You may now register online [link disabled] or print out and mail a copy of the registration form in PDF format.

The complete conference program is now available for downloading in PDF format (6.4 MB). Or you may request that a copy be mailed to you by sending a message to info@asindexing.org. The information here is preliminary. Last-minute changes to the conference program and speakers may not match the information contained here. Please write conference@asindexing.org if you require specific information.

New Conference Email

Conference Content

We've collected a lot of great proposals from a lot of great people. We're excited that we'll have some very interesting and solid content tracks. For example, if you're interested in Web-related indexing, there's a Web track you can follow. We still have to confirm the speakers and collect final talk descriptions, but we expect to have several interesting tracks including How-To (basic indexing skills and techniques), Language and International, Web and Taxonomy, Society (issues relating to societal administration), Tools, and perhaps a few others. And of course there are always presentations that don't fit neatly into any of the tracks -- something we information organizers should understand intuitively.

In some content areas, we still want more! Based on past and current enthusiasm for these topics, we'd like to find even more presenters.

• We'd like to see more subject specialty topics: healthcare, computers, archaeology, law, self-help, travel, finance, etc. (We already have someone speaking about aerospace. :-) You don't even have to prepare a whole talk, because you can speak for less time if you serve on a panel.
• We'd like to see more presentations on non-English indexing (including languages common to North America, such as French and Spanish), and also on the status of indexing and indexers outside the English-speaking countries. We have some of these covered, but it's a big world and we'd like to emphasize that with greater representation on these topics.
• Finally, we'll never turn down business-related topics (invoicing, ethics, copyright, mentoring, and so on). In fact, there's room for a comprehensive post-conference session about running an indexing business. If you have an idea not included above but feel stymied by the submission deadlines, let us know by writing us at conference@asindexing.org. We might be able to squeeze you in.

Call for Vendors

Planning Your Toronto Trip

The conference website (both the ASI and IASC versions) continue to add information about Toronto-based happenings. The Toronto tourism services are also updating their content as June approaches. As you start to think about clearing out a block of time in your schedule, be sure to add in an extra day or two just to enjoy this wonderful city. Although residents will say you can't do Toronto in a day (and I agree), even a half-day of strolling the streets, parks, and fantastic restaurants will help you feel refreshed. Think about giving yourself an extra day before the pre-conference workshops, and leaving on Monday afternoon to avoid the rush.

U.S. residents also should make sure that have the appropriate documentation required for the border crossing. You may need a current passport, so get one. Passports are easily obtained at post offices. Do you know when your passport expires?

Poster Sessions and Papers

If you'd like to get something published in a book to accompany the conference, you have until April to submit a paper. The best papers will be displayed as posters during the conference, with preference given to papers written by attendees. This is also a great opportunity for speakers to provide background information and case studies connected with their presentations, or to provide interesting or pertinent information unrelated to their talk. (Some speakers have more than one thing to say. :-) Papers are not limited to indexing topics, as long as they're of general interest to information professionals. Got something to say? Let us know at conference@asindexing.org and we'll support you as best as we can. Learn more about poster sessions at the ASI and IASC websites.

Buddy System and Other Suggestions

The conference email was established for improved communication, so use it: conference@asindexing.org. If you have a suggestion for conference activities, let us know. One such idea, the "buddy system," came to ASI a few years ago, and we're going to do it again in Toronto. (The buddy system connects first-time attendees with experienced attendees, to help navigate through a conference, introduce them to other indexers, answer questions, and give advice about choosing sessions.)

Here's looking forward to 2006!