ASI News
—Review of ASI Winter Conference
—ASI Awards coming in 2021
—Webmasters Needed
Chapters/SIGS
—New leader for the History/Archeology SIG
Associated Industry News
—NISO's Updated Draft Standard on Criteria for Indexes
—PubWest 2021 Virtual Conference Open for Registration
—AWP 2021 Conference Open for Early Registration
Business and Marketing
—Index Application Resources
Spotlight Laurel Rush
ASI News
Review of ASI Winter Conference “Exiting 2020: Now Is the Winter for Indexing Content”
ASI’s winter conference was a well attended, information-packed, one-day event held on December 5. Four fifty-minute sessions covered topics from different approaches to diverse indexing projects, effective professional website construction, textbook editing, and speed in indexing. Standout content included JoAnne Burek’s boiled down concepts of website goals and structure, and Kate Mertes’s presentation of her “Seven Little Points about Speed.”
The latter is an eye-opening list of suggestions for increasing indexing speed; only one tip involved technical skill (copy and paste). The most startling suggestion was to consider indexing out of order to increase speed. Ina Gravitz brought her wealth of indexing experience to bear on the task of approaching different texts by considering the genre/category, the text’s users, and the indexer’s knowledge base. With twenty-one years of employment at Pearson Education (formerly Macmillan Computer Publishing), Cheryl Lenser presented an inside view of textbook editing and its similarities and differences to other indexing categories.
The bulk of the excellent content was Cheryl’s detailed and information-packed answers to attendee questions. As is usual with ASI conferences, the social aspect (in this case ten-minute breaks between classes) was most enjoyable and entertaining. The virtual conference format is not just a place for ASI members to continue to grow their professional skills but also an opportunity to reconnect, reaffirm, and rekindle the close supportive community of ASI members. Thank you to conference chair and moderator, Devon Thomas.
Helpful Hint
When you renew your membership or join ASI, one chapter is included at no additional charge. In the shopping cart, be sure to click to indicate your Chapter choice.
ASI Awards coming in 2021
ASI will soon announce submission deadlines for two prestigious awards. The ASI Excellence in Indexing Award honors excellence in indexing of an English language monograph or other non-serial work published in the United States during the previous calendar year. The Hines Award honors members who have provided exceptional service to ASI.
Whether you indexed a book that deserves consideration for the Excellence in Indexing Award or would like to honor a deserving Hines award recipient, watch for the call for submissions, coming soon to your inbox.
Webmasters Needed
Jennifer Spanier, current webmaster team member, is continuing her search for new volunteers to join the team. Jennifer has this to say about the position:
“[We are] looking for volunteers to join the webmaster team! If you enjoy updating and tinkering with your own website, this could be the perfect job for you. The workload is fairly light, and we help each other out as needed, so the responsibility never feels too onerous. It’s a great way for newer members to get involved behind the scenes and contribute to ASI’s mission. If you are interested or have questions, please contact me so we can chat about it.”
Chapters/SIGs
New leader for the History/Archeology SIG
Laurel Rush has been voted in as the new leader of the History/Archaeology SIG. The position was vacated by Aelfwine Mischler in the fall. Thank you Aelfwine for your service to the History/Archaeology SIG and to ASI. And thank you, Laurel, for taking on the position. Please see below for Laurel’s Spotlight feature.
The History/Archaeology SIG is an “alliance of professional indexers with backgrounds in history, archaeology, and biography. We also index related subjects including anthropology, sociology, economics, political science, and literary criticism. Trade books, textbooks, children’s books, and scholarly books all fall into our purview.” Please visit the SIG site for excellent reference resources.
Associated Industry News
NISO's Updated Draft Standard on Criteria for Indexes Now Open for Public Comment
The National Information Standards Organization “is a not-for-profit membership organization that identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards to manage information” in which ASI members are involved. The organization’s vision is “a world where all can benefit from the unfettered exchange of information.” Their “Updated Draft Standard on Criteria for Indexes” is now open for comment until January 30, 2021. Please visit their site for more information.
PubWest 2021 Virtual Conference Open for Registration
The Publishers Association of the West (PubWest) is a national trade organization of publishers and of associated publishing-related members. PubWest is dedicated to offering professional education, providing publishing-related benefits, creating opportunities for our members and associate members to do business, speaking as an advocate for members, recognizing outstanding achievement in publishing, and providing a forum for networking to publishing and associate members from across the United States and Canada. Registration is open for their 2021 virtual conference on February 2–4. Interested professionals can review the agenda and register online.
AWP 2021 Conference Open for Early Registration
The Association of Writers and Writing Programs has opened early registration for their AWP Conference 2021. The event is an industry favorite for creative writers and the services that support them. From the website: “The AWP 2021 Conference & Bookfair is going virtual this March 3-7! The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the annual destination for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers of contemporary creative writing. It includes thousands of attendees, hundreds of events & bookfair exhibitors, and five days of essential literary conversation and celebration. The AWP Conference & Bookfair has always been a place of connection, reunion, and joy, and we are excited to offer the same experience in a new way this year. Join us and take part in this amazing community of writers!”
Business and Marketing
Index Application Resources
Index Application resources (Note: ASI does not endorse these products and makes no claims as to their effectiveness or suitability for any particular use.)
The ASI website has an exhaustive list of indexing software, from dedicated indexing applications to thesaurus management software. Following are select resources for some of the most widely used dedicated indexing applications:
Cindex. The Cindex Users group is a forum for discussions about Cindex, the professional indexing software program from Indexing Research. The list encourages exchange of tips, tricks, and techniques among Cindex users. Membership is open to users of Cindex in both Windows and Macintosh formats as well as other members of the indexing and publishing community who wish to know more about the capabilities of the program.
Index Manager. Klarso, the makers of Index Manager, offers monthly user workshops highlighting beginner to advanced insights into the software’s features and functionality. Anyone interested in the program can register for the workshops at the Index Manager website.
Macrex. There are many resources available to program users on the Macrex website. Check out this very interesting article that follows the history of Macrex’s coming into being.
SKYIndex. The SKYIndexUsers group was formed to allow and encourage the exchange of tips and techniques among owners of SKY Index or SKY Index demo users. This is an unmoderated public user-operated list, accessible to all indexers and indexing software users interested in the SKY program.
Spotlight Laurel Rush of Tempo Indexing
If you would like to be in the Spotlight, or would like to nominate someone for it, please contact Daniel Heila.
Where do you live now? Do you share your home with pets or family?
I presently live in Vancouver, BC, where I share my home with my husband and our springer spaniel, Ned.
What is your educational background?
Music. [I’ve earned] a bachelor's degree in music theory and history, as well as a conservatory diploma in piano performance. Music has been a passion throughout my life. I particularly love to index music history and biography.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I am the new volunteer manager of ASI’s History/Archaeology SIG, which I am excited about. Hobbies are reading, running, and cooking. I lived in London for three years, where I visited art galleries and traveled around Britain on many weekends.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
I’ve worked in numerous law offices in Canada and the UK as an executive/legal assistant. I plan to retire in a few months and start my part-time business, Tempo Indexing.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
While completing an editing certificate, I took an introductory indexing course and immediately connected to the craft. With the encouragement of my teacher, I joined ASI and completed its training course in 2019.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
The kind and supportive people I have met have helped to build my confidence as a new indexer. The educational opportunities, particularly the webinars, have enhanced my competency.
Finally, what is your best coping strategy for the pandemic?
Life during the pandemic has brought out my culinary skills. A walk or run in the forest has also been uplifting.
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