functions to augment the indexing practice. After setting up a project and creating the initial automatic index, the editing environment offers a rich set of features to navigate, select and edit entries and references in context. Output functionality enables exporting formatted indexes in various formats, embedding in Word, exporting into an EPUB version of the book, and more.
Harry Bego is the developer of TExtract. He has an MA in psychology from Nijmegen University (Netherlands) and was a teacher and researcher in language engineering at the Utrecht Academy of Arts and at Tilburg University before establishing Texyz Indexing Software. In his spare time he plays tennis, guitar, and gazes at the stars and the planets.
Cybersecurity for Business: How You Can Prevent Fraud
12:15 PM, Pacific / 3:15 PM, Eastern (55-minute session)
Why rob a bank when a criminal can steal far more with a computer? Beyond money, sensitive personal information is valuable to the cyber thief. Additionally, remote work technologies like mobile devices have provided cybercriminals with new ways to disrupt business and steal what is yours. Every year millions become victims because they did not know how to protect themselves from cybercrime. By using examples of actual FBI cases, John reveals the ways you are vulnerable to a cyberattack, the current threats and the solutions to prevent against becoming a victim.
John Iannarelli, aka FBI John served 20 years as an FBI Special Agent and was their national spokesperson. His investigative work included the 9/11 attacks, the shooting of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Sony hack, numerous bank robberies, kidnappings, and other assorted crimes. He is the recipient of the FBI Director’s Distinguished Service Award, as well as an Honorary Doctor of Computer Science. John is a former Police Officer, attorney, and NFL Security Representative responsible for ensuring public safety of throughout the football season and the Super Bowl, and has received two Super Bowl Rings for his work with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is the author of five books and a highly sought-after keynote speaker who has presented to Fortune 500 companies, domestic and international audiences, the United Nations, and the Vatican, where he has personally met on several occasions with Pope Francis.
Peripherals: How Non-traditional Tools Help You Work Smarter
1:15 PM, Pacific / 4:15 PM, Eastern (45-minute session)
Indexers know that working smarter is better than working harder. Sometimes a peripheral tool can be just the thing to improve your productivity. In this session, you’ll hear from indexers who have found the tool that gives them the extra edge in getting their work done.
Jola Komornicka, Rudy Leon, and Atholl Robertson
Jolanta (Jola) Komornicka comes to indexing by way of academia, where she was an assistant professor of medieval history. Working primarily in the academic humanities and social sciences, she loves working on materials related to the medieval and early modern periods, military history, comic books, and tabletop roleplaying games. When not indexing or editing, she tries to escape the computer to game, hike, and read; if she can’t escape and is in a Zoom meeting, she’ll be knitting.
Rudy Leon has been offering indexing and editing services since 2016. She has worked as an academic librarian and associate dean before starting her editorial services company, Rudy Leon, Editorial Services. She has also taught Introduction to Indexing for Library Juice Academy. She is currently the Chair of the ASI Culinary Indexing SIG and the convener of the SKY Manual Study Group.
Atholl Robertson is a chartered engineer with more than 45 years of industrial and construction experience in mechanical utilities and electrical engineering. He has worked on major projects across the world. He is also a qualified proofreading and editing tutor. He currently is principal of OGC Engineers (www.ogcengineers.com), and he also edits academic journal papers, dissertations, and theses. Believing that learning never stops, Atholl joined ASI in 2021 to complete the training modules and qualify as an indexer. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife, Cathy.
Happy Hour!
2:15 PM, Pacific / 5:15 PM, Eastern
Join us for happy hour after the event. BYOB and share networking time with your indexing colleagues.
Your registration includes all five presentations. The program is subject to change without notice.
Please note: This virtual event will be presented live via Zoom, and the sessions will be recorded. Just as with an in-person event, attendees will be able to ask questions by (electronically) raising their hands or by asking questions in the chat box. Please understand that the quality of the live presentation may be lower for viewers with slower internet connections. Recordings will be available for one year following the event for those who register.
Registration
Friday, December 6, 2024
ASI members, please log in to the website for member pricing. No refunds can be given after November 29. Please register no later than 5 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, December 3.
The early rate for this special online event is just $89 for members—through Nov. 29.
After Nov. 29, the regular rate for this special online event is $109 for members.
Log in for the member button. Please purchase using your email address on file: Guest
The early rate for this special online event is just $129 for non-members—through Nov. 29.
After Nov. 29, the regular rate for this special online event is $149 for non-members.
Please purchase using your email address on file: Guest
Best Practices for Optimal Viewing
We wanted to share a few best practices to improve your viewing experience of this presentation. Please be aware that the setup of your computer and software impacts the quality of your connection.
Streaming services may adjust the quality of your video stream from standard definition (such as 240p or 360p) to high definition (720p or 1080p) based on the speed of your Internet connection (bandwidth). For this reason, you may notice that the quality of your video changes as you watch.
For an optimum experience, we recommend that you turn off other computer applications. Ask others at your location to avoid excessive use of the internet such as video streaming. Use a wired connection, rather than wireless, if possible. Also ensure that your browser is updated. It is good practice to reboot your computer before joining the live event.
While most online events go off without a hitch, if you happen to experience connection issues, remember that you can view the replay on the ASI website soon after the live session.
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