Get the most from your membership
Your membership with ISC/SCI gives you plenty of opportunities to connect with other indexers and grow professionally. We encourage you to take advantage of all of them.
Meet your indexing colleagues
Here are seven ways you can meet, get to know, and collaborate with your indexing colleagues.
1. Subscribe to ISC-L
ISC-L is the listserv (email forum) where ISC/SCI members ask questions, discuss solutions, and share other indexing related information such as jobs and deadlines for scholarships. It is strongly recommended that you sign up for the list, especially if you are a newer indexer.
To subscribe to the list, send an email to ISC-L-join@list.web.net and leave the subject and message blank. You will receive further instructions.
2. Attend a regional meeting
Regional representatives are located in Eastern Canada, Central Canada, Prairies and Northern Canada, and British Columbia. They hold local meetings for members to connect with each other during the year. The names of the representatives are identified in the current Bulletin.
| BC Regional Rep | bc_rep@indexers.ca |
| Prairies Regional Rep | prairies_rep@indexers.ca |
| Central (Ontario) Regional Rep | central_rep@indexers.ca |
| Eastern Regional Rep | eastern_rep@indexers.ca |
If you are not sure which region you belong to, look up your name in the Member Directory—you’ll find your Region there.
Regional meetings are generally also open to the public.
3. Attend the National Chat
The ISC/SCI hosts a bi-monthly online chat session for members only. It’s a great way to connect with your fellow ISC indexers from all over Canada and beyond.
Members can log in and ask questions, exchange tips, and find out how fellow members are doing.
4. Attend a conference
A great way to get to know other indexers nationally and internationally is by attending annual conferences. The ISC/SCI holds its annual conference in late May/early June, alternating between virtual and in-person venues across Canada. We are also welcome to attend the conferences of the affiliated societies, in the United States, England, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand.
Watch for conference announcements in your membership emails, ISC-L, the Bulletin, and The Indexer. ISC/SCI members receive discounted registration fees, even outside Canada.
5. Join (or start) a Member-Initiated Group
A member-initiated group (MIG) is managed and led by an ISC/SCI member for the purpose of learning and collaborating with other members on a specific goal. For example, a group studying a software manual.
MIGs typically meet on ISC/SCI’s Zoom platform.
6. Volunteer
ISC/SCI is completely volunteer run. The executive committee meets quarterly and fulfills the administrative tasks of the organization. There are also standing committees that manage and execute the society’s programs, such as conferences and the Ewart-Daveluy Award.
From time to time, ad hoc committees are formed to fill a specific need and are disbanded upon task completion.
Volunteering for a committee is a great way to get to know your fellow indexers, to learn more about indexing and freelancing in an informal way, and to contribute to the national organization.
Grow your skills and business
Here are seven ways to grow your business, from improving your skills to promoting your services.
1. List your profile on Find an Indexer
Are you ready for new clients? It’s time to list your services on Find an Indexer.
- Make sure you have a “Listed” membership. You can upgrade to Listed at any time from your Membership Details page.
- Visit Manage Listing and create a listing.
- Check the boxes to indicate your subject areas and skills. For reference, download the list of skill categories.
- Write a short promotion/biography in the Description box. Browsing the write-ups of other members will give you ideas about what to include in yours.
- Publish your listing now, or save it as draft to complete later.
Note:
- If you index in both English and French, you can have separate listings for each language. Otherwise, please don’t keep more than one listing, unless the second one is a draft.
- To withdraw your listing for a temporary period, edit the listing and save it as a draft.
- If you decide you no longer want to have a listing, delete the listing. Now you can go ahead and downgrade your membership to Basic. No refund will be given, but your membership term will be extended on a proportionally.
2. Add the ISC/SCI logo to your website
You can find the current year logo here.
3. Read The Indexer
As a member of ISC/SCI, you are automatically subscribed to The Indexer: The International Journal of Indexing. Starting in 2024, each quarterly issue will be available online, and at the end of the year, members will be mailed a print copy of the combined issues.
To obtain your online access and manage your subscription, visit the Membership Benefits page.
Looking for older articles? Visit theindexer.org for access to the full list of issues as well as a variety of indexes to the articles.
4. Browse the Blog
Whether you are new to indexing and freelancing, or would just like to learn some new tricks, the articles For New and Aspiring Indexers can help inspire you to propel your business forward. Much of the content here is for members only.
Look for new articles under “From the Blog” on the Membership Dashboard.
5. Attend a webinar or conference
Throughout the year, the indexing societies and Editors Canada put on webinars and conferences. The American Society of Indexers records their webinars the replays can be purchased after the event. Editors Canada does this as well.
Before you make a purchase on any webinar or conference, visit the Member Benefits page to find a discount code for your event.
To learn about upcoming events, watch the website’s home page and your email inbox for announcements.
6. Borrow a book
The Lending Library has a collection of print copies of current and out-of-print books on indexing and other subjects that indexers find helpful. Fill out the form, and your requested title will be mailed to you.
7. Find a mentor
The ISC/SCI established the acclaimed Mary Newberry Mentorship program to help members to develop a skill under the guidance of an experienced indexer over a limited period. The mentee pays a fee to the Society, which goes to the mentor as an honorarium.