It’s summer! And our chapters are busy planning events for June and the fall months. Hope you can join us.
ASI Webinar: Heather Hedden presents Taxonomy Consulting
Upcoming ASI Chapter Events
Golden Gate
Pacific Northwest
Chicago-Great Lakes
News from Other Associations
New Indexer Contest
“Make Your Own Luck” Freelancers Conference
Spotlight—Rita Bates
ASI Webinar: Heather Hedden presents Taxonomy Consulting
If you missed ASI’s recent webinar on Taxonomy Consulting, with presenter Heather Hedden, the webinar replay is available at the ASI website. And, of course, if you registered for the webinar, you can watch the replay any time. Check out our other webinars here.
Upcoming ASI Chapter Events
Golden Gate Chapter Meeting and Lunch
Sunday, June 17, 2018
11:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Berkeley, CA
You are invited to a peer review focused on professional communications. Bring your standard verbiage for initial bid requests, index submission cover letters, etc. to share with the group. We’ll compare our samples and get some positive reinforcement and new ideas for improving client relations. At some point, we’ll break for a lunch of Mediterranean take-out, beverages, and dessert. The meeting will also include a brainstorming session on possible public outreach events that we could stage in the future.
COST AND REGISTRATION: $10.00 for ASI members and $15.00 for nonmembers. Fee includes lunch. Checks (payable to American Society for Indexing) or cash can be paid at the door, but you must pre-register by emailing Theresa Duran by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 15. She will provide the address and directions.
Pacific Northwest Chapter 2018 Fall Meeting
Saturday, September 15
Springhill Marriott Suites
Vancouver, WA (a 15-minute drive from the Portland, OR airport)
The morning session will feature Pilar Wyman on Indexing in Digital Environments with Jan Wright anchoring the panel discussion. In the afternoon, three sessions are planned:
Greg Bessert, local attorney, on the New Tax Law
Carolyn Weaver on Disaster Planning for Your Business
Judy Staigmiller moderates a Knotty Bits group discussion.
Find more information and a link to the registration packet on the PNW website.
The Chicago-Great Lakes Chapter Fall 2018 Workshop
Friday, October 26–Saturday, October 27
Hilton Garden Inn
Des Plaines, Illinois
Indexing Names. Enid Zafran presents an all-day mini-course on Friday. There are questions galore that come up about when to pick names up, how to order them, how to make for them., etc. This is a totally new workshop created just for the Chicago-Great Lakes Chapter!
On Saturday we’ll have four sessions.
Genealogical Indexes. Matt Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History at Chicago’s revered Newberry Library, will discuss the ins-and-outs of good (and bad) genealogical indexes gleaned from his fifteen years’ experience helping researchers navigate local and family research materials.
How to be the Interface between Publishers and Digital Indexing Techniques. Terry Casey will discuss how to communicate with publishers and others about including indexes for digital publications. Why should you bring this up with them? She will discuss what questions to ask when getting started with a publisher, and a very good workflow on possible ways to deliver embedded indexes for different files and software.
CUP/XML WordEmbed: One of the Best-Kept Secrets in Indexing. Jim Fuhr will demonstrate and discuss the features, advantages, and some of issues surrounding this program, one of whose attributes is the ease of its use compared with other embedded indexing systems.
Brilliantly Structured Indexes Redux: Another Look at Index Structure. Fred Leise expands on the concepts developed in the ASI online learning course presented in the fall of 2016. Those three sessions focused on a method for creating an index structure using a top-down and bottom-up process.
For details (including hotel accommodation information) and registration information, please visit the Chicago-Great Lakes Chapter website.
News from Other Associations
New Indexer Contest
The Institute of Certified Indexers has opened the application period for its 2018 competition for best new indexer, The Purple Pen Award. The award is open to new indexers who completed an indexing course in the last five years (January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2018) and submit an index created for payment (not a practice or pro bono index).
Each entrant will receive a detailed feedback report compiled from the comments of three ICI-member judges. Standards for the judging come from the ICI Best Practices. Candidates for the contest can find the rules and submission form here.
Deadline for submissions is July 31, 2018 midnight EST. Application must be accompanied by the fee of $40. Only one submission is accepted per entrant. For non-U.S. entrants, please email to discuss best payment methods.
“Make Your Own Luck” Freelancers Conference
Friday, September 21–Saturday, September 22
Hilton Garden Inn Rochester/University & Medical Center
Rochester, NY
Whether you are new to freelancing or are already established and need ideas to enhance your marketing efforts, techniques to find (more and better-paying) clients, help with tools of the trade such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat, networking resources, tips on making the most of social media, or advice on buying new equipment, Communication Central programs can help you on your journey to a more successful freelance business and career. The conference program is available here. For the best rate, register before August 1. ASI members get a discount.
Spotlight
Rita Bates recently completed the ASI Training Course. If you would like to be in the spotlight or nominate someone for it, please contact the editor, Ælfwine Mischler.
Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family?
I grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but preferred the quiet of the suburbs, so 25 years ago I moved to Oakville, a 45-minute train ride to the city. I share my home with my husband, two sons, and our peek-a-poo Scooby. Our daughter recently moved out on her own with her cock-a-poo Daisy, reminding me of just how fast time goes by.
What is your educational background?
I have a graduate certificate in creative writing from Humber College. I’ve also taken a number of online editing classes with Simon Fraser University, in British Columbia, Canada.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I am a health and fitness junky. I’m always on the lookout for new workouts, healthy recipes, and great-tasting smoothies.
The last few years I’ve had opportunity and time to travel outside North America. My family is originally from Malta, a small island in the Mediterranean. I enjoy going back to visit family and friends.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
I was a librarian’s assistant for Toronto Public Libraries when my husband and I started a company together. Eventually, I left the library to work for our company full-time. My role changed as the business grew. I was able to put my skills to work writing workplace and safety procedures, creating marketing materials, and managing web content. We sold our company in 2015 at which time I started freelancing as a writer and indexer.
What’s the story behind your photo?
Drew Marshall, a friend and host of The Drew Marshall Show on 1050 Joy AM (Saturdays at 1 p.m.) asked me to co-host an episode. I had an amazing time in the studio. An experience I will not forget. He is the Howard Stern of Christian Radio. He interviews the most interesting people.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I started indexing without realizing out of necessity. The more procedures I documented, and the more bids our company was awarded, the harder it was to keep track of the content in each. A project manager would want information pulled from one bid to assist on another. There was so much paperwork associated with each that it would take me half a day to find what I was looking for. I took it upon myself to index lengthy procedural documentation and the content of larger bids. This made the retrieval of information much simpler.
I joined ASI in 2014 after completing Indexing: An Essential Art and Science at SFU as part of the Editing Certificate. I asked my instructor if any other formal training was required to pursue a career in indexing. She referred me to ASI.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
Being a part of a supportive community is very important to me, especially as a newbie. This newsletter keeps me apprised of what’s happening and how the industry is changing, as well as providing opportunities to expand my knowledge through webinars. And the annual conference where I can meet other indexers is essential.
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