ASI News
—Ullstrom index wins ASI award
—Indexing Day raises awareness
—Call for Training Course Administrator
—Seeking instructors for new ASI Training Course
—Get a deal on ASI webinars during the month of December
—Join the webmaster team
—Taking some time to chat
Did You Know
—Easier shopping on ASI site
Associated Industry News
—Canadian society awards bursary
Business and Marketing
—Prepare for tax season
To Your Health
—Time is running out to secure your 2026 health coverage
Spotlight on Alyssa Graybeal
ASI News
Ullstrom index wins ASI award
Stephen Ullstrom has won ASI’s 2025 Indexing Award in the Scholarly/Technical category for his index in Dialectics of the Big Bang and the Absolute Existence of the Multiverse by Gregory Phipps, published by the University of Alberta Press.
Stephen’s handling of the metatopics and “intricate subject matter” impressed the judges, who said the index is “clear, easy to use, elegant, and in our opinion, actually makes the book more accessible.” The publisher also cited the elegance of the index among their praise for the work.
The index was a project Stephen almost turned down. “I was both excited and nervous when I agreed to index this book. Excited because the Big Bang and the multiverse sounded like such a fascinating combination, and nervous because philosophy is not my strong suit,” Stephen said. “This did prove to be one of the most challenging books I have ever indexed.”
The winner receives a $500 award. No award was given this year in the Trade category.
More details about the ASI Indexing Awards are here.
Indexing Day raises awareness
ASI celebrated its second annual National Indexing Day on November 18 with a focus on the value of indexes crafted by professional indexers amid the growth of artificial intelligence.
To mark the day, indexers contacted publishers, editors, and authors to share ASI’s findings on the intrinsic deficits in indexes generated by large language models and about indexers’ commitment to protect clients’ intellectual property. There was also a social media campaign with graphics to spread the word about these issues.
ASI President Jen Weers reflected on the impact of the day:
“Indexers shared numerous stories of clients replying to their outreach with appreciation—particularly thanking them for not using AI in their indexing work.”
The social media campaign also performed exceptionally well. ASI’s Facebook views increased by 92 percent on National Indexing Day compared with the previous seven days, and the three LinkedIn posts from that day averaged a 10 percent engagement rate. For context, Social Insider considers anything above 6 percent to be excellent.
Thank you to all the indexers who helped extend ASI’s reach by emailing clients and posting on social media. Your support makes a measurable difference.”
Call for Training Course Administrator
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) is seeking an administrator for our new indexing training course. This is a new role that will lead the launch, implementation, and continued management of the program. Ideal candidates should have technology proficiency, specifically Moodle knowledge, and indexing experience.
For the full job description and rate of compensation, click here.
Seeking instructors for new ASI Training Course
ASI will soon post a call for instructors for our new indexing training course that will be officially announced early in 2026. Suitable candidates will have significant indexing experience, be comfortable using technology, and have a desire to help new indexers learn the craft of indexing.
These new roles will guide students from the beginning of a course module through its completion. Instructors will answer student questions, grade practice and exam indexes, provide feedback, and maintain communication with students.
Watch your inbox for more details.
Get a deal on ASI webinars during the month of December
December is the time to get just what you need—to enhance your business skills. Learning more about your field gives you more confidence, increases speed, and helps give you a competitive edge. ASI has produced 38 educational webinars on essential topics for indexers, and they are each $10 off the regular price during the month of December.
Get something just for yourself, a gift that’s tax deductible as a business expense. Your $10 per webinar discount will be automatically applied as long as you log in as an ASI member before adding the webinars to your cart.
The offer is good through 5 p.m. Eastern time on December 31, 2025.
Join the webmaster team
The ASI volunteer webmaster committee is looking for new team members. The committee currently has two active members and is looking for two more to round out the team. An additional “backup” team member to fill in occasionally is also welcome.
If you enjoy updating and tinkering with your own website, the webmaster team could be a great way to volunteer with ASI. The team shares the light workload across one-week shifts each month, and it’s a great way to get involved, meet other ASI members, and contribute to ASI’s mission. Duties include monitoring email (screening spam and sending timely responses), updating the website (WordPress and basic HTML), and keeping other team members updated. No experience is necessary, but some basic familiarity with WordPress and light tech support is preferred.
If you are interested, please contact the team.
Taking some time to chat
Dozens of indexers took a break from indexing to talk about indexing, both past and present, at the most recent Indexing Playground in late November.
Breakout room hosts Ina Gravitz, Beth Lee-DeAmici, Amron Lehte, and Jessica Siddiqi generated discussions about indexing in the days of index cards and shoeboxes and the emergence of software to help with the mechanics; travel to China’s conference; the rules we sometimes break; memorable indexing projects, and more.
The Playgrounds offer an opportunity for ASI members to informally gather online with peers and chat about indexing and running a business.
And like most breaks, the time passes quickly, as one attendee commented at the end of last month’s event.
Watch for more Playgrounds to come in 2026.
Did You Know
Easier shopping on ASI site
With this year’s redesign of ASI’s website, there is a new shopping cart, which offers a simpler way to add the complimentary chapter of your choice when you renew your ASI membership: A coupon code for your first chapter—included with the annual membership—will be automatically applied, signaled by a banner message at the top of the page. It’s also easier to add an Indexer Locator Listing and SIG memberships.
You can explore ASI’s online store here. It includes past webinars, online learning courses, publications and more.
Associated Industry News
Canadian society awards bursary
Rhonda Kronyk is the 2025 ISC/SCI Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary recipient.
With this bursary, the Indexing Society of Canada aims to help achieve equality of opportunity for aspiring indexers belonging to underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. The bursary covers fees for an approved indexing program, two years of ISC membership, and entry into the Mary Newberry Mentorship program.
Rhonda has been editing since 2013 and became a founding member of the Indigenous Editors Association in 2017. “From that point forward, my work has focused on Indigenous authors and stories, and I have committed myself to learning Canada’s true history with Indigenous Peoples so that I can edit with respect and accuracy.” Rhonda views indexing as a continuation of this journey.
ISC/SCI also awarded five runners-up with a six-month society membership.
Business and Marketing
Prepare for tax season
It’s here already, the time of year when we have to think about taxes—closing out one year and planning for another.
There are several changes as a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Here is some information that may help:
The reporting threshold for non-employee (1099-NEC form) and other non-wage income (1099-MISC form) increases from $600 to $2,000. However, all income must be reported, whether you receive a 1099 form or not, so tracking all income throughout the year is crucial. This increased threshold also applies to 1099-K for third-party vendors like Venmo and PayPal. The Freelancers Union takes an in-depth look at this change.
The standard deduction for tax year 2025 increases to $31,500 for married couples filing jointly; $15,750 for single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately; and $23,625 for heads of households. Individuals 65 or older may claim an additional deduction of $6,000 annually for tax years 2025 through 2028. This new deduction is in addition to the current additional standard deduction for seniors under existing law.
The IRS details all the legislation’s provisions affecting taxes here.
The 2025 fourth-quarter estimated taxes (for earnings between Sept. 1 – Dec. 31, 2025) are due January 15, 2026— unless you plan to file your 2025 tax return by January 31, 2026.
The 2026 estimated tax payment deadlines are:
- First quarter, for income earned Jan. 1 – March 31, 2026: April 15, 2026
- Second quarter, for income earned April 1 – May 31, 2026: June 15, 2026
- Third quarter, for income earned June 1 – Aug. 31, 2026: September 15, 2026
- Fourth quarter, for income earned Sept. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026: January 15, 2027
To Your Health
Time is running out to secure your 2026 health coverage
As a member of American Society for Indexing, this is your final reminder to take advantage of your exclusive health coverage benefits through Gallagher—a trusted leader in insurance and benefits solutions.
Enrollment Deadlines:
- Medicare: December 7, 2025 – JUST DAYS AWAY
- Under 65: December 15, 2025 – CLOSES SOON
If you need coverage starting January 1, 2026, you must act now. After these dates, you may have to wait a full year for another opportunity to enroll or change plans.
Advisors are standing by to help you find the right plan—at no cost to you. ASI members can visit Gallagher online or call 866-735-2841 for assistance in navigating the choices.
Don’t miss your chance to secure coverage for 2026.
Spotlight on Alyssa Graybeal
This month’s Spotlight is on Alyssa Graybeal, owner of indexmatters.xyz.
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? Do you share your home with pets or family?
I currently live on the Oregon Coast with my partner and two cats. The mist and continual drizzle put me in a good mood, so I love it here.
What is your educational background?
I have a BA in linguistics/cultural studies from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec) and an MLIS from Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia).
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I’m also a writer and cartoonist. I published a memoir in 2023—Floppy—that was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.
Outside of bookish things, I’m a fan of gardening, learning languages, and fiber arts, including knitting, dyeing, spinning, weaving, embroidery. Doing something tactile with my hands helps me think straight. You’ll never see me at an indexing conference without a knitting project. How would I remember anything if I didn’t save it in my stitches?
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
In addition to librarianship, I used to do freelance editing, primarily academic copyediting and developmental editing for nonfiction/memoir writers. Most recently, I spent six years as managing editor for the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a consortium of public libraries across the United States.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
My first solution is to take a walk. Usually I just need to see some trees to remind myself that the world is larger than the computer monitors looming in front of me. When all else fails, there’s always stress baking.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I wrote my first index, and took the USDA indexing course, in 2005. My career then took a long, circuitous route through several other book-related fields, during which I only wrote the occasional index. I joined ASI in 2024, when I decided to return to indexing full time. I’m delighted to be back at it.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
The people! I’ve met so many wonderful indexers through the Pacific Northwest Chapter.
Items to be considered for the See Also newsletter should be submitted by the 15th of the month before publication. For January 2026 issue, please email SeeAlsoEditor@asindexing.org by December 15. Thank you.