ASI News
—Tune in to "Getting Better!" and tune up your indexing skills and health
Chapters and SIGS
—Register for chapter program with contest winner, judge
To Your Health
—Open Enrollment dates for health insurance selection have been extended
Associated Industry News
—ISC/SCI bestows diversity in publishing award
Business and Marketing
—Expand the view with a portable monitor, or two
Spotlight on Donald Howes
ASI News
Tune in to "Getting Better!" and tune up your indexing skills and health
ASI's two-day special event, "Getting Better! Improving the indexing mind, body and business," kicks off December 1 with a live indexing demonstration by Max McMaster, joining us from Australia.
For those who registered, the virtual sessions by indexers—focusing on best practices, marketing and yoga exercises—continue on December 2 with speakers Pilar Wyman, Stephen Ullstrom, Anna-Marie Larsen, and Connie Binder. Full details are available here.
Chapters and SIGS
Register for chapter program with contest winner, judge
The Chicago-Great Lakes Chapter will host a virtual event on December 7. "The Purple Pen Award Winner 2022 and the Judging of the Competition" will feature Jessica Hinds-Bond, an ASI Chicago Chapter member and the 2022 winner of the award, and Enid L. Zafran, one of the judges.
Hinds-Bond will describe her process for indexing Discovering Mars, a scholarly work that presented many challenges: it was an area outside her usual subject matter, the authors were still writing while she was indexing, and the index had a line limit. Experienced indexers face similar problems, and attendees will be invited to suggest how they would handle these situations. Zafran will talk about the international contest and what trends the judges have discerned from their review of the indexes submitted.
The 90-minute Zoom presentation starts at 6 p.m. CST; 7 p.m. EST. Registration is open to all ASI members, and is free for CGL chapter members.
Register here by December 5; chapter members register by email. Registrants will receive a Zoom link.
To Your Health
Open Enrollment dates for health insurance selection have been extended
One of the benefits of ASI membership is access to LIG Solutions, a service that offers help evaluating health insurance options to find the most affordable and best coverage for you. The open enrollment period for some programs has been extended:
- Medicare Annual Enrollment: Started October 15, 2022, and ends on December 7, 2022 (this deadline has NOT been extended).
- The Open Enrollment Period for ACA plans has been extended to January 15th, 2023 and you need to be aware of these DEADLINES:
- December 15th, 2022 – this is the DEADLINE if you need coverage to start on 01/01/2023
- January 15th, 2023 – this is the DEADLINE if you need coverage to start on 02/01/2023
- Employer Coverage: Can be done at any time of the year, but call or schedule an appointment to learn more.
Reach out to LIG now or at any time your health insurance needs change. For more information, click here and access the ASI member page.
Associated Industry News
ISC/SCI bestows diversity in publishing award
The Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d'indexation (ISC/SCI) has awarded Tanvi Mohile its 2022 Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary Award.
Mohile is co-founder of Drafted Editorial Services and is a PhD candidate in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, with a concentration in editing and publishing. She previously worked as an academic editor in her native Mumbai, India. During a research assistantship at U of A, she had her first experience in creating an index, which led to her interest in developing the skill further.
With this award, ISC/SCI aims to help achieve equality of opportunity for aspiring indexers belonging to underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. The stipend covers fees for an approved indexing program and entry into the Mary Newberry Mentorship program.
Business and Marketing
Expand the view with a portable monitor, or two
If you find the smaller screen of a laptop restricting when you have to work on one, consider this for your holiday list:
The Xebec Tri-screen 2 adds two 10-inch monitors, to either side of your main screen. It's a little pricey, tipping over the $400 mark, but Forbes names it the best multi-screen portable monitor, on its list of the top portable monitors. The list of twelve includes "best 17-inch" and "best budget touchscreen"—so there are varied and less expensive options.
Find more suggestions on PC Magazine's list of 13 best portable monitors.
Spotlight on Donald Howes
This month's Spotlight is on Donald Howes, owner of DH 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 Calgary, Alberta, and I currently live in Burnaby, British Columbia.
I decided to move to BC in 1975 when I was attending an archaeological field school on Vancouver Island that started the beginning of May. I flew out of Calgary in a snowstorm and landed in Vancouver—where it was warm and the cherry trees were blooming. It took a while, but I moved here after completing my graduate studies at Washington State University (WSU).
What is your educational background?
I started out in Computer Science at the University of Calgary, then switched to Archaeology. I have a BA (honors) in Archaeology from the University of Calgary and an MA in Anthropology (archaeology) from WSU.
I've taken courses on embedded indexing and I'm taking a course (through Simon Fraser University) on book editing. I've also taken a number of online courses on video editing and digital special effects.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I enjoy videography, video editing and digital special effects as a hobby. Taking video gets me outside, and editing engages my mind. I believe a video editor and an indexer have a similar mindset, as both fields concentrate on detail and require a high tolerance for repetition.
I've recently written a series of articles on copyright and indexing for the ISC/SCI Bulletin.
I've also started learning Ruby (a programming language), so I can write translation scripts (Cindex iXML output to LaTeX).
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
Prior to indexing, I worked as: a field archaeologist (Western Canada and the Western United States), a software developer and project manager (on projects as varied as accounting, digital ad presentation, medical charting and email), and I operated an online antiquarian bookstore that concentrated on 18th- and 19th-century exploration of the Americas and the Arctic.
I'm now fully engaged in being a freelance indexer.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
Get away from the keyboard and do something else for a while. I find even a short break can help. Also, remember that perfect is the enemy of good—trying to achieve perfection means you will get stuck a lot.
I also read the indexing news groups to see how others handle their problems. When I first started, it was a revelation that indexers with many more years' experience than I have occasionally struggle with the same issues. I realized we all have moments of self-doubt and that there are a large number of very helpful people who will share their expertise if you ask for help.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I started indexing in 2020, and I joined ASI in 2022.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
For me, the best advantage is exposure to a larger customer base.
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