ASI News
—Indexer Locator is revised and ready
—Share your indexing know-how at ASI's annual conference
—Nominate an indexer for Hines Award
Chapters and SIGS
—History/Archaeology SIG regularly meets online
—Share chapter and SIG news
Associated Industry News
—ISC/SCI offers conference scholarship
Business and Marketing
—IRS gives brief reprieve from new requirement
Spotlight on Erika Millen
ASI News
Indexer Locator is revised and ready
Take some time to explore the revamped Indexer Locator—and update your listing.
With the guidance of feedback from ASI membership, Locator specialties have been added, duplication has been eliminated and terms have been modernized—making it easier for indexers to share their expertise and for potential clients to find them.
Here's how to access and update your listing:
- In the Member Center box at the top right of the ASI website, enter your User ID and password. Click Login.
- Once you are logged in, click Edit Your Profile in the box on the right.
- On the profile page, scroll down to the boxes that list the four categories: Indexing Software Specialties, Language Specialties, Subject Specialties, and Type of Materials Specialties.
- Hold the Ctrl or Command key and click to select multiple lines. Repeat this for each of the four specialties (in which you want to choose).
- Click on Save Directory Profile to ensure your selections are updated.
The profile section is keyword-searchable, and you may include both personal and professional information, such as hobbies, education, experience, cultural background, preferred pronouns, etc.—as well as any more specific specialties to provide a full picture of your business.
Indexer Locator listings are available to ASI members for an annual subscription. Get all the details here.
Share your indexing know-how at ASI's annual conference
Work is underway for ASI's annual conference—which will be held virtually April 28–29, 2023. The conference offers a chance for indexers and other professionals to share their knowledge and experience on indexing, running a business or related topics by presenting a program.
Whether you are an experienced indexer with knowledge in a niche area or a newer indexer with a growing business, you have skills and information to benefit ASI colleagues and other indexers. Presentations are generally one hour long, and visual content is encouraged, but not required. Technical assistance can be provided in developing a PowerPoint.
Online proposal forms can be filled out until February 13, 2023. Feel free to email conference chairperson Amanda Wilson with your ideas or with any questions.
Nominate an indexer for Hines Award
The Hines Award Committee welcomes nominees for ASI's highest service honor.
The award, named for ASI founding member Theodore C. Hines, recognizes those who have made exceptional contributions to ASI and to the indexing profession.
Nominees should demonstrate a long-term and ongoing commitment through service as an officer, as a board member, or in other leadership roles at the national level and/or within chapters and SIGs. Other contributions worthy of note include active participation in national and regional conferences, website management, publications, committees, educational activities, etc.
The person submitting the nomination should also solicit letters of recommendation to supplement the nomination. The letters and nomination combined should demonstrate the breadth and length of a nominee's service and should detail the contributions made by the nominee to ASI. Please see full rules and procedures here.
Nominations, or any questions, can be sent to Hines Committee chairperson Kendra Millis until March 10, 2023. The award, if given, will be presented at the ASI Annual Meeting in May 2023.
Chapters and SIGS
History/Archaeology SIG regularly meets online
The History/Archaeology Special Interest Group is now regularly holding bimonthly social meetings on Zoom. The meetings will be held on the last Friday, every other month—with alternating meeting times of 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
The next meeting will be on Friday, March 31, at 3 p.m. ET.
Chairperson Vickie Jacobs said the idea behind these sessions is to chat and get to know each other a little better as much as it is to share indexing stories. Conversations can range from indexing projects and processes to hobbies and pets.
Please visit their website for instructions on how to join the H/A SIG.
Information about ASI's Special Interest Groups and how to join any of them is available here.
Share Chapter and SIG news
There are ten regional chapters of the American Society for Indexing and a variety of Special Interest Groups. Events and networking take place throughout the year.
Please tell us what is happening in your chapter or SIG by emailing See Also.
Associated Industry News
ISC/SCI offers conference scholarship
Members of Canada's indexing society, ISC/SCI, are invited to apply for a scholarship to help defray costs of its annual conference.
The conference will be held June 9–10, 2023, in St. John's, Newfoundland.
There will be three scholarships awarded, to help cover the two-day early-bird conference fee. Preference is given to newbie indexers and conference attendees.
Guidelines for applying are available for ISC/SCI members. Application deadline is March 1, 2023.
Business and Marketing
IRS gives brief reprieve from new requirement
Independent business owners who use payment sites like Venmo and PayPal may be among those concerned about the timetable and ramifications of a new IRS rule. The change doesn't affect how income is taxed—but taxpayers get a form telling them how much they received via the sites.
And now there is extra time to sort this out, because the Internal Revenue Service has put off until next year's tax season implementation of the requirement that 1099-K forms be issued for any goods and services topping a new lower threshold of $600.
“The additional time will help reduce confusion during the upcoming 2023 tax filing season and provide more time for taxpayers to prepare and understand the new reporting requirements,” acting IRS commissioner Doug O'Donnell said.
Currently, these forms must be sent to payment and e-commerce sites users who received more than $20,000 in gross payments and participated in more than 200 transactions. That still applies to this tax season.
Bloomberg.com offers guidelines on understanding and preparing for the revamped rule, including:
- Setting up a business account separate from your personal account.
- Opting for a service such as Zelle, which facilitates payments directly to bank accounts—alleviating the need for a 1099-K form.
- Step up your record-keeping, so you can sort out a business-related lunch from coffee with friends.
Venmo provides more context to this issue here.
Spotlight on Erika Millen
This month's Spotlight is on Erika Millen, owner of Insightful 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 have lived in Indianapolis since graduating from college. I'm originally from Fort Lauderdale, but my family moved several times when I was young, so I don't think of myself as having a hometown. I share my home with three shelties, two hedgehogs, two woma pythons, one frog, and a very tolerant husband. My husband is associate concertmaster emeritus of the Indianapolis Symphony, so I often have a strolling violinist in the background while I work.
What is your educational background?
My undergraduate work is in linguistics, which is a happy accident. My major was undeclared going into my senior year, so I counted up my credits and realized I needed only one more class for a linguistics degree. My graduate work is in teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
When I'm not indexing, I like to train for dog performance sports. My dogs and I are involved in herding, tracking, scent work, dog parkour, and animal acting, and I'm a certified trick dog instructor. I also like to knit, although I'm more enthusiastic than good. With the rest of my free time, I volunteer with the nonprofit Kiva, editing borrower stories for publication on the website and reviewing loan profiles for policy compliance. I'm closing in on my 15,000th loan reviewed.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
I had planned on teaching English in Japan after graduation, but the job I accepted fell through at the last minute. I was fortunate to get an in-house position at Macmillan Computer Publishing shortly after that. I started in proofreading and then moved into full-time indexing after about a year.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
I've learned that taking breaks is the most productive thing I can do. I live near a 5,000-acre park, so I like to turn off the computer and get outside for a bit. Sometimes I'll be at a loss about how to structure an entry, and the solution will come to me during a walk. When that's not a possibility, I'm good at wasting time on social media. I maintain Instagram accounts for my pets, which is a silly, lighthearted way to keep work in perspective.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
When I started at Macmillan, one of my responsibilities was proofreading indexes. I was intrigued by indexing and turned into the pesky coworker who would hang out in the indexer cubicles and ask questions. The company had its own training program—a six-week course followed by a mentorship under a senior indexer—so I asked to be included in the next class session. I've been indexing full time since 1996. Macmillan (later Pearson) had a corporate ASI membership, and I joined ASI as an individual member when I went freelance in 2016.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
The biggest advantage for me is the opportunity for continuing education through webinars and publications. I especially look forward to each copy of Key Words. I also appreciate the sense of community and professionalism within ASI. Indexing can feel like a very isolated career, but having ASI behind you is great support.
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