ASI, in its 30-year history, has been fortunate in having the services of many dedicated members. The Theodore C. Hines Award was established in 1993 to honor those members who have provided exceptional service to ASI. The award is ASI's highest honor to its own, and was named for Ted Hines, who played a large part in the establishment of the Society.

For those who may not have known Ted Hines, he is considered by many to have been the "founding father" of ASI so it is fitting that we give an award in his name that "recognizes that individual who has shown continuous, dedicated, and exceptional service to the membership of ASI." Ted Hines was born September 9, 1926. He received his M.L.S. in 1958 and Ph.D. in 1960 from Rutgers University. He taught at Rutgers, Columbia University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He died June 25, 1983. In an obituary for Prof. Hines, Dick Kollin wrote, "Ted left his mark on many of us, and the profession is the better for it."

Although most of the recipients of the Hines Award have been past presidents of ASI, this is not a requirement. If you know of someone who has offered distinguished service, perhaps as an officer, board member or committee member, or who has worked with ASI for the advancement and improvement of the indexing profession, then please consider nominating that person for the Hines Award.

• Recipients of the Hines Award

Hines Award Nomination Process

ASI is what it is today because of the contributions of its members. The Hines Award is one way in which ASI honors those who have made contributions to the organization. Winners have been instrumental in writing and editing books, in publicizing ASI programs and services, in the formation of chapters or SIGs, and in improving training for indexers.

Do you know someone who you think is worthy of this honor?

The Hines Committee requests letters telling us of these achievements. It is helpful if more than one letter is received about an individual, so please ask others to write letters in support of your nominee, as well.

The recipient, who should be a current or former active member of ASI, will receive a lifetime membership in ASI.

Previous winners are listed below. No award was given in 1999.

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Recipients of the Hines Award

2008 Martha Osgood

The 2008 Hines Award was presented to Martha Osgood. A broad range of fellow indexers nominated Martha for the award and documented how beneficial her peer review system has been for all indexers. Having experienced the value of one-on-one critiques of her own indexes, Martha encouraged such reviews at regional chapter meetings and at informal indexer gatherings outside of those meetings. The peer review process encourages different viewpoints to be expressed. The author of the reviewed index, having actually read the book, decides which strategies will ultimately work best in that particular index. The interactive process between the reviewer and the reviewee allows both to become better indexers. In addition to fostering the spread of the peer review process across the continent, Martha began and nurtures the IndexPeers discussion list, which allows geographically isolated indexers the benefits gained from the peer review process.

Martha also encourages new indexers to think carefully about what it takes to become and continue in business as a freelance indexer. In her web-based NoviceNotes, she discusses a large range of indexer resources, a sample process of indexing, issues around the business of indexing, customary marketing methods, why a person might not want to do this work, and what a reviewed index looks like. Martha’s commitment to ASI and indexing has included service in several capacities on the Pacific Northwest Chapter Board, running the chapter website and listserv, and serving as listmanager for the ASI-L listserv.

2007 Sandi Schroeder

The 2007 Hines Award was presented to Sandi Schroeder. Sandi was nominated by a broad range of fellow indexers who produced an impressive account of her many services to ASI and its members at both chapter and national levels. Sandi has been a member of ASI since 1988, and was largely responsible for resurrecting and maintaining the once-dormant, now vibrant Chicago/Great Lakes chapter. She is known as a personal mentor of indexers, bringing new people into the field, and training and advising them. She is also a public advocate of the art of indexing, speaking to such organizations as Dominican University library science classes, Chicago Women in Publishing, and the Publishers Marketing Association. One nominator compiled a list of over 20 national offices that Sandi has held since 1997, as an active board member, committee volunteer, SIG member, and ultimately as president of the society (1999–2000).

One of Sandi’s signal accomplishments was ensuring that ASI would always have a reliable copilot: she spearheaded the effort to obtain a management organization for ASI, and indeed found and championed The Resource Center. Without that bold and inspired move, many of her successors would not have been able to take on the heretofore time-consuming and income-gobbling role of president, and many of ASI’s current activities (such as the education program) could never have been attempted.

2006 Janet Perlman

Janet Perlman, a 25-year member of ASI, is the recipient of the 2006 Hines Award. To quote one of the many letters of nomination: "Janet’s professional qualifications are stellar. She has served national ASI in many ways, as a member of the Board of Directors, the Wilson Award Committee, the Web site committee, the chapter relations committee, the archive committee, the salary survey committee, and the publicity committee. Janet has contributed articles to Key Words, presented workshops at countless national conferences, and is the author/editor of the ASI/ITI’s Running an Indexing Business." She attended 11 out of 14 national conferences and led sessions at seven of them as workshop leader, roundtable leader, panelist, or discussion leader.

In addition to her work for the Society on a national level, Janet co-founded the Arizona Chapter of ASI. She shared her knowledge through workshops given to chapters across the country. She has been involved in indexing education programs, and she is always willing to share her knowledge and practical advice in open forums such as Index-L. Through the Society of Technical Communicators and the Arizona Book Publishing Association, she promoted the value of indexing beyond ASI. Through her membership in the Indexing and Abstracting Society of Canada, she fostered the links between our sister Society and ASI.

2005 Francis Lennie

Frances Lennie, a member of ASI since 1988, is the recipient of the 2005 Hines Award. She has served as Vice-President, President, and Immediate Past President of the Society (2002-2005), and also served a six-year term as Treasurer (1992-1998). Locally, she has served terms as Secretary and Treasurer of the New York City Chapter and was active in the Western New York Chapter of ASI. Her activities in training indexers include teaching the New York University indexing course for the past five years and making numerous presentations at local and national conferences. She has also represented ASI at numerous conferences overseas. Currently, she is focusing on the development of an introductory training course that ASI could offer to new indexers. Her company, Indexing Research, is the developer of CINDEX. Frances' writings for ASI publications include chapters in Indexing Specialties: Medicine and Indexing Specialties: Cookbooks (in press). In one of the many letters of support for her nomination, Patricia Aslin writes, "Generous to a fault, [Frances] has worked tirelessly to promote and protect the interest of the membership and the society at large; it is a better organization for her efforts."

2004 Robert Palmer

The Hines Award for 2004 was presented to Robert J. Palmer, one of the founding members of the Society. To quote one of the letters of nomination: "Without his contribution, we indexers in the United States might very possibly be members of the (British) Society of Indexers. Robert Palmer, along with Theodore Hines, practically founded the American Society of Indexers single-handed." As the American Honorary Correspondent to the Society of Indexers (SI) in the 1960s, Mr. Palmer instituted talks that led in 1968 to the formation of ASI "as a serious organization with helpful ties to an experienced group across the ocean." As a charter member who has held continuous membership in ASI since 1968, he served from 1969 through 1976 on the first Board of Directors and was the writer of ASI's original constitution. He was one of the first U.S. indexers to employ indexers-in-training, was an 'early adopter' of computers for indexing, and helped to shape the indexing standards that we follow today. He was influential in recruiting many members to ASI in the 1960s and 1970s, organized many of the early meetings, continued to serve as ASI liaison to SI for many years, and helped to define the future direction of ASI. With this award, we honor one of the true giants of our profession.

2003 Anne Leach

Anne Leach has served ASI in an impressive variety of national and chapter positions over the years. She served on the Board of Directors and as editor of the Society's newsletter (now Key Words) from 1989 to 1995. Anne was also ASI Publicity Chair in 1991–1992. Anne has made major contributions to ASI through her active participation and leadership roles in the Golden Gate and Southern California Chapters, where she has repeatedly served as chapter president and program chair. Anne has been a frequent presenter at national meetings and chapter programs across the country. She is known for her tireless and enthusiastic promotion of indexing and indexers. Her colleagues have said that Anne "encourages all new indexers with friendliness, humor, and valuable advice and anecdotes" and that she "epitomizes the most important aspect of ASI: active membership participation."

2002 Jessica Milstead

The American Society of Indexers has presented the 2002 Hines Award for exceptional service to Jessica Milstead. Ms. Milstead has been a member of ASI since its beginning in 1968. She has served in a variety of offices, from Secretary pro tem starting at the first official ASI meeting, to Board of Directors from 1989 to 1993. She has been an instrumental member of the ASI Bylaws Committee and an important source of information on ASI's activities. Jessica is noted for her continuous service to ASI as a society officer, invited speaker, mentor, and a source of professional knowledge. Her contributions to the indexing profession go far beyond her notable service to ASI. In 1984, Jessica chaired the committee which prepared the American National Standard Guidelines for Indexes (ANSI Z39.4-1984). Jessica is prominent in the fields of thesaurus and index development, and database management. She is regarded as "one of the giants" of the information industry. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Documentation Abstracts International (1993–1996) and the American Society for Information Science (1987–1990). Jessica has contributed numerous professional papers and books in the fields of indexing and information science, and has presented workshops and courses for ASI, ASIS, NFAIS and Rutgers University. In recognition of her many years of outstanding service, Jessica Milstead now joins the distinguished ranks of Hines Award recipients.

2001 Linda K. Fetters

The American Society of Indexers (ASI) has presented the 2001 Hines Award to Linda K. Fetters, of Corpus Christi, Texas, for exceptional service to the organization. Ms. Fetters, owner of Fetters InfoManagement Co., has served in the offices of corresponding secretary, vice president, president, board member, and chair of the Publications Committee. As the Society grew, she organized the first ASI administrative office and was the Administrator for four years. In the 1980s, as indexing software was being developed and enhanced, she wrote the "Electronic Shoebox" column for the American Society of Indexers Newsletter, in which she reviewed software, suggested improvements to developers, and provided guidance to indexers in selecting software. She also wrote A Guide to Indexing Software and subsequently updated it for a total of five editions. Linda Fetters has used her organizational and technical expertise to improve the operations of ASI and the knowledge and productivity of indexers.

2000 Nancy Mulvany 

The American Society of Indexers (ASI) has presented the 2000 Hines Award to Nancy C. Mulvany for exceptional service to the organization. Ms. Mulvany, owner of Bayside Indexing Service in Kensington, California (www.bayside-indexing.com), has been a leader of ASI both at the national and chapter levels. She organized the Society's 25th annual conference, established ties with other national indexing societies, and emphasized education of members. In addition to her organizational contributions, Ms. Mulvany wrote the current standard text Indexing Books (University of Chicago Press, 1994) and designed the Basic Indexing course of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School, a correspondence course taken by many professional indexers.

1999 No award given. 

1998 Dr. Bella Hass Weinberg 

Bella Hass Weinberg is a Professor in Library and Information Science at St. John's University in Jamaica, New York. No one in the American Society of Indexers has done more to lead indexers to higher levels of scholarship and in so doing, to elevate the profile of the indexing profession. Her activities in this regard include teaching indexing and thesaurus design at St. John's and at ASI conferences, giving in-house workshops for publishers on index evaluation, writing papers for academic journals as well as Key Words and The Indexer, and consulting on thesauri and large indexing projects.

Above all, and the reason why she received the Hines award, she has maintained a commitment to the American Society of Indexers and helped to increase the Society's visibility in the academic world. Her participation in ASI has been like a bridge connecting the worlds of academia, of publishing, of full-time in-house indexers, and freelancers. She has something to say to all of us, and let's hope she never stops!

1997 Dr. Hans Wellisch

As nominations for Dr. Wellisch showed, he exceeds the criteria. Dr. Wellisch is a Past President of ASI and is well known for his popular and authoritative book Indexing from A to Z, among other valuable publications. His many accomplishments include his service as ASI's representative to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), his Glossary of indexing terms, his two book-length bibliographies of indexing and abstracting, and his contribution to ASI's Indexing: The State of Our Knowledge and the State of Our Ignorance as well as his scholarship and service as a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland at College Park. 

It's obvious that he maintains a lively interest in the goings-on in ASI, and he has a phenomenal memory for the history of ASI. Rightfully, there's been lots of concern about Hans' health, but I'm pleased to report that he looks very good: a little bit thin, but his color was great, his walk was sprightly, and he talked very animatedly. 

—Maria Coughlin, upon delivering the plaque to Dr. Wellisch, July 17, 1997.

Dr. Wellisch was honored to receive this award but could not attend the Annual Meeting because of health considerations. 

Indexing does not come naturally, like breathing. It is rather more like playing the fiddle: some learn to do it reasonably well, a few will become virtuosi, but most people will never know how to do it at all. This simple truth seems to be lost on publishers and editors, who almost always assume that someone who can write a book will also be able to index it. But this assumption ... is tantamount to the belief that an author can also design and cut the type from which the book will be printed.

—Hans Wellisch, Indexing from A to Z (New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1991), x.v.

1996 Dorothy Thomas 

Dorothy Thomas is a past president of the American Society of Indexers. She also has been an ASI Director, served on the Wilson Award Committee and as ASI representative to NISO, taken on the role of ASI historian, and has been an indexer for some 35 years in many fields, especially legal material.

She has played crucial roles in establishing and disseminating indexing principles and standards. This includes her diligent work as ASI representative to NISO during development of the Electronic Manuscript Standard as well as her leadership in creating the criteria for the ASI/H.W. Wilson Company Indexing Award. Her 1988 presentation on "Book Indexing Principles and Standards" at the Annual Meeting of ASI still stands as one of the very few statements of indexing principles.

She has produced a series of oral histories of indexers, was senior editor for the sciences for the Academic American Encyclopedia Index, and also contributes to the field via conference presentations and workshops.

She has graciously offered advice and guidance to many in our field. Among those who sing her praises are three past presidents of ASI. Linda Fetters says "Dorothy is one of the most energetic people I know. At an age when most people would be happy to retire, Dorothy has continued her indexing career." Carolyn McGovern notes that Dorothy "has contributed to a sense of continuity that board members need as we go through a tremendous period of growth and change." And Nancy Mulvany calls Dorothy Thomas the "community memory" of ASI.

1995 BevAnne Ross

BevAnne Ross was awarded the 1995 Hines Award, in honor and recognition of her years of dedicated service to the Society and to the indexing profession. Ms. Ross died on June 3, 1995, at her home in Novato, California, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. She was 71. The Hines Award was presented to her at her home some weeks before her death.

BevAnne Ross served as president of ASI in 1978-1979 and as a Board member for the years 1977 through 1982. She was a founding member of the ASI Golden Gate Chapter which recently recognized her devotion and efforts on behalf of the chapter with its first Distinguished Service Award. Ms. Ross was a native of San Francisco, author, editor, indexer, teacher, and prominent member of political, professional, and women's organizations.

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