New Honorary Life Members, November 2023

Posted on: 21/11/2023

At its AGM on 14 November 2023, the Society of Indexers was delighted to award three new Honorary Life Memberships. Honorary Life Memberships are limited to ten at any one time, and are awarded for having rendered exceptional service to the Society or to the advancement of good indexing. The awards were made to three
Read More

Read more

Becoming an indexer 2: the Society of Indexers training course modules

Posted on: 17/11/2023

Are you thinking about training as an indexer? This is the first of three blog posts that give an overview of the Society of Indexers training course. It gives an overview of the different elements of the course and describes the modules that deliver the theoretical content of the course. About the training course The
Read More

Read more

Office worker sat in front of a desk and computer

Becoming an indexer: what makes a good indexer?

Posted on: 10/11/2023

This is the first of a series of posts discussing how to become an indexer. In this post, Tanya Izzard discusses the attributes of a good indexer. Background Many indexers come from a library and information science background, but almost any previous career will give you knowledge and experience that will help you find your
Read More

Read more

Chaotic overcrowded bookshelves surrounding a door Image via Pikist.com

Qualities of a Bad Index

Posted on: 27/10/2023

In this post, Ruth Martin outlines the things that shouldn’t appear in an index. Write a bad index… us?! Surely members of the Society of Indexers couldn’t write a bad index?  Well, they could, but only in fun. In 2022, Society members took part in a peer review, indexing the same piece of text and
Read More

Read more

Qualities of a Good Index

Posted on: 20/10/2023

In this blog post, Lyndsay Marshall looks at the qualities of a good index and identifies resources which discuss the topic in more depth. The post covers international standards, best practice guidelines and competition judging criteria. International Standards In order to define the qualities of a good index we can turn to the international standards
Read More

Read more

Society of Indexers Conference 2023. Bringing the outsdie in: expand your indexing horizons. Tuesday 26th Sepember 2023. The Terrace, Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AP

Conference 2023: Bringing the outside in: expand your indexing horizons

Posted on: 03/07/2023

We are pleased to be able to return to an in-person conference event for the first time in some years. This will take place in Leeds on Tuesday 26th September. A mix of plenary and parallel sessions will focus on expanding indexing skills. Opportunities to interact with other indexers and learn from each other will
Read More

Read more

An index proof with a pair of glasses and two pens

Commissioning an indexer (Part 3)

Posted on: 24/03/2023

How to evaluate an index: guidance for authors and editors When you have commissioned an index for your book, either directly or via your publisher, there should be a moment towards the end of the book production process where you are asked to review the index. In the third and final post in this series,
Read More

Read more

Image of table and hands. Both people are holding a pen. The one on the right is making notes

Commissioning an indexer (Part 2)

Posted on: 17/03/2023

The indexing process: before, during and afterwards In our first post in this series, we looked at finding and booking an indexer. In this second post of three, Tanya Izzard takes you through the indexing process. What does your indexer need from you? You’ve booked your indexer and are waiting for the work to take
Read More

Read more

A notepad, watch, pen, pair of glasses, and phone neatly laid out on a wooden surface

Commissioning an indexer (Part 1)

Posted on: 10/03/2023

Finding and booking an indexer The first series of posts for the new SI blog takes you through the process of finding an indexer, commissioning an index and reviewing it. Here, Tanya Izzard discusses the process of finding and booking your indexer. How to find your indexer When you need to find an indexer, your
Read More

Read more

National Indexing Day 30th March 2023 #IndexDay

National Indexing Day 2023

Posted on: 01/03/2023

For #indexday 2023 we held an online event aimed at editors commissioning indexes and other interested publishing professionals. The event provided a useful opportunity for indexers and publishers to learn from each other so that together we can create better indexes and give added value to almost any non-fiction book. You can find out more
Read More

Read more