ASI News
—ASI wants to hear from you
—Webinar on indexing philosophy
—Outreach Committee rejuvenated
—Conference gave indexers a lot to think about
—Summer Key Words out soon
—Welcome for new members
—Index for a Pulitzer finalist
Chapters and SIGS
—Gardening/Enviro SIG to meet
—New Tools and Workflows SIG established
Associated Industry News
—AI survey: Share your experiences
—ICRIS launches website
Business and Marketing
—Choose the best password manager for you
Spotlight on Sarah Oelker
ASI News
ASI wants to hear from you
ASI invites both members and nonmembers to participate in the Engagement and Value Survey.
The survey, open until July 17, 2026, was created to better understand how ASI’s programs, services, and resources align with the needs and priorities of today’s indexers. As ASI leadership evaluates how best to move forward, it is important to hear directly from indexers about what is valuable, what is missing, and where the organization should focus its efforts.
The survey should take no more than eight minutes to complete, and all responses will be anonymous.
Webinar on indexing philosophy
In the newest ASI webinar, Thomas Kiefer will explore the intricacies of indexing philosophy books. It will be held on Wednesday, August 26, at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern.
Details and registration information will be available soon.
Outreach Committee rejuvenated
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 is looking for volunteers. If you are interested in advocating for the indexing profession and expanding ASI’s reach, please email Kimberly.
Conference gave indexers a lot to think about
There was a global audience for ASI’s two-day online conference in June. “Indexing in Interesting Times” helped attendees prepare for business in both the short- and long-term, with sessions on artificial intelligence, disaster-planning and technology, government contracting, marketing and more. In the midst of the heavier topics, there was a chance to unwind and learn some meditation practices.
Networking breaks also took place throughout both days, giving attendees a chance to connect professionally and personally.
Thank you to all the presenters and to conference planners Connie Binder and Theresa Duran, executive director Gwen Henson, and to all the break hosts.
For those who were registered for the conference, replays are available online for one year.
The upcoming summer Key Words issue will have full coverage of conference sessions.
Summer Key Words out soon
In addition to annual conference coverage, the summer Key Words will include:
- A Paratext column on how freelance indexers shape their daily schedule.
- A summary of the current trajectory of artificial intelligence and indexing.
- The Indexer’s Guide to Sports-Fitness.
Watch for the quarterly journal in July.
Welcome for new members
During a recent meet and greet, newcomers to ASI had a chance to learn about membership benefits, how to access ASI resources, as well as how to get involved as a volunteer.
ASI President Shannon Li and Gina Guilinger, a past president, hosted the event, which included discussions about how to choose indexing software and how to market before being paid for your first index.
ASI plans to hold more new member events.
Index for a Pulitzer finalist
ASI member Bill Wheaton created the index for The Life and Poetry of Frank Stanford, by James McWilliams—a 2026 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Biography published by the University of Arkansas Press.
Bill started indexing in 2023 after retiring from a career in geospatial sciences, and this was the first biography he had indexed. He said consulting Hazel Bell’s Indexing Biographies & Other Stories of Human Lives (Liverpool University Press) as well as an award-winning biography of Charles Dickens helped him in the process.
“The index may not have played a role in the Pulitzer Prize committee’s decision, but even so it’s rewarding to know that my index is part of this fine book,” Bill wrote.
Chapters and SIGS
Gardening/Enviro SIG to meet
The Gardening/Environmental Studies SIG will meet online on Thursday, July 16, at 10 a.m. Pacific time/ 1 p.m. Eastern time. This is an opportunity for members to connect and network, while sharing ideas about the field. A Zoom link will be sent out to members.
More information about the Gardening/Environmental SIG is available on their website.
Information about all of ASI’s SIGs is available on the ASI Website.
New Tools and Workflows SIG established
We are pleased to announce the formation of ASI’s Tools and Workflows Special Interest Group (SIG)! The Tools and Workflows 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 (but are not limited to) macros, regular expressions, software, hardware, efficiency, productivity, and ergonomic solutions.
The SIG is open to any member of ASI and its affiliated indexing societies. We will meet quarterly and offer (mainly) programmed events, including short presentations and workshops. The first meeting is slated for late August or early September.
Contact Elizabeth Bartmess, the SIG’s manager, with questions.
Associated Industry News
AI survey: Share your experiences
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and BookNet Canada are conducting the 2026 AI in the Book Industry Survey.
The goal of the survey, open to industry professionals in the United States and Canada, is to assess how artificial intelligence is approached and utilized across book publishing operations and workflows.
This is a follow-up to a similar survey in 2025. The survey is open through July 17, 2026, and takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.
ICRIS launches website
The International Committee of Representatives of Indexing Societies (ICRIS) has launched a new website, Indexing Around the World, which brings together all the indexing organizations into one site. It presents a plethora of information about professional indexing globally and includes:
- Profiles and indexer directories of the nine member societies, including the American Society for Indexing.
- Lists of online discussion groups and blogs, publications, indexing standards, and more.
- Facts about the career of indexing and how to train to become an indexer.
Business and Marketing
Choose the best password manager for you
During an ASI conference session on “Vigilance, Mitigation, Prevention, and Recovery for Indexers,” Maria Sullivan discussed the value of password management systems for security and convenience.
PC Magazine newly updated in June their recommendations, which they base on ease of adoption, security features, and overall value. Their top pick for one with premium features is NordPass, but they also offer a top pick for a free service: Proton Pass.
The full list and their reasoning behind the choices is available on their website.
And after one of the large password managers had a second security breach, the online magazine has an updated piece on switching services—including questions to ask yourself and how to move your credentials.
Spotlight on Sarah Oelker
This month’s Spotlight is on Sarah Oelker.
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 live in Holyoke, Massachusetts, with my platonic life partner (Alisa) and three cats (Ponky, Sunshine, Jiniret). I’ve been in Western Massachusetts for more than two decades, but I grew up on a dairy farm near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
What is your educational background?
I moved directly from the dairy farm to Yale University when I was eighteen and drank from the academic fire hose for four years: music theory, Russian, molecular genetics, ornithology, social psychology, Buddhism, and so on. It was difficult, but perfect for an academic magpie. I graduated with a BA in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry and a plan to both help people learn to use technology and be a STEM librarian. A few years later, I got an MLIS from Rutgers, and then spent the next twenty years with “STEM Librarian,” “Instructional Technologist,” and/or “Data Services Specialist” in my job titles.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
In early 2025, after being cold-contacted because of my tech training and Russian skills, I took on an unpaid service project through the United States Peace Corps. I did eight months of part-time virtual service, via video call, teaching technology skills to the librarians in Volintiri village, Moldova. We put up a website for their village improvement NGO, analyzed survey results, and taught people to recognize AI-generated media and hoax news stories. I miss my new friends dearly now that the project is over, and we keep in touch. Volintiri is on the Moldova-Ukraine border, so now I hope for peace in Ukraine not only for everyone, but so that I can visit.
Otherwise, I like to make things, which might be knitting, sewing, beadwork, gardens, music, electronics, cooking or painting, depending on the moment. I am usually slowly studying a language—lately it’s Romanian and Mandarin (Chinese). I’ll read anything, but science fiction, LGBTQ+ romance, and Chinese webnovel translations are frequent choices. My amateur radio call is KC1MTX.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
I spent two decades in small colleges where I got to work with researchers and students in different disciplines, STEM and otherwise, every day. After a career break for health and family reasons, I began freelancing in academic editing and in electronic book (EPUB) design, which I still do. I’m particularly excited to index in science topics in all areas, general audience or academic, and my interdisciplinary background makes me excited for projects that bend or blend disciplines.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
Stepping away to do something requiring movement, whether it’s walking to the corner or starting a load of laundry, helps me to make up my mind or think of a solution. Music is also a big part of my motivation: Bach piano recordings are now a habit while I’m gathering terms. When I’m editing, there are K-pop instrumentals. When I’m stuck or just need to wake up, I want songs I can sing (or occasionally yell) along to.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I joined ASI in April 2024, as I was beginning to explore indexing as a career. That year I taught myself a lot about indexing, even while I struggled with some of the concepts. I didn’t attend an event until early 2025, and I rapidly learned a lot more about how to get up to speed, and I found out just how welcoming ASI indexers are, in that one afternoon. After some detours with volunteer work and other freelancing, I have more indexing projects under my belt and have taken the Library Juice Academy (LJA) Introduction to Book Indexing course.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
The opportunities to meet other indexers who can advise and help when you hit a tough spot. Without ASI, I would not have known where to start at getting to know colleagues. I hosted a breakout room at the April Indexer Playground, and it was the perfect combination of low-pressure trivia and the chance to get to know a few people a little more. If you get the chance, it’s the sort of experience I recommend to anyone!
Items to be considered for the See Also newsletter should be submitted by the 15th of the month before publication. For August 2026 issue, please email SeeAlsoEditor@asindexing.org by July 15. Thank you.