ISC/SCI Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary Application

About the Society

The Indexing Society of Canada (ISC/SCI) was established in 1977 to encourage production of quality indexes and use of professional indexers in various sectors of society including scholarly presses, trade books and (more recently) digital sources. ISC/SCI members work in a wide range of fields with a broad set of skills, including cataloguing, fact checking, glossary writing, HTML encoding, project management, teaching, thesaurus construction—and of course indexing. More information can be found at indexers.ca.

About the Bursary

Since 2014, when the hashtag #weneeddiversebooks appeared, the Canadian publishing industry has slowly been waking up to both the lack of diverse voices and the demand for them. Numerous studies have shown both of these facts to be true (see for example BNC Research, Demand for Diversity: A Survey of Canadian Readers).

This bursary is part of a special program to contribute to filling this proven gap by helping to achieve equality of opportunity for aspiring indexers belonging to underrepresented and/or marginalized groups.

The bursary is granted to a person to cover fees for an approved indexing program, two years of ISC membership with listing, and entry into the Mentorship program. Last year, Sandra Muchekeza received the award.

Approved Indexing Programs

There are a number of online indexing programs, with Indexing: Theory and Application offered by University of California at Berkeley being the most comprehensive and popular program in North America. For a list of other programs offered, not all of which are approved for this bursary, see the ISC website, Education and Training section. The selection committee will consult with the bursary recipient as to which indexing program would best meet the needs of that individual. Please note that courses are offered in English.

Who Can Apply

Entrants must fulfill the following requirements:

Diversity: identify as one of the following:

  • Underrepresented/marginalized groups by ethnicity, colour, nationality, language, country of origin, etc.
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • People with disabilities
  • LGBT2QIA+

Residency: Be a permanent resident of Canada or have significant residential ties within Canada. If the applicant is a member or descendant of an Indigenous nation whose borders cross the colonial USA–Canada border, the individual is eligible to apply regardless of on which side of the border he/she/they reside/s.

Availability: Be ready within 6 months of bursary recipient announcement to enrol in an approved indexing program.

Equipment: Own or have unlimited access to a PC (Windows OS is highly recommended but not required) with strong Internet access.

Entrants must demonstrate an expectation of success through the following:

  • Have strong language, reading, computer and Internet skills.
  • Have an undergraduate degree or demonstrate in the application how other experiences and education they’ve had would contribute to their success.
  • Other relevant skills, experiences and interests, for example, a love of reading, research, or list-making; or a wide and diverse set of interests; or strong self-discipline.

Expectations

We do not expect bursary recipients to be an ambassador for any group or an educator of others. Recipients’ names and pictures may be used to publicize the bursary. Recipients are required to fill out a feedback form at the end of each year of the ISC membership.