The Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) is Canada’s national association of indexers.
We invite you to find an indexer for your project, read our publications, discover our conferences, events, and resources for indexers, find out about membership, and learn about the Society.
Find an indexer
Find an indexer who works in the subject area of your project.
Find resources
Find information about indexes, indexing practices, and training in indexing.
Attend an event
Attend a local meeting of indexers or attend the annual conference.
Become a member
Join the Society and enjoy the benefits of membership.
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What practices will help me with good index term selection?
ASI Webinar: Establishing Yourself as an Expert
Indexing Society of Canada
Marketing Strategies No One Talks About
with Jen Weers and Gwen Henson
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
A good marketing plan for indexers should include more than a letter-writing campaign and the dreaded cold calls. Even savvy marketers are often missing a key part of their plan: establishing yourself as an expert. When faced with a multitude of indexers in the mix for a single project, you need to be proactive in proving you are the right person for the job.
In this webinar, you will:
• explore out-of-the-box marketing tools for establishing yourself as an expert
• learn how to be seen as an expert even with limited experience
• identify different audiences for your message
• hear from experts who have successfully used this concept
• explore imposter syndrome and ways to see yourself as an expert, even if you don’t believe your own message
If you are a member of ISC/SCI, you can receive the member discount using the coupon code on the Member Benefits page.
Register and get more information at
https://www.asindexing.org/webinars/expert-weers-henson/
2022 Ewart-Daveluy Award
Indexing Society of Canada
The ISC/SCI will not be presenting the Ewart-Daveluy Indexing Award this year. While the committee is pleased with the number of submissions and the diversity of trade and scholarly books, we agreed unanimously that none of the indexes reach the level of excellence that merits the award.
All of the indexes do some things well. Specifically, most of the indexes are clearly structured and easy to navigate, include multiple and relevant access points, are clearly worded, and accurately map the contents of the text. These are qualities we expect in all professional indexes. All of these criteria and more are listed on the ISC/SCI website.
What we are looking for is that elusive quality of elegance. Elegance is that sense that there is an unusual clarity, a memorable ease of use, a succinctness, or even a strikingly simple presentation of difficult ideas. Another view of indexing elegance appears in the criteria for the ASI Excellence in Indexing Award: “Succinctness; the right word in the right place—even if the word isn’t found in the text; a certain ‘charm’; visual appeal; a sense that the index contains exactly what it needs to, no more, no less; simplicity; grace.”
We encourage indexers to strive for elegance. Take the extra time to go over the index once more. Tighten up the phrasing; search for the precise word, and imagine what readers might look for that you have not included. The index does not need to be perfect, but it does need to stand out. Give your index that final polish to make it shine!
Next year we will begin again to look for an elegant index. As you write indexes this year, look for that index that is almost there, the one that needs a bit more care, and then consider giving it the extra polish so that you can send it when submissions open in the fall.
Thank you to those who submitted indexes. As mentioned in the submission form, we will send summaries of our comments and suggestions.
ISC/SCI Members Receive the DReam to Index Scholarship
Indexing Society of Canada
Congratulations to Matthew MacLellan, Jessica MacLeod, and Laurel Rush of ISC/SCI, and Heather Pendley of ASI on their win of the DReam to Index Scholarship.
From the DReam to Index team:
The four recipients of 2022 DReam to Index scholarships intend to use the funds for either the Indexing Society of Canada (ISC/SCI) virtual conference (scheduled for May 12–14) or for the American Society for Indexing (ASI) virtual conference (scheduled for April 29–30).
In 2018, the Friends of Dave established a fund to honor David K. Ream who passed away at the end of 2017. Dave, who was well known throughout the indexing communities of the world, provided computer-programming, database construction, and typesetting to indexers and abstractors for more than 30 years. Dave gave so much to the field of indexing and was especially interested in helping indexers succeed in their work. That is why we have chosen to honor him by recognizing new people coming to the field and helping them on their indexing journey.
Thank you to all of the contestants who applied for the 2022 scholarship. Friends of Dave wish much success to them all in their future indexing careers.
The recipients of future DReam to Index scholarships can apply the funds to national conferences of the American Society for Indexing, Society of Indexers, Indexing Society of Canada, Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers, or Association of South African Indexers and Bibliographers. In 2023, the DReam to Index scholarships will be offered for the final time using the same criteria – for more information about Dave Ream and the scholarships please see www.dreamtoindex.com.
ISC/SCI Has a New Co-President
Indexing Society of Canada
Changes afoot …! The executive committee has accepted Jason’s resignation and asked Tere Mullin to step up from her position as Eastern Region representative to become co-president with Alexandra Peace.
Please join me in wishing Jason well and welcoming Tere to her new position.
Jason Begy
After a wonderful nine or so months of serving as co-president with Alex, I am stepping down. A career opportunity has come up that is simply too good for me to pass on, but it will require all of my focus and attention. The ISC/SCI has been an invaluable aspect of my indexing career, and I have especially enjoyed these past few years as part of the executive committee. I leave you in Alex’s exceptionally capable hands, and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Tere Mullin as she steps-in to take over for me.
Tere Mullin
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It’s lovely to be saying hello to you as your new co-president. I’m honoured and delighted to have this opportunity, and I’m very much looking forward to serving you as I learn and grow within this role.
I am relatively new to indexing, having started working full-time in early 2021. I enjoy working in a variety of scholarly subject areas within the humanities and social sciences, particularly archaeology and anthropology. Although I came to indexing quite by accident, as many people seem to, I now can’t imagine doing anything else. My involvement with ISC/ISC has grown in tandem with my indexing practice, and I’ve had the privilege of serving as Eastern regional representative and coordinator of the Mary Newberry Mentorship Program. I feel truly fortunate to be a member of this supportive and dynamic community, and I hope to pay it forward. I look forward to meeting you all at the next get-together. Until then, I wish you all a joyous spring!
New Indexer Resources Page
Indexing Society of Canada
The New Indexers’ Resources Committee (NIRC) is happy to announce the launch of its New Indexer Resources page!
The New Indexer Resources page will be accessible via the ISC/SCI website, indexers.ca, and will provide answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), as well as links to external resources. New and aspiring indexers will find a wealth of information on topics such as client relations, money management, software, taxes, and much more.
Content on the page will continue to grow as FAQs are added, and visitors are encouraged to submit their own questions and/or answers if they so wish. Our hope is that the page evolves based on users’ needs.