American Society for Indexing 2019 Conference
Bloom in the Desert
Scottsdale, Arizona, April 25-27, 2019
Thursday, April 25
9:00 – 4:00 New Indexers: Indexing from A to Z. Heather Ebbs.
Indexing is a specialized skill that publishers of all types are buying. In this overview workshop designed for beginners, you'll learn the A to Z of indexing: applications of indexes, computer indexing, characteristics of an indexer, index terminology, kinds of indexes, publications that need them, six steps to making a useful index, verifying an index and the zen of indexing. Whether you are indexing in the humanities, technology, science or fiction, whether your index is for journals, trade books or manuals, whether the final format will be online or on paper—this is the workshop for you.
9:00 – 4:00 Climbing Camelback: Intermediate/Advanced Topics in Indexing Fred Leise.
Climbing Camelback is aimed at those indexers who have recently completed an introduction to indexing course or are early in their career. The workshop offers a unique opportunity to expand indexing skills by learning from an indexer with nearly 25 years of experience. The workshop will cover such techniques and topics as creating appropriate metatopic entries and headings, pangranularity, index structure and structural indexing, choosing appropriate subheadings, and index editing. In addition, there will be several exercises that will allow participants to practice skills you have just learned. Finally, there will be an opportunity to customize the workshop with discussions of specific issues that each participant is facing.
9:00 – 5:00 Board meeting
5:00 – 6:00 International Representatives meeting
5:00 – 6:00 Chapter and SIG Leaders meeting
5:00 – 6:30 Check-in and Badge Pickup
6:00 – 6:30 Conference Buddy Meet and Greet
6:30 – 8:00 Welcome to the Oasis—Opening Reception
Friday, April 26
8:15 – 8:45 Chapter and SIG meetings
8:30 – 10:30 Check-in and Badge Pickup
9:00 – 10:00 Sessions
In Defense of Marking Up. Devon Thomas.
This session looks at one indexer's approach to marking up. It includes discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of marking up, including facilitating analysis, finding ancillary themes and topics, and easing eye strain. We will also discuss techniques for marking including highlighting, use of shortcuts and codes, and marking up on screen and paper, as well as when marking up does not make sense. Audience participation is encouraged.
Intro to Scripture Indexing. Richard Shrout & Elizabeth Walker.
The presentation will provide an introduction to scripture indexing with examples. Usage of the Handbook of the Society for Biblical Literature will be described. The newly available Best Practices for Scripture (Ancient Sources) Indexes be presented in detail. The primary emphasis of this presentation will focus on "standard" scriptures. If time is available, we will briefly discuss other sources in addition to standard scriptures. We will point out possible areas of confusion that may need to be determined in advance with the author or editors.
Clients, the Marketing Mix, Business Planning and Strategy. Jenny De Wet.
As co-author of a booklet for freelance editors on Marketing your Freelance Services, I will deal with these aspects of marketing: the client, the marketing mix, business planning and strategy by using extensive checklists that will benefit the freelancer.
10:00 – 10:15 Morning Break
10:15 – 12:15 Sessions
Zoological Indexing. Max McMaster.
Understanding conventions used in zoological writing as well as zoological nomenclature are essential to indexing zoological texts. Zoology covers birds, fish, insects, mammals and many other classes of animals. This session will consider index structures for common name entries, as well as introducing zoological classification. We shall look at style options for indexing Latin genus-species names and consider the problems caused by scientific name changes. This session will not make you zoological indexers but will enable you to apply the knowledge learnt to indexes for biology texts or trade titles on say, birds or fish, that you might compile.
Moving to the Next Level with Sky. Anne Fifer.
The session will explore some of the features of SKY Index v.8 that we may not use often, but can be life savers at other times. We will start with exploring the use of the edit and the browse panes and then move on to the Acronyms Manager and Translation Manager use. We will also discuss how to maintain your user dictionary and creating specialty dictionaries.
The Social Media Maze. Matt Ward.
With so much happening out there in the world of social media it’s easy to get lost. How do you cut through the noise of it all, get noticed, and find ways to truly connect with others? Matt Ward is a former website agency owner, and he knows exactly what the trick is and how to do it. Attendees will experience and understand a unique approach to connecting with others. Social Media is meant to be social, yet so few people actually use it properly to connect, including connecting offline, which will really get you noticed!
12:15 – 2:00 Lunch with Keynote Speech starting at 1:00 pm
Keynote—Classifying Musical Instruments in a Museum Context. Colin Pearson.
This presentation will discuss in Phoenix will discuss the unique system Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) has developed (is still developing) for classifying a broad variety of instruments and other museum objects from nearly every country in the world. Using real examples and fascinating multimedia, the presentation will discuss Issues of making objects searchable in a variety of ways, understandable to the general public, and identifiable in very specific ways. It will also explore the effort of developing a unique classification system, implementing it, using it in a public institution, and some of the issues raised.
2:00 – 3:00 Sessions
Embedded indexing: Scoping the Project and Educating the Client. Jan Wright.
Embedded indexing projects bring a complexity to the relationship of indexer and client. A lot of details need to be worked out and agreed upon, and workflows need to be discussed and in place before starting work. The client also needs to have information about working with the indexed files when the project is done. In this session, we will look at the questions indexers should ask a potential client to get the full picture of the client’s embedded indexing needs, using a checklist. We will also look at how to educate the client to work with the indexed files once the codes are in, using a “care and feeding of your embedded index” document.
Using Computer Tablets to Mark Up Proofs. Joan Shapiro, Richard Shrout, Jennifer Spanier.
Marking up proofs for indexing is a mainstay practice for many indexers, yet many of us prefer greener work habits and enjoy the portability of our work. Enter the tablet! With special electronic "pens" and "pencils" indexers can mark up proofs right on screen and, in some cases, even use those screens as a second monitor while inputting index terms. Tablets can also be used for other business practices such as signing contracts. Come hear your fellow indexers discuss ways in which they are changing their workflow by putting their tablets to work.
File Management: Tips from a former Archivist. Lisa DeBoer.
File management strategies can improve work flow and save valuable time. This session will cover file naming systems, how to organize folders, and other data management issues. Open to beginning, intermediate, and advanced indexers.
3:00 – 3:15 Afternoon Break
3:15 – 4:15 Sessions
Managing Collaborative Projects. Diana Witt.
Working with indexing colleagues on large projects such as medical databases, statutes, company in-house databases, etc. These projects can be a profitable alternative to traditional book indexing, but require thinking about indexing differently. Topics to be covered: Rates; Time management; Collaborative structure; Technology (remote site access, VPN, traditional indexing software); Financial management: (expenses, paying subcontractors, tax issues, use of Quicken/Quick Books etc.)
Subcontracting Basics. Kendra Millis.
Whether you are a newer indexer looking for work or a more experienced indexer who needs help once in a while, you may have questions about how to navigate the subcontracting relationship. We’ll discuss the process from start to finish, including topics such as selecting a subcontractor, applying for jobs, payment, credit, and responsibility to clients.
Cindex ver. 4: What’s New and Improved. Frances Lennie.
A look at the new and enhanced features in the recently-released CINDEX version 4.
4:15 – 4:45 Software Demos
5:00 – 8:00 Reception with Award Presentations—Off-site
Saturday, April 27
8:15 – 8:45 Chapter and SIG meetings
8:30 – 10:30 Check-in and Badge Pickup
9:00 – 10:00 Sessions
Special Problems in Indexing. Meghan Brawley.
A look at some of the more common indexing situations—multi-authored works, team indexing, and indexing updates—and ways to tackle them.
Benchmarks of Quality Indexes. Nan Badgett and Janet Perlman.
Things change over time, even index styles and approaches to index structure. However, there are certain aspects of quality indexing that remain constant. This presentation will provide an overview of these benchmarks, drawing from indexing literature and the knowledge of two veteran indexers.
Setting Up a Traveling Office. Connie Binder.
As freelance indexers, we have the dream job – we get to sit at home and read books. Even better, we can index from anywhere in the world! Learn how you can bloom and grow your travel experiences without forfeiting work. Connie will discuss equipment and software needs, useful resources, work-travel balance, disaster avoidance and recovery, and share many hard-learned tips that will smooth your work-travel experiences. This session is ideal for indexers at all levels. Participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences and advice, and go home with a souvenir.
10:00 – 10:15 Morning Break
10:15 – 12:15 Sessions
And the Pay Rate Is . . . . Janet Perlman, Ina Gravitz, Lisa DeBoer.
An opportunity for indexers to discuss pay rates. We will chat about a variety of issues, including variation of rates across different disciplines and types of indexing, per page vs. per entry vs. hourly vs. project rate, the best approach to rates for newer indexers, and finally we’ll have a frank discussion of our rates with (hopefully) a lot of input from workshop participants. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers, and we hope to keep this discussion frank, informative, and lively. It’s everything you ever wanted to ask about pay rates and were afraid to ask.
Everything Cindex. Frances Lennie.
This seminar will be valuable for indexers who have recently begun using CINDEX as well as established users who want to explore alternative ways of handling indexing situations. We will look at functions, processes and techniques in Cindex that you can take advantage to ensure accuracy and consistency, usefulness to the reader, and make your indexing speedier.
Discover Macrex: Far Beyond B-O-B Indexes. Gale Rhoades.
Periodicals, manuals, collections, linked and embedded indexes, client contacts, complex multi-language documents, and so much more. Oh, and award winning Back-of-the-Book indexes as well!
12:15 – 2:00 Lunch with Annual Meeting
2:00 – 4:00 Sessions
Index Manager Tips and Tricks. Katharina Munk.
2:00-3:00 Sessions
Planning Chapter Meetings. Sam Arnold-Boyd.
The PNW Chapter has a long tradition of successful meetings in the fall. As a new indexer, Sam jumped in to help with the planning and learned from veterans Scott Smiley and Maria Sosnowski during her first year as Program Chair. Now in her third year, Sam has assembled a practical guide for planning a meeting that covers everything from programming to venue arrangements, budgeting to expense reimbursements. Knowing that every chapter has its own needs, the session will also provide an opportunity for discussion and brainstorming of different types of meetings and gatherings.
Picture This: Indexing Art Catalogs & Other Illustrated Text. Theresa Duran.
This session will focus on a particular specialty area, art books, but it should have value for anyone who wants tips on indexing illustrations in general. We'll discuss the perennial problem of how to handle the caption information that accompanies illustrations, and how to distinguish illustration locators from text locators. We'll look at some of the typical expectations and challenges of indexing art books (like length restrictions), and delve into a few subcategories, like antiquities or decorative arts catalogs, artist monographs, and photography books.
3:00-4:00 Sessions
Using Open Web Vocabularies to Improve Your Indexes. John Magee.
Indexers can find an ever-growing number of open web vocabularies and authority files online. Many of them can provide useful guides for creating terms and use references in indexes. Gale's Director of Indexing & Vocabulary Services John Magee will lead a session in which we learn how to access readily available vocabularies such as the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF), Wikidata, Library of Congress, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), and the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus. We will also examine ways an indexer may choose to use them to improve online and book indexes.
What to Do When Things Go Wrong. Kendra Millis.
No one likes to talk about mistakes, but we're all human, and sometimes things go wrong. Even when the mistake is someone else's, it can have a big impact on your work. In this presentation we'll discuss what kinds of problems can pop up and how to handle them as professionally as possible. Topics to be covered include schedule slippage, unforeseen delays, miscommunication, unhappy authors, and more.
4:00 – 5:00 Happy Trails to You—Closing reception
Sunday, April 28
Desert Botanical Gardens tour