Our starting point was that indexers generally know how to write good indexes. Yet when under the pressure of a deadline, or when dealing with complex or difficult subject matter, mistakes happen. We saw this a lot when reviewing submissions to the Ewart-Daveluy Award, in which indexes were often well-written, and yet also contained what seemed to be simple mistakes, such as inconsistencies with cross-references and double-posts, for example. (Poor structure was another issue we saw from time to time, which suggests more than a simple mistake, but I’m not going to dive deep into structure today.)

In planning the webinar, François and I wanted to help indexers do a better job to incorporate the best practices that they already know. To that end, I spoke on setting yourself up for success by creating a style sheet for your indexing practice, and François spoke on quality control. 

Creating an Indexing Style Sheet

By creating a style sheet, I mean documenting your decisions. These can be smaller decisions, such as when to use and how to phrase glosses, or how to index certain types of names, or when to add subheadings. As you index, pay attention to your preferences and decisions, and write them down. 

These can also be larger decisions, such as a preferred structure. If you commonly index biographies or cookbooks, for example, document the structure(s) that you prefer to use. Note the conditions under which these structures work or don’t work. Pay attention to common constraints or elements which need to be indexed. The next time you index a biography or cookbook, refer back to your notes. Use a structure that you’ve already outlined. You do not need to reinvent every index.

Writing an index is difficult, juggling analysis of the text, all of the formatting and structuring of the index, possible space constraints, and a deadline. Having decisions documented ahead of time, and being able to begin the index with a plan in place, can go a long way to ensure that best practices are incorporated from the start, rather than being something that you are trying to remember after the fact. You probably already know what to do; the goal now is to turn best practices into good habits.

The caveat is that every book is different. The decisions that you’ve made before may work ninety percent of the time, but a project will likely come around for which they do not work. It is important to be aware of when standardized practices don’t work, and to be able to pivot when necessary. Still, it is worth documenting your decisions for those ninety percent of projects for which the decisions are applicable.

Quality Control

When speaking about quality control, François mostly spoke about using checklists to ensure that the index is properly edited. Having a checklist for common issues means that you are less likely to forget something. 

A checklist can draw upon best practices, as a reminder to check various elements of the index. A checklist can also reflect the specific requirements of a client. This suggests that while it is a good idea to have a general checklist that can be applied to all projects, it can also be a good idea to customize the checklist for each project, taking into account specific requirements and needs. A checklist should also reflect your particular weaknesses. Perhaps you know that you tend to type quickly and introduce spelling errors and misplaced punctuation, and so remind yourself to always run spellcheck. 

Know Yourself

In all of this, whether documenting your decisions or quality control, it is important to understand how you yourself index. François and I tried not to be too prescriptive. We all work differently, and a process that works for me may not work for you. But regardless of how we work, we can all find ways to better incorporate best practices. 

Pay attention to how you work. Try to identify your weak spots; we all have them, including me. See if you can fine-tune your process to incorporate elements of planning ahead—having decisions and options prepared ahead of time—and of quality control—knowing what it is you need to check to ensure that issues are caught. If you can do this, you should have an easier time writing better indexes.

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.

Still, I thought I’d jot down a few highlights while the conference is still fresh in my mind.

• One of my key takeaways was to better learn how to vet books (to use Enid Zafran’s term) prior to indexing, and to get a much better handle on the index structure at the beginning of the indexing process, as per Fred Leise’s excellent presentation. This feels like a natural next step in improving how I index.
• I also have much food for thought on how to run my business from Pierre Joyal’s presentation on incorporation, as well as from conversations with another more experienced indexer. I feel like I have to be very careful in how I grow my business, as I don’t want to focus on growth to the exclusion of writing. If anything, I want to index less so that I can write more. At the same time, I expect that I will index for many years to come, so I do need to pay attention to the business side of things. I think what I need is a business that grows in such a way to support the work and life that I want, rather than growth at any cost. 
• I am very thankful to have attended Enid Zafran’s all-day workshop on indexing names, especially as Enid announced that she is slowing down and that this might be her last workshop. She is a masterful teacher and indexer, and I definitely learned a few things about names that I did not know before. 
• Kate Mertes is also an excellent presenter, and her talk on index locorums was illuminating. That said, outside of Biblical citations, I don’t feel at all qualified to take on an index locorum. Kate definitely has a unique set of skills.
• This conference felt like the beginnings of a generational turnover. There are a number of indexers in both the Canadian and American societies who have decades of experience, and who have done so much to teach and mentor. It seems like more of them are starting to either slow down or retire. I am glad that they are still with us, but this conference did seem to be a reminder that a new generation will need to step up in the next few years. 
• I am no longer a coordinator for the Mary Newberry Mentorship Program. That responsibility is now passed on to Linda Christian and Alexandrea Jory. I think they will do an excellent job, and after two years of putting the program together, I am ready to pass it on. Still, letting go is bittersweet. 
• For a door prize I picked up a hard copy of the manual for the new Cindex 4.0. I guess this means I better upgrade. 
• The biggest surprise of the conference was being given the Tamarack Award, which is for volunteer service “above and beyond the call of duty.” In my case, so I was told, largely for putting together the mentorship program. I was also told that my face turned several shades of red while receiving the award. Many thanks to all present for your kind words and acknowledgement. If you are interested in knowing what the award looks like, here it is perched on one of the bookshelves in my living room.