Volunteers Needed

Thank you as always to all the volunteers who devote time and energy to the Society. We all benefit greatly from it.

Conference 2023

Yes! Unbelievable as it is … we are starting to think about next year. And, cross your fingers, nose, and toes, it might even be in person. This is a committee of six people, who each have their own tasks but also come together to make decisions as a collective. As usual, we have three people returning, but need three more. Team players need apply! You do need to have attended past conferences.

Conference 2023 Scholarships

Along with the excitement of an in-person conference comes the realization that we need to start counting our pennies. The Society thinks that attending the conference is important in the career of a new indexer, so we are subsidising some travel expenses. If you think you will not be applying for this scholarship, please help us decide who will! This is an ad hoc committee, so the duties will be finished even before the conference has begun.

New Indexer Resource Committee (NIRC)

This is a brand-spanking new committee … it started as an ad hoc committee, but they have made the request to have it be a standing committee. Natch, we need a few volunteers for this. If you feel creative and enjoy writing, this is the job for you. Conversely, if you (like me) can’t write your way out of a paper bag but enjoy editing and proofing, the committee needs you too! This is a good volunteer position for either an experienced OR a new indexer.

Recording Secretary

Our wonderful recording secretary has recently taken over the coordinator position of the Mary Newberry Mentorship Program (yay). So … we need a new person to take the minutes at the executive committee meetings. The position involves attending and writing up the minutes for six meetings a year. You get to see the inner workings of the executive committee without the responsibility of being on it! Fun!

Social Media Committee

We have someone (thanks, Jess!) at the moment who is posting what is given to them by the communications director, but we really need a few people to be on a committee to determine what to say and when.

Webinars

We have a webinar coordinator and someone else with good ideas. However, the committee could use a nuts-and-bolts person … to help think about registration forms, payment options and so forth. If you like those details, the committee would be grateful for your contributions. We could also use a website host … someone to welcome the presenter and so forth.

Ad Hoc Committees

Often, when the executive committee is meeting, we come up with an idea of something that we think will benefit the Society and form an ad hoc committee to do the research and come back with a recommendation. It is great if we can find Society members who are not on the executive committee to belong to these committees. If you would like to help somehow and you are not excited by any of the above ideas, please let me know that you might be available for an ad hoc committee. You are under no obligation to be on any of them, I would just email to ask once in a while, and you could see whether you thought a particular committee might work for you.

Please contact presidents@indexers.ca to find out more about these volunteer positions.

ISC/SCI Has a New Co-President

Changes afoot …! The executive committee has accepted Jason’s resignation and asked Tere Mullin to step up from her position as Eastern Region representative to become co-president with Alexandra Peace.

Please join me in wishing Jason well and welcoming Tere to her new position.

Jason Begy

After a wonderful nine or so months of serving as co-president with Alex, I am stepping down. A career opportunity has come up that is simply too good for me to pass on, but it will require all of my focus and attention. The ISC/SCI has been an invaluable aspect of my indexing career, and I have especially enjoyed these past few years as part of the executive committee. I leave you in Alex’s exceptionally capable hands, and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Tere Mullin as she steps-in to take over for me.

Tere Mullin

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It’s lovely to be saying hello to you as your new co-president. I’m honoured and delighted to have this opportunity, and I’m very much looking forward to serving you as I learn and grow within this role.

I am relatively new to indexing, having started working full-time in early 2021. I enjoy working in a variety of scholarly subject areas within the humanities and social sciences, particularly archaeology and anthropology. Although I came to indexing quite by accident, as many people seem to, I now can’t imagine doing anything else. My involvement with ISC/ISC has grown in tandem with my indexing practice, and I’ve had the privilege of serving as Eastern regional representative and coordinator of the Mary Newberry Mentorship Program. I feel truly fortunate to be a member of this supportive and dynamic community, and I hope to pay it forward. I look forward to meeting you all at the next get-together. Until then, I wish you all a joyous spring!

New Indexer Resources Page

The New Indexers’ Resources Committee (NIRC) is happy to announce the launch of its New Indexer Resources page!

The New Indexer Resources page will be accessible via the ISC/SCI website, indexers.ca, and will provide answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), as well as links to external resources. New and aspiring indexers will find a wealth of information on topics such as client relations, money management, software, taxes, and much more.

Content on the page will continue to grow as FAQs are added, and visitors are encouraged to submit their own questions and/or answers if they so wish. Our hope is that the page evolves based on users’ needs.

Call for Submissions: ISC/SCI Ewart-Daveluy Award for Excellence in Indexing 2022

Registration deadline: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Submissions are open! The application has never been easier.

  • It’s all online.
  • You don’t need a hard copy — a PDF of the published book AND/OR the PDF sent to you by the publisher plus your Word/RTF file of the index.
  • The cost is only $30.
  • We provide feedback for up to three runners-up.
  • Eligibility rules have changed.

If you are an indexer who is a Canadian citizen or a Canadian resident, you are eligible. If you are not a Canadian citizen or resident, you are eligible if you were a member of ISC/SCI at the time you wrote the index.

No restriction to the subject matter or genre — textbooks, cookbooks, guidebooks, memoirs, art books, how-to books, travel books, all books — it’s your index we will be looking at.

Show us how you creatively overcame challenges, resulting in an outstanding, well-structured, easy-to-navigate, clear and comprehensive guide for all of its users.

Give us a challenge. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Maybe you’ll get the prize (which won’t happen if you don’t apply). And if not, you’re very likely to get expert confidential feedback. That’s worth a lot.

This year you can submit indexes published in 2020 and 2021.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2022. Please see the awards page for guidelines, criteria, and the submission form.

Conference Registration Now Open

Registration for the 2022 ISC/SCI Annual Conference “Past Perfect, Future Progressive” is now open.

The virtual conference is taking place May 13-14, 2022, with an optional Fireside Chat for new indexers on May 12.

Take advantage of these early bird rates:

  • Members (including ASI, ANSZI, SI, all other affiliates and Editors Canada): $100
  • Non-members: $140
  • Special rate for eligible full-time students: $40
  • Optional Fireside Chat for new indexers: $10

All prices are in Canadian Dollars.

The conference speakers are covering a variety of topics to help you improve your indexing practice, make your business thrive, and expand your knowledge of issues pertinent to our industry. Visit the conference page for details and registration.

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet up with old friends and chat with new ones.

Register now before Early Bird pricing ends April 30.