In a scholarly book that you wouldn’t normally choose to read, there are gems of knowledge that you would never know were there. And only an indexer would know that.
Mary Newberry and Judy Dunlop have been joyfully indexing scholarly books for years. Join us as they share their experiences in a joint presentation in Winnipeg, June 8 and 9.
Over the last week, we’ve had a riveting discussion on the ISC-L forum.
It started because a Canadian indexer was indexing a book on racism in the US, and had asked an American indexer for advice on approaching the language. For the benefit of ISC-L forum readers, the American indexer posted the very useful guidance that she gave to the Canadian indexer.
That post started a flood of comments about our struggles in indexing books that deal with difficult issues.
We really want to do the right thing by the author and the reader.
As indexer Alicia Peres put it very eloquently:
As indexers, we are acutely aware that our work comes at the end of the publication process, and we must deal with the text as it has been written. Yet, in dealing with the terms readers are likely to look for, we are not without influence, both in educating readers through terminology and in how we select and word index listings.
Alicia wrote these words not for the forum, but in her invitation to Gregory Younging, a Member of Opsakwayak Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, the Indigenous Studies Program Coordinator at University of British Columbia Okanagan, and author of “Elements of Indigenous Style.”
And that is how she convinced Dr. Younging to come to Winnipeg to speak at our conference.
Learn first-hand from an author who has thought deeply about language when you come to the ISC/SCI conference on June 8-9.
Every three months, a treasure lands in my mailbox. As I pull it out of the clear plastic envelope, and read the article titles laid out on the smooth pastel cover, I feel again how lucky I am to be a member of the indexing community.
As usual, The Indexer I am holding is full of smart—and sometimes humourous—information, advice, and stories on all things indexing.
How is it that they never run out of ideas?
Editor Maureen MacGlashan wrote about that in 2008 in an article titled “The Indexer: past, present, and future” for the occasion of The Indexer’s 50th anniversary. In the article Maureen says that in the early years, “Those who knew no better (and, from my own experience as editor, still know) saw no future for a journal dedicating to indexing…Editors were warned: ‘You’ll never be able to keep it up; you’ll find that by the end of another year you have completely exhausted all the possible aspects of indexing.’”
Maureen then explains why that did not happen, and why it wasn’t going to be a problem, at least not in 2008.
That was ten years ago. Would Maureen say the same today?
Well, get ready to ask her at our opening session at the ISC/SCI conference.
We’re thrilled to announce that Maureen is going to give us the lowdown on her years as editor of The Indexer, in an interview with Christine Jacobson. The conference is in Winnipeg June 8-9.
At the 2014 Conference in Toronto, Margery Towery gave us one of her best indexing tips: plug yourself into the subject. If you index in the Humanities, or hope to start, you cannot get more plugged in to the human condition than by exploring the world’s story of human rights.
You will have your best opportunity when you come to Winnipeg for the conference June 8-9.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is the only museum in the world that explores human rights as a topic and an aspiration. The stories and interactive displays cover human rights through the ages and up to current times with a uniquely Canadian lens. The building’s stunning architecture gives you space to reflect on what you learn. And the stories of triumph will leave you inspired.
The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day except Mondays, and stays open to 9 pm on Wednesdays.
Before you book your trip, consider making room in your travel plans to spend three to six hours at the CMHR.
P.S. If you plan to stay at the Fort Garry Hotel, phone to get the special rate with our Group Code. The code doesn’t work for online reservations.
On the confluence of the Red River and the Assiniboine River lies Winnipeg. For thousands of years, this area was the crossroads of canoe routes linking the Indigenous Peoples of the north to those of the south along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
And it was here that, according to Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) oral tradition, a very large peace meeting took place 500–700 years ago among about ten different Indigenous groups.
That’s something to think about as we arrive for our annual conference in June.
Winnipeg is an extraordinary multicultural city that values its heritage and its inclusivity. You’ll experience it for yourself when you take in just some of these must-do activities.
The Forks
The Forks is one of Winnipeg’s most beloved places. Located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, it’s a unique combination of park-like atmosphere combined with restaurants, shopping, a river walk, and more. Chances are very good that there will be an outdoor event going on when we’re there.
“The world’s only museum that explores human rights as a concept and aspiration. It is not built around a collection of artifacts, but designed to illuminate a powerful idea. Visitors embark on an inspiring journey from darkness to light – exploring global human rights stories through a uniquely Canadian lens.” (Source: CMHR)
One of the exhibitions that will be running in June is “Canadian Doctors in the Field,” the stories of three doctors who have worked in conflict zones.
This historic thirty-block district is considered one of Canada’s architectural marvels. Named for the original Grain Exchange that operated from 1880 to 1913, it features massive brick warehouses, terracotta-clad buildings, and cobblestone lanes. Movies are filmed here.
Take a historic walking tour and linger at trendy Old Market Square where you’ll find bistros, galleries, vintage and antique shops, and café culture.
For a unique experience, visit the high-tech manufacturing facility that produces all the coins in circulation in Canada plus the coins of eighty other countries. That’s billions of coins each year!
Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, courtesy Travel Manitoba
Assiniboine Park: Conservatory and English Gardens and Leo Mol Sculpture Garden
The English Garden is nearly three acres of flowers, shrubs, and trees. It was established between 1926 and 1927 to inform visitors about floriculture. New plant varieties are added every year. The Rose Garden has more than 400 bushes of Floribunda, Grandiosa, and the prairie-hardy Rugosa varieties.
Leo Mol (1915–2009) was a Ukrainian Canadian stained-glass artist and prolific sculptor. His works are displayed around the world (such as the likenesses of three popes in the Vatican, the Queen on Parliament Hill, and Sir William Stephenson C.C. [code name “Intrepid”] at the CIA headquarters in Langley, VA).
The Leo Mol Sculpture Garden includes a gallery, renovated studio, and outdoor display.
Canada’s sixth-largest art gallery contains works spanning ten centuries, including the largest collection of Inuit art in the world. The landmark building is made of Manitoba Tyndall stone and has a rooftop restaurant.
Winnipeg has a thriving food culture, thanks to its creative, multicultural makeup and the bounty of the surrounding Canadian Prairie farmland, lakes, aspen forests, and wetlands.
Take a self-guided food tour by downloading the “Culinary Trails” guides on the Tourism Winnipeg website. With tours such as the international “Around the World in 8 or 9 Plates” and the regional “Homegrown Trail” there is much to discover.
I tell my writer friends that a good way to find new ideas is to read a scholarly book that’s not quite in their field.
