ASI News
—ASI’s 2021 Online Conference “Get Your Indexing Shot in the Arm!”
—Master Indexer Flexes His Muscles...and You Can Join Him!
—Award Deadline Approaches
—Tech Gurus Emerge from the Mist
Chapters and SIGS
—Heartland Chapter Home to Robust Article Archive
—Pacific Northwest Chapter Committee Tackles Challenges of Pandemic Planning
Associated Industry News
—Call for Paper and Presentation Proposals for ICRIS 2022 Conference
Business and Marketing
—Masterminds Mentoring Masterminds—What Could Be Better?
Spotlight on Mara Mauch
ASI News
Registration is open for ASI’s 2021 Online Conference “Get Your Indexing Shot in the Arm!”
In preparation for getting your Indexing Shot in the ARM at this year’s online conference, visit the dedicated page on the ASI website to read about the program, the presenters, and the other bonus events associated with the conference.
- You Can Do It! Maximize Your Data-entry Efficiency! with Connie Binder
Freelance indexers are usually paid piecemeal, whether by the page, word, or project. An easy way to increase your income is to increase your speed. - Indexing Without a Client—the Mueller Report with Peter Rooney and Julia Rooney
An important government document, known as the Mueller Report, was issued without an index. Peter will discuss the merits of self-sponsored indexing and outline the process. - Forget the Theme: Mind the Variations with Daniel Heila
Discover the elasticity and variation of terms and concepts within historical, theoretical, and biographical musical literature that may present challenges to accurate indexing. - The Order of Things: Indexing Then and Now with Michele Combs
Did you ever wonder when humans shifted from sorting things hierarchically to sorting them alphabetically? Why did 3,000 years elapse between the invention of the alphabet and its application to information organization? - Embedded Indexing: Tackling the Enigma with Heather Pendley and Devon Thomas
Have you been asked about creating embedded indexes? This high-level presentation will elucidate how embedded indexing differs from back-of-the-book in terms of both the book production and indexing processes. - Inside The Accidental Indexer with Nan Badgett
Nan will discuss themes from The Accidental Indexer—including marketing, work management, and work-life balance—to help new and experienced indexers move their business forward.
Get more details on the conference program.
Register now for your place in this exciting event, a yearly highlight of the indexing profession both in the US and abroad (ASI members, be sure to log in to get access to member pricing).
If you would like to be a sponsor or have questions, please contact ASI executive director Gwen Henson. Sponsorship submissions are due by April 20, 2021.
Master Indexer Flexes His Muscles...and You Can Join Him!
A pre-conference workshop, Flex Your Indexing Muscles with Fred Leise, will be held on April 29, before the start of the 2021 ASI Online Conference.
Indexer wannabes and newbies alike will benefit from an introduction to the basics of indexing, indexing processes, and the business of indexing. In this three-hour workshop, master indexer Fred Leise will help attendees:
- Identify the characteristics of indexers
- Comprehend what indexes are and how they are structured
- Become familiar with the index creation process, including indexable concepts, metatopics, term selection for headings and subheadings, locators, and index editing
- Learn to manage your indexing projects
- Understand the business of indexing
Learn more about the workshop and register now as there are limited openings (ASI members, be sure to log in to access member rates).
Award Deadline Approaches
The ASI Award for Excellence in Indexing recognizes the normally anonymous indexers and the publishers who provide high-quality indexes to serve their readers. The indexer of the winning index receives $1,000 and a certificate. The publisher of the book is also recognized with a certificate.
The deadline for submissions for the award is fast approaching on April 9. Read more about the award and consider submitting an index you are especially proud of.
Tech Gurus Emerge from the Mist
Please welcome two new webmaster team members: Eileen Allen of Eileen Allen Editorial and DeAnna Burghart. They both bring much talent and enthusiasm to the job! Thank you to Carolyn Weaver and Jennifer Spanier for spearheading the search and to all who expressed interest in the positions. The webmaster team is complete at this time.
Chapters and SIGS
Heartland Chapter Home to Robust Article Archive
Please take some time to visit the Heartland ASI Chapter to peruse its extensive catalog of articles related to indexing and associated topics. It is an excellent example of the value of chapter organization and development. Titles range from “Can I Quit My Day Job Yet?” to “Staying Relevant in the Digital Landscape.”
Pacific Northwest Chapter Committee Tackles Challenges of Pandemic Planning
A presentation of key concerns was discussed at a PNW Chapter Fall Meeting planning committee session. The information will no doubt be valuable to other chapters and SIGs planning events during the pandemic.
The main question in this time of pandemic is whether an event should be in person or virtual or, perhaps, a combination of the two. Click here for the resulting list of pros and cons for each arrangement.
Associated Industry News
Call for Paper and Presentation Proposals for ICRIS 2022 Conference
The organizing committee for the October 2022 ICRIS Conference in Berlin invites proposals for papers and workshops suitable for an international audience on topics such as:
- indexing practice and the business of indexing,
- terminology and vocabularies,
- indexing standards,
- technical developments and indexing software,
- client relations,
- or developments in the publishing world.
Proposals (in English or German, and including a short biography) should be no longer than 500 words and should be sent by email by 31 July 2021, if possible.
Business and Marketing
Masterminds Mentoring Masterminds—What Could Be Better?
Are you looking for ways to boost your enthusiasm for business development? Do you dread going it alone in this regard? Perhaps a mastermind group is just the thing you need.
Mastermind groups are co-mentoring meetings that feed goal achievement and foster resource and experience sharing. Typically, a mastermind group has a facilitator (who is also a co-mentor) and meets weekly for an extended period of time to discuss challenges of a particular field or profession.
At the meeting, members all take turns in the “hot seat” to review their work of the previous week, update progress toward a goal, and present other goals they wish to achieve (often these goals are short term and doable within a week or two and can be part of a larger goal). All members then discuss any questions that arise, share relevant resources and advice, and offer support.
Although mastermind groups have been around for ages—Benjamin Franklin called them Juntos—the modern concept was introduced by Napoleon Hill in the 1920s and 30s in his books The Law of Success and Think and Grow Rich. He considered the mastermind group to be:
“The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”
Indexers getting together with indexers on a regular basis to discuss the business of indexing…what could be better? This web article (the author is not affiliated with ASI in any way) gives a good overview of the concept to get you started. Good luck!
Spotlight on Mara Mauch
If you would like to be in the Spotlight, or would like to nominate someone for it, please contact Daniel Heila.
Mara Mauch is a recent ASI member who is currently enrolled in the UC Berkeley indexing course. Mara is also a co-chair of the Pacific Northwest Chapter planning committee.
Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family?
I have recently come (almost) full circle
©Evrim Icoz Photography
What is your educational background?
My educational journey took many twists and turns over almost 40 years. I started out as an English major and was taking a break from college working as a legal secretary when I met my husband and we moved to Oregon to work in high tech. During the course of my career, I finished two degrees, one in Computer Science and one in Organizational Development. I also obtained Technical Writing, Instructional Design and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certifications.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I have so many hobbies and interests, I could never list them all. If I had to pick my top four, they would be travel, cooking, computer gaming, and working with hot glass.
Here’s a fun fact: I lived on a 96-foot retired tugboat with my parents for several years during high school. During this time, I found out that boys don’t like to date girls who smell like diesel engines!
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing?
I worked at Intel Corporation my entire career in various roles from technician to engineer to engineering manager but always under one main umbrella: semiconductor technology development. I first worked on process development and later joined the technical training organization. There, I wrote technical training manuals and created training courses to teach our engineers worldwide how to run the new processes and equipment. Finally, I focused on organizational development, systems and process efficiencies as well as supplier equipment readiness. Whenever an opportunity was presented to me, I always said yes and figured it out from there.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
A good friend in a book group has been an indexer for many years. During our book discussions, I was constantly impressed by her level of knowledge. It seemed to me that she knew something about everything and I wanted to know her secret. She told me about book indexing. After doing some research and thinking it over for almost a year, I was ready to begin. I started the UC Berkeley coursework about two months ago and joined ASI at the same time.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
I am still quite new to indexing and ASI but so far I can say I have been most impressed by the incredible welcome I received from ASI members and the PNW Chapter since the day I joined. The opportunity and willingness of ASI members to share learning, offer up their knowledge network, and to work collectively to solve problems for mutual success has been the very thing I’ve been missing since retiring. I feel energized by this warm and welcoming community and excited for the future.
Finally, what is your best coping strategy for the pandemic?
I think the two strategies that have worked for me have been staying connected through technology and taking the time to appreciate what I have. Our son and daughter-in-law live in Oregon so we haven’t seen them in person for some time. Virtual meeting technology has been a lifesaver for me. I take online painting classes. I have virtual get-togethers with my book group, our son, and my close friends in Germany and Mexico.
It has also helped taking time. Time to sit. Time to listen. Time to appreciate my husband and our shared sense of humor, living close to my parents again, checking in on neighbors, and learning how to smile with my eyes at strangers.
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