Amanda Stevens | Curious Indexing and Consulting

I am an indexer and taxonomist who specializes in political and sensitive subjects such as social justice, activism, sexuality, LGBTQ+ or queer studies, feminism and gender studies, Indigenous studies, sex work, and critical race or ethnic studies, as well as media, technology, ecology, and cultural studies. My extensive training and experience in information management and working with alternative materials and communities have given me the skills and knowledge needed to effectively index these complex topics.

I fell in love with the art of indexing after studying it in the Master of Library and Information Studies program at Dalhousie University. Not long after I completed my Master’s degree in 2008, I started an information management business focused on developing indexes, organizational systems, and controlled vocabularies to guide the selection of terminology for cataloguing and indexing. I believe my information management training and experience gives me a deeper understanding of how people search for information and how to improve discoverability of content thorough organizational tools and systems, such as indexes.

While this background gives me a core set of skills that can be applied to most subject areas, I have particular expertise in social justice-related topics and work that centres marginalized communities and voices, and I am passionate about making this content more accessible and discoverable through thoughtful and thorough indexing. Selecting the right terminology for this content can be complicated, as it must be intuitive for diverse readers, true to the author’s vision, and respectful towards the communities that the content is about.

My consulting projects have included developing a Zine Subject Thesaurus for cataloguing zines and other alternative publications that is used by zine libraries and archives around the world and advising on the development of Indigenous-centred controlled vocabularies for a Mi’kmaq cultural centre. Some recent books I have indexed include the following:

• Queering Professionalism: Pitfalls and Possibilities
• Ice Geographies: The Colonial Politics of Race and Indigeneity in the Arctic
• Rio as Method: Collective Resistance for a New Generation
• Fear of a Dead White Planet

I index both academic and trade publications and work with a range of clients, from publishing companies to authors to collectives. I can accommodate diverse needs and guidelines. I always delight in learning something new and welcome any and all inquiries.