Hello,

I am back home and catching up on sleep after attending the Indexing Society of Canada/Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI)’s annual conference, held this year at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in Vancouver.

I enjoy attending the Canadian conferences. Being Canadian myself, ISC/SCI feels like “my” society in a way that the American Society for Indexing (ASI) doesn’t, even though I am currently a member of both and ASI has a lot to offer too. It is a treat to see and converse in-person with friends and colleagues.

It is also far more social interaction than this introvert is used to. I woke up on the second day with a somewhat hoarse voice and, throughout the second day, definitely felt the strain of social exhaustion. And that’s okay. I’m still happy I attended. The key, for me, is to pace myself and find moments when I can move and be alone. The weather was lovely and UBC is such a lush campus (and my alma mater), so walks alone to explore at the beginning and end of each day were crucial.

I am still sorting through my thoughts and notes on all that was said and presented. As always, an excellent slate of presenters. Here are some of my highlights.

• ​Rhonda Kronyk’s keynote on indexing and the Elements of Indigenous Style. I index a number of Indigenous titles each year and I found Rhonda’s talk to be very thought provoking. Particularly the importance of consulting with authors and the relevant Indigenous communities, and of pushing back against indexing convention when they prove a barrier to Indigenous knowledge, names, and approaches. I’ve noticed, in the last couple of years, a significant shift in how books by and about Indigenous Peoples are written (at least among the books I index). I support the changes I am seeing, which often have to do with privileging Indigenous terms and names, and I agree it is important that indexing likewise shifts. The question is how, and Rhonda’s talk was very helpful, both for laying out the rationale for change and for practical advice. (And if you'd like to learn more about the Elements of Indigenous Style, you can find that here.)
• AI can’t index! I think indexers generally know this, or at least we want to believe that this is true while also being afraid that someone will develop an AI that proves us wrong. Elizabeth Bartmess gave an excellent presentation on her attempts to find an AI (more specifically a large language model (LLM)) capable of indexing. Key takeaways for me: AI’s approach to indexing is essentially autocomplete. It is not effective nor reliable. Also, the larger challenge for indexers are misconceptions about AI and how indexes are written. As indexers and indexing societies, we need to do better to effectively communicate why humans are better indexers. It sounds like the Digital Publications Indexing Special Interest Group will begin creating resources for indexers to use, to keep an eye out for that.
• A passing mentions flowchart, from Emma Warnken Johnson. Absolutely brilliant. So helpful for thinking about what is actually indexable, especially when there is a tight space limit for the index. I also learned that Emma and I have a client in common and have worked on several of the same books, me as indexer and Emma as proofreader. Publishing a very much a team effort, and always fun to realize I’m working on the same book with someone I know.
• Move and stretch! An insightful presentation by physiotherapist Natalie Grant on common physical issues experienced by people with sedentary jobs and advice on how to prevent and counteract. I like to think I’m reasonably good at moving, but realistically, I could be even more intentional.
• Presenting someone else’s presentation. This was not part of my original plan, but Michelle Guiliano was unable to attend at the last minute and I was asked to step in, to deliver Michelle’s approach to pricing indexing projects. I feel strongly about the importance of good pricing, and appreciated Michelle’s focus on the numbers, making the pricing process a bit more objective and focused on what you need for a sustainable business. Michelle has also created a rates calculator, which you can find on the Indexer Index website (you will need to create an account, if you don’t have one).
• My live indexing workshop on Sunday afternoon. This ran a bit smoother and less nerve-wracking than the first time I did it, so I am thankful for that. I am also so thankful for all of the participants and their excellent questions and discussions on the various facets of drafting and editing an index. While I am there to present my approach, I think the workshop is much richer when others offer their perspectives too. That was fun, and a great way to end the weekend.

After all that, it’s now time to shift gears and get back to indexing. I’ve got a few projects on my desktop I need to index over the next few weeks. I also need to carve out some time to continue to reflect and plan, to decide how to implement some of these new ideas and insights.

If you haven’t attended an indexing conference yet, I highly encourage you to do so. Part of the value is the practical advice, both business and craft, and part of the value is meeting people and becoming part of a supportive community. Now that I am more experienced, I find the value for me now leans more towards the community and informal discussions, though I still learn from some of the presentations too. Either way, well worth it. I hope you see you around at the next one.

Stephen