Members

Part 1. Indexing Whatchamacallits and Thingamajigs
How to Word Vague, Implied, and Elusive References

with Joan Shapiro on March 4, 2026

In this session Joan will discuss indexing textual discussions that are in some way incomplete. How do you handle references to concepts that aren’t explicitly stated? What do you index for titles of works or events that aren’t spelled out? What if a book title is discussed but its author isn’t mentioned; do you include the author’s name? We will talk about what to put in the index when important information literally cannot be found in the text.

Part 2. Beginnings and Endings
How to Make the Most of Introductions and Conclusions

with Gina Guilinger on March 11, 2026

Gina Guilinger explores the often-overlooked power of introductions and conclusions, sharing practical strategies for using these sections to strengthen and clarify the overall index. Learn best practices for indexing these sections of the book.

Part 3. Beyond the Book: Managing Supplemental Materials

with Devon Thomas March 18, 2026

You’ve worked your way through the main text, but what about all that other stuff? Appendices, glossaries, exercises, review questions, etc, are common, but advice and practice varies on indexing them. This presentation will explore the conundrums of dealing with ancillary materials.

Find more details and biographies of the three presenters at ASI.

ISC/SCI members: to receive the discount offered to us by ASI, log in and go to the Member Dashboard. You will find the discount code under Member Benefits.

Canada Revenue Agency: Tax information for self-employed individuals and small business owners
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
1:00 to 3:30 pm ET

Please join us for this session presented by the Canada Revenue Agency Liaison Officer service, just in time for tax season! This webinar is geared to self-employed individuals and small business owners, and will:

• help you better understand your tax obligations and possible deductions
• review requirements and processes for GST/HST
• explain how to avoid common tax errors
• answer your tax-related questions
• give you an overview of helpful online tools and electronic services offered by the CRA.

This session is open to all ISC/SCI members, and is relevant for members filing taxes in Canada. You can check the meeting start time in your time zone here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter.

Please log in to view the meeting link on the Event page.

Indexes with Character
Saturday, February 21, 2026
2:00 to 3:30 pm ET

For our first National Chat of 2026, we invite you to think back over indexes you’ve completed (or reviewed). Which index had the most character? And why? We’ll leave it up to you to define “character”! Please join us for this Zoom chat, open to all members of ISC/SCI. You can check the meeting start time in your time zone here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter.
Please log in to view the Zoom link on the Event page.

Date limite de dépôt des candidatures : dimanche le 15 mars 2026.

L’appel aux candidatures est lancé ! Il n’a jamais été plus facile de postuler. 

• Vous pouvez tout faire en ligne.
• Il n’est pas nécessaire d’avoir une copie imprimée – il suffit de nous envoyer un PDF du livre avec l’index ou le PDF reçu de l’éditeur et votre index en format Word/RTF.
• Les frais de candidature sont de 30 $ seulement.

La lauréate/le lauréat recevra deux billets pour le banquet lors du prochain congrès en personne.

Aucune restriction n’est imposée en matière de sujets ou de genres : nous évaluerons les index de toutes sortes de livres, que ce soient des livres de cuisine, des guides, des autobiographies, des livres d’art, des guides pratiques, des livres de voyage… c’est votre index qui nous intéresse.

Montrez-nous comment vous avez surmonté les défis avec créativité et créé un guide exceptionnel, bien structuré, convivial, clair et détaillé pour tous les utilisateurs.

Donnez-nous un défi à relever. Vous n’avez rien à perdre et tout à gagner. Vous gagnerez peut-être le prix (ce qui ne sera pas possible si vous ne posez pas votre candidature).

Vous pourrez, cette année, soumettre l’index d’un livre qui a été publié en 2024 ouen 2025. C’est le moment idéal pour vous lancer, si vous êtes citoyen(ne) canadien(ne) ou résident(e) permanent(e). Si vous n’êtes pas citoyen(ne) ou résident(e) permanant(e), vous pouvez soumettre un index si vous étiez membre de la SCI/ISC au moment où vous l’avez réalisé.

La date limite de dépôt des candidatures est le 15 mars 2026. Veuillez visiter le site web de la SCI/ISC pour prendre connaissance des lignes directrices et des critères et accéder aux formulaires de candidature : https://indexers.ca/fr/ewart-daveluy-indexing-award/. 

Saturday, January 24^th, 2026, @2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Cookbooks are hands-on texts, requiring intelligent, user-friendly indexes. In our first talk of the year, Gillian Watts will share her indexing expertise with a focus on usability in cookbook indexes. Join us as Gillian takes us through examples from unsatisfactory indexes (befores), explaining why they don’t work well, and demonstrating how they can be improved (afters). In preparation for Gillian’s talk, we invite you to look at the indexes in your favourite cookbooks, and bring your comments and questions.

Gillian Watts is a freelance editor and indexer with more than 30 years’ experience in the field. Although well-known as a cookbook indexer (since 2002), she has also produced hundreds of back-of-the-book indexes in a wide variety of disciplines. She is a long-term volunteer with ISC/SCI and served on the executive for several years. 

Members: log in and check Upcoming Events for the Zoom details.