ASI News
—Annual conference, featuring two keynotes, welcomes registrants
—Presenting … nominees for ASI board
—Deadline nears for Hines Award nominations
—Spring Key Words is coming
Chapters and SIGS
—DPI SIG needs co-webmaster
—History SIG meets March 31
Associated Industry News
—ISC/SCI conference registration opens
—Read The Indexer issue for free
To Your Health
—Give your eyes a break
Did you know?
Spotlight on Cindy Coan
ASI News
Annual conference, featuring two keynotes, welcomes registrants
Early-bird registration is open for ASI's annual conference, "The Eyes Have It: The Indexer Perspective—Past, Present & Future," to be held virtually on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29.
In addition, a three-hour Introduction-to-Indexing Workshop, presented by Fred Leise, will be held Thursday, April 27.
The conference kicks off with a keynote address by New York Times taxonomist Jennifer Parrucci, on "Metadata at the New York Times: Organizing and Leveraging News Content from 1851-Today." Subsequent sessions over the two-day conference include a live demo of scholarly indexing, an exploration of artificial intelligence tools, a fresh look at e-book indexes, as well as networking opportunities and indexing software sessions.
For full details on all the sessions and presenters and to register, go to the conference page.
Presenting … nominees for ASI board
ASI's Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the candidates for open positions on the Board of Directors.
The candidates are:
President-elect: Shelley Quattrocchi
Secretary: Alexandra Nickerson
Director (1): Kara Pekar
Director (2): Johnna Dinse
The committee had several goals when putting together the slate of candidates: the development of a strong Board of Directors that will function well as a whole while also representing the diversity of ASI members and their views; broadening the number of people who are included in ASI leadership at all levels; and ensuring that ASI will continue to have active members with board experience who are willing to take on future leadership roles at the highest levels.
Learn more about the candidates here.
Deadline nears for Hines Award nominations
Nominations will be accepted by the Hines Award Committee until March 10, 2023.
The Hines Award, named for ASI founding member Theodore C. Hines, is ASI's highest service honor, recognizing 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.
The person submitting the nomination should solicit letters of recommendation to supplement the nomination. The letters and nomination combined should demonstrate the length and breadth of a nominee's service and should detail the contributions made by the nominee to ASI.
Please see full rules and procedures here.
Nominations and any questions can be sent to Hines Committee chairperson Kendra Millis. The award will be presented at ASI's Annual Meeting in May.
Spring Key Words is coming
Watch for the next edition of Key Words, the quarterly journal of the American Society for Indexing, available in April.
The issue includes a look at:
- The web-based, multilingual Dictionary of Indexing Terminology.
- ASI's revamped Indexer Locator.
- Tools and techniques for project tracking, encyclopedia indexing and index updating.
- The HarperCollins--Local 2110 UAW negotiations.
Chapters and SIGS
DPI SIG needs co-webmaster
Help keep the website for the Digital Publications Indexing SIG updated. A volunteer co-webmaster is needed to work with DPI member Pierke Bosschieter. The work requires a minimal time commitment every other month. The volunteer needs to be an ASI member.
Email webmaster@digital-publications-indexing.org if you are interested or have questions.
The DPI Special Interest Group holds regular online meetings, with the next get-together scheduled for May 4.
History SIG meets March 31
The History/Archaeology Special Interest Group will meet virtually on Friday, March 31, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. The online session is a chance for SIG members to get to know each other and to share indexing experiences.
Visit the H/A SIG's website for information about joining. You can also check out the discussion group here.
Email Vickie Jacobs with questions.
Associated Industry News
ISC/SCI conference registration opens
The Indexing Society of Canada has opened registration for its annual conference, See Also Newfoundland, which will be held June 9 and June 10, 2023, at the Murray Premises Hotel in St. John's.
Full details about the conference program and registration are available here.
Read The Indexer issue for free
The March 2020 issue of The Indexer is available free through its publisher, Liverpool University Press. This issue of the quarterly journal managed by the Society of Indexers includes "Memories of an editor" by Hazel Bell, and "In defense of marking up," by ASI member Devon Thomas.
LUP offers a free issue of each of its journals each year. You can browse through previous issues here.
Conference scholarship available
New indexers may be eligible for aid to attend a 2023 national indexing conference through the DReam to Index scholarships. The award is in memory of David K. Ream, who provided IT support to indexers and publishers. Details are available here.
To Your Health
Give your eyes a break
When working (or playing) on a digital device, we blink less often—less than half the normal 15 to 20 times per minute, according to WebMD. This can lead to dry eyes and worsen eye strain.
The American Optometric Association explores the reasons for digital eye strain and ways to prevent or treat it.
One way is to follow the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break by looking at something 20 feet away.
Did you know?
ASI offers a full list of indexing training courses and workshops here.
Spotlight on Cindy Coan
This month’s Spotlight is on Cindy Coan, owner of Indexing by the Book.
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 southern Arizona; in fact, I’ve never lived anywhere else. I am the sole person in my household, but I share my residence with a medium-sized cute but mischievous German Shepherd mix named Chloe.
What is your educational background?
I have a master’s degree in library science. I earned my B.A. in history, with a minor in Spanish.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I love to read, especially historical fiction, mysteries, and stories involving time-travel. I’ve also done some writing, though it isn’t always easy to squeeze that in with my busy indexing schedule. I enjoy learning foreign languages and was able to use my Swedish to track down relatives on my mother’s side living in Sweden. I still write back and forth to one Swedish cousin’s surviving wife and have Facebook connections with another cousin’s daughter.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
Prior to indexing, I was a librarian at a one-person museum library, a position I held for close to a decade and a half. I’m not currently working in a library, but I’m always open to the possibility. Meanwhile, besides indexing, I translate written material from Spanish and Swedish into English. To date, I’ve translated documents, articles, and a children’s book.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
I haven’t found any magic remedies for getting past project snags. Sometimes—especially if it’s late in the evening—the only thing that works is setting the project aside and then coming back to it refreshed. Whether a break takes the form of a household chore, going for a walk, or simply getting a night’s sleep, a rest is often all my brain needs to come up with a solution. If, on the other hand, the snag arises because of something like a technical issue connected with, say, embedded indexing, I’ve reached out to other indexers for advice or assistance. Even after all these years of indexing, I’ve found I still have new things to learn!
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I started indexing full time in 2003. I joined ASI around that time.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
Given the often-solitary nature of indexing, I appreciate having opportunities to connect with my fellow indexers. Conference attendance is one way to do that but by no means the only way. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to hear about and weigh in on issues of concern to other indexers, whether it’s a question or puzzle connected with a specific project or something to do with the latest trends in the field or societal trends and their potential impact on indexing.
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