ASI News
—Gain skills and insight on indexing philosophy books in new webinar
—THRIVE team digs into survey results
—Educate others on AI and indexing
—Mark calendar for September Playground
—Help expand ASI’s reach through Outreach Committee
Did You Know
—Tap into ASI archive for professional development
Chapters and SIGS
—New SIG focuses on tools and workflows
—Digital Publications to meet this month
Associated Industry News
—ISC/SCI recognizes art book indexer
Spotlight on Kimberly Israel
ASI News
Gain skills and insight on indexing philosophy books
Indexer Tom Kiefer will present “Bringing lofty ideas (and indexes) down to Earth,” a webinar focusing on philosophy book indexing, on August 26, 2026. It starts at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern time.
Kiefer is a full-time professional indexer with a PhD in philosophy.
Attendees will:
- Learn the unique challenges and opportunities for indexing philosophy books.
- Understand why philosophy is considered abstract, difficult, and filled with technical jargon.
- Develop skills in indexing philosophical concepts, thought experiments, and arguments.
Full details about the webinar presentation and registration are available online.
THRIVE team digs into survey results
ASI’s THRIVE team, whose mission is to examine the factors contributing to ASI’s recent membership decline and develop actionable recommendations to reverse those trends, is currently tabulating the results of the Engagement and Value Survey that closed on July 17. At the same time, the team is conducting one-on-one interviews with indexers to gain deeper insight into the survey findings. Reports summarizing both the survey and interview results will be prepared and shared.
In addition, the team will conduct a budget review to compare ASI’s financial and time investments with the programs, services, and benefits identified as most valuable through the survey and interviews. The team’s findings and recommendations will be presented in a comprehensive report to the ASI Board of Directors and executive director. A summary of the results will also be shared with the indexing community through ASI communications and non-ASI discussion lists.
The team anticipates completing its final report in early 2027.
—Jen Weers
Educate others on AI and indexing
The AI Committee has created a one-page printable PDF for indexers attending publishing conferences and others who would like to have talking points on artificial intelligence and indexing.
The downloadable document on AI and indexing summarizes the committee’s major research findings. It also provides a QR code linking to the recently released FAQ, which can be shown to those interested in learning more about AI and indexing.
The committee also recently published detailed reviews of two AI-based indexing software products, stating that neither produced an adequate index. Find the reviews here:
The AI Committee was established in 2025 to investigate, document, and respond to potential impacts of artificial intelligence on indexing. Chairperson Elizabeth Bartmess welcomes feedback and additional information on AI and indexing.
Mark calendar for September Playground
ASI will hold its next Indexing Playground on Wednesday, September 16, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern time.
The Playgrounds are an opportunity for ASI members to informally gather online with peers to connect, compare notes, and swap ideas. Breakout rooms are organized around the overall theme for the Playground, Subject Specialties, and attendees can join whichever breakout rooms entice them.
No registration is necessary, but watch our website for more information about September’s Playground gathering.
Help expand ASI’s reach through Outreach Committee
ASI has revived the Outreach Committee (previously the Marketing and Publisher Outreach Committees), whose mission is to promote the field of indexing generally to a broad audience (publishers, non-indexers, indexers who are not ASI members), and promote services offered by ASI specifically and incentivize membership.
Kimberly Israel is serving as chair of the committee and welcomes more volunteers. If you are interested in advocating for the indexing profession and expanding ASI’s reach, please email Kimberly.
Did You Know
Tap into ASI archive for professional development
Looking to expand your indexing knowledge and skills? In addition to its new Principles of Indexing Course, ASI has a library of past webinars and online learning courses that can be purchased for on-demand viewing.
The ASI Online Learning Courses are multi-part courses that take a deep dive into a particular knowledge area, including indexing art books, legal indexing, and increasing speed with macros. A full list of the ASI Online Learning Courses is available on our website.
The ASI Webinars are one-hour presentations covering all aspects of indexing and running a business. Topics include crafting successful subheadings and metatopics; textbook indexing; indexing personal names and place-names accurately; and writing abstracts. Several other webinars address maximizing productivity by making the most of your software. There are dozens to choose from, with a full list of the ASI Webinars available on our website.
Chapters and SIGS
New SIG focuses on tools and workflows
The new Tools and Workflows Special Interest Group (SIG) is a networking and educational forum for indexers interested in tools and workflows, including technology and processes, for both indexing and the business of indexing. Areas of interest include macros, regular expressions, software, hardware, efficiency, productivity, and ergonomic solutions. The SIG is open to any member of ASI and its affiliated indexing societies; a year’s membership is $12. Join this SIG and others by visiting our online store.
This group will meet quarterly and offer primarily programmed events, including short presentations and workshops. The first meeting is slated for later this month or early September. Contact Elizabeth Bartmess, the SIG’s manager, with questions.
Digital Publications to meet this month
The Digital Publications Indexing (DPI) SIG will hold its quarterly gathering on Friday, August 7, at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time (US and Canada). A Zoom link will be shared as the date approaches. Visit DPI’s website for more information.
Associated Industry News
ISC/SCI recognizes art book indexer
The Indexing Society of Canada (ISC/SCI) recently awarded its Ewart-Daveluy Indexing Award to Ontario-based Marnie Lamb for her indexing of Canadian Watercolours and Drawings in the Royal Ontario Museum, Volume 3, by Mary Allodi and Arlene Gehmacher.
The annual award recognizes an individual who has created an index that demonstrates outstanding expertise, the ability to analyze complex text and the ability to design an index that significantly enhances readers’ use of the text. More information is available on the ISC/SCI website.
Spotlight on Kimberly Israel
This month’s Spotlight is on Kimberly Israel, owner of Dendrite Indexing.
If you would like to be in the Spotlight, or would like to nominate someone for it, please contact Laurie Hlavaty.
Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family?
I grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, but I’ve lived my whole adult life in Durham, North Carolina, with my spouse. We have two cats that are almost three years old, the second generation of cats we’ve cared for together (the first pair were also adopted as kittens and lived to be fifteen and nineteen).
What is your educational background?
Varied! Double major in physics and psychology, minor in math, high school science teaching certification, MS in plant ecology, and about half of an MA in transpersonal psychology. I ultimately left that program because I didn’t feel like it was grounded enough in evidence, but I’m still very interested in the psychology of spiritual experience.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I love being outdoors; my backyard is planted with native species and provides a pocket habitat for local wildlife. I enjoy board games and pick up arts and crafts now and then. My leisure reading is mostly sci-fi and fantasy, and I read the Hugo-nominated books every year. I’m not a fancy chef, but I am quite good at making one-pot dishes and tasty desserts that people enjoy eating.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
Most recently I worked as a university cooperator with the USDA, serving as the editor for a paper lab and then doing library/internet research and making climate suitability maps for weeds of potential concern. Before that, I worked more directly in plant ecology. My jobs included mapping natural communities for the North Carolina state park system, doing data work for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, and a handful of small projects in field work and data analysis.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
Like many indexers, I use color-coding to indicate entries that will need further work. I like to note an issue and then let my subconscious work on it while I continue with the more straightforward tasks. When it’s time to edit, I use a random number generator to choose the type of issues to work on and the letter of the alphabet to start with. This saves me from the paralysis of trying to pick the best place to start, when the most important thing for me is just to keep moving.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I heard about indexing in May of 2025 and decided to make a go of it in October of that year. Joining ASI was one of my first steps in making a serious attempt at establishing myself in the field.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
The most immediate benefit for me is the indexing course; being able to point to professional training gives me more credibility as new indexer. Of course, having a supportive community is also wonderful, and I was so impressed with the work of the Artificial Intelligence Committee that I asked to join them. And similar to the course itself, I think just being able to claim membership in a professional organization makes it easier for potential clients to trust me.
Items to be considered for the See Also newsletter should be submitted by the 15th of the month before publication. For September 2026 issue, please email SeeAlsoEditor@asindexing.org by August 15. Thank you.