ASI News
—Award recognizes Devon Thomas service
—Conference time is here!
—Log on June 22 for Annual Meeting
Chapters and SIGS
—History Archaeology SIG plans bi-monthly gathering
Associated Industry News
—Accessing The Indexer
Business and Marketing
—Waiting to be paid? You are not alone
Spotlight on Jessica Siddiqi
ASI News
Award recognizes Devon Thomas service
Congratulations to Devon Thomas! She is the recipient of the Theodore C. Hines Award, which recognizes her continuous, dedicated, and exceptional service to ASI and its membership.
Devon's volunteer work for ASI began in 2006 and encompasses regional, national, and international contributions—including chapter and SIG leadership; board of directors service; conference chairmanship; multiple stints as a webinar presenter and moderator, as well as being ASI's international representative.
She has authored many articles for Key Words, and her “Reflections on Inclusive Language and Indexing” is particularly notable and was the foundation for ASI's website page on diversity, equity, and inclusion resources.
Devon's responsiveness and willingness to help, along with her professionalism and collegiality, were among the qualities noted in the nomination and letters of support.
"Devon’s long list of former and continuing contributions, in combination with her kindness and approachability, make her an especially valuable member of our indexing community and very deserving of the Hines Award," wrote Shelley Quattrocchi in her nomination.
The Hines Award will be formally presented to Devon at the Annual Conference this month.
Conference time is here!
Indexing professionals from around the globe will gather this month for "Spread Your Indexing Wings," ASI's annual conference being held on the campus of Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia. The first in-person event in five years will take June 5–6, with a pre-conference program on June 4.
After keynote speaker Sarah Ohanesian kicks things off with insights on how to achieve a life of purpose-driven productivity, conference attendees will spend two jam-packed days in educational and entertaining sessions about the many aspects of indexing and the business of indexing.
Games and exercise are planned, too. And there will be time for networking and socializing and for exploring the beautiful college campus and the history and culture of Philadelphia.
For those lucky enough to head to Philly, ASI has everything you need to know here.
For those who can't attend, the summer issue of Key Words will have full coverage of the programs, keynote address, and more about how indexers "spread their wings" once again.
Log on June 22 for Annual Meeting
Join the ASI Board of Directors for the Annual General Meeting, which will be held online on Saturday, June 22, 2024. It starts at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
ASI President Theresa Duran will deliver the president's report; Cheryl Lenser will present the annual treasurer's report, and volunteers will be recognized with the Kohlrabi Awards.
Then, Shelley Quattrocchi will be seated as the new president and give remarks, and new board members—president-elect Jen Weers and directors Kevin Gunn and Mylinh Hamlington—will be welcomed.
ASI thanks outgoing board members Gina Guilinger, past president; Erika Millen, director; and Heather Pendley, director.
Watch your inbox for the link to the meeting.
Chapters and SIGS
History Archaeology SIG plans bi-monthly gathering
The History/Archaeology Special Interest Group will meet online on Friday, June 28, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Visit the H/A SIG's website for information about joining. Questions? Email Vickie Jacobs.
Note that there is time allotted during the annual conference for chapters and SIGs to meet.
Please share news about your chapter or SIG with See Also.
Associated Industry News
Accessing The Indexer
The second-quarter issue of The Indexer, the international journal of indexing, will be published this month and includes the first-in-a-series piece on indexing Classic Mayan names. In addition, Stephen Ullstrom shares about stepping into the world of self-publishing with his Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide, written with authors and other non-indexers in mind.
As of 2024, the quarterly issues of The Indexer, published through Liverpool University Press, are solely in electronic format, with a printed volume containing all four issues for the year distributed to subscribers in December. Information about subscribing and getting Table of Contents alerts is here.
Also, check out rates for ASI members.
Business and Marketing
Waiting to be paid? You are not alone
Most self-employed indexers, at some point, have had to wait a bit too long to get paid, or had to spend a bit too much time ensuring they are paid.
We are not alone. The New York-based Freelancers Union asserts that 71 percent of freelancers struggle to get paid. With that in mind, the group started the "World's Longest Invoice," where they invite freelancers to add their personal tally of payments owed—as a way to highlight how big a problem it is. And big is the right word. While the majority of outstanding invoices are in the hundreds of dollars, some freelancers claim to be owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Take a look at the list here.
There are also tips for securing timely payments here.
Spotlight on Jessica Siddiqi
This month's Spotlight is on indexer Jessica Siddiqi.
If you would like to be in the Spotlight, or would like to nominate someone for it, please contact Laurie Hlavaty.
Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family?
In an interesting coincidence, I was born in Gainesville, Georgia, but raised in Gainesville, Florida. I spent most of my life in the latter Gainesville before moving to Forest, Virginia, two years ago, where I currently live with my husband, Mustafa.
What is your educational background?
I have bachelor’s degrees in history and elementary education from the University of Florida, as well as a master’s degree in elementary education, also from the University of Florida.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
Currently, I spend much of my free time learning German, as I recently learned that I have a good chance at obtaining German citizenship, because of a familial connection to Germany. On Sundays, I sing in the choir at my local Episcopalian church.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
I have been teaching kindergarten for the past four years. Most recently, I taught part time at a homeschool hybrid academy, and I used the additional time to launch my career in indexing. However, starting this year, indexing is my sole career focus.
What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?
Whenever I am feeling bogged down on a project, I usually get up and move around or work on something else, so I can then come back to the project later with fresh eyes.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I took the UC Berkeley course in the summer of 2023. I then joined ASI and started indexing shortly thereafter.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
For me, the best advantage has been the Indexer Locator. In less than a year, I have already gotten quite a few inquiries from it, and it has been the source of the majority of my work.
Items to be considered for the See Also newsletter should be submitted by the 15th of the month before publication. For July 2024 issue, please email SeeAlsoEditor@asindexing.org by June 15. Thank you.
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