New England Indexers

New England Chapter
American Society for Indexing

Archives for News
Spring Joint Event with Bookbuilders of Boston

Spring Joint Event with Bookbuilders of Boston

The New England Chapter’s spring event was a co-organized meeting along with the ASI Digital Publications Indexing SIG and Bookbuilders of Boston, held Thursday evening, April 5, at the offices of the publishers Cengage Learning, which is also an organizational member of ASI.
The program theme, “Indexes in Ebooks and Embedded Indexing” brought together three speakers and an opportunity for discussion. As most of the 22 attendees were members of Bookbuilders of Boston, it was an opportunity to raise the awareness of embedded and ebook indexing among publishers, so that they don’t simply discard the index in ebook editions.
The evening’s featured speaker, Stephen Ingle, President and CEO of WordCo Indexing Services and a past president of the New England Chapter of ASI, addressed the issues the publishers face with digital publications in his presentation “Indexes for Digital Publications: ‘The Battle of the Books’.” The issues to be “battled” and resolved include: whether or not to even have an index in a digital book/ebook, whether a hyperlinked index should be page-hyperlinked (usually based on what was the print page) or precision-hyperlinked (to an element, such as a paragraph), and whether indexes should be fully functional. Fully functional may include allowing user input, taking advantage of the digital potential, and giving the user an improved experience over print.
Marty Rabinowitz, Executive Director of Content Services at Cengage, presented briefly on how Cengage currently handles the indexing process for print products and what is done with ebooks and courseware. Marty raised issues and questions: Do customers find value in indexes? Is it worth the investment? Should we make the same investment for digital indexes as we do for print?
Teresa Elsey, Senior Managing Editor of the group that produces ebooks for the Trade division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, presented the process for and issues in converting indexes created for print books into hyperlinked indexes for subsequent ebook editions.
Good questions were raised during the Q&A, and there was time for discussion and networking. The ASI New England Chapter and the Digital Publications Indexing SIG provided food, and there was table of ASI information literature and copies of printed article on digital publications indexing. There was interest in Bookbuilders of Boston and the ASI New England Chapter cooperating in future events.

Spring 2018 Event

Event:
Indexes in Ebooks and Embedded Indexing

Date: Thursday, April 5, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: Cengage Learning, 10 Channel Center, 3rd floor, Boston, MA
Evening rate parking is available in a lot on A Street for $8 or in the Necco Street garage for $10, or take the Red Line to Broadway. It’s also not far to walk from South Station.
This event is free.

In an event co-organized by Bookbuilders of Boston, the New England Chapter of the American Society for Indexing (http://newenglandindexers.org), and the Digital Publications Indexing Special Interest Group of American Society for Indexing (https://digital-publications-indexing.org), and hosted by Bookbuilders member Cengage Learning (www.cengage.com), we will learn and discuss issues in incorporating the book index into digital publications.

We will have a featured presentation on Indexes for Digital Publications followed by brief presentations on the status of index production from two leading publishers: Mary Rabinowitz, Executive Director, Higher Education Production for textbooks at Cengage Learning and Teresa Elsey, Senior Managing Editor of the group that produces ebooks for the Trade division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This will be followed by a Q&A, and hopefully some good discussion. There will also be networking time and food sufficient for a light supper (rice bowls from Grainmaker). Join us!

“Indexes for Digital Publications: “The Battle of the Books”
Presented by Stephen Ingle
In 1704 the Irish author Jonathan Swift satirically described a literal “battle of the books” in the King’s Library in London. Today we are witnessing several battles in the digital publishing sphere: between proponents and opponents of indexes, between freelance indexers and their customers who want more for less, and even between individual indexers about the best way to approach indexing for digital books. The good news is that we are starting to see some emerging solutions to these conflicts. This presentation will offer suggestions on how publishers can maximize customer value by utilizing the potential of digital indexes in the most cost-effective way.

Stephen Ingle is the president and CEO of WordCo Indexing Services, Inc. (www.wordco.com), founded in 1988 and located in Norwich, Connecticut. He has served on the national board of the American Society for Indexing (ASI). His interests include publishing workflows, especially as they pertain to digital publishing. He is presenting at the Textbook & Academic Authors Association annual conference in Santa Fe in June.

Register here.

Please direct any questions to Heather Hedden at heather.hedden@cengage.com

Luncheon and Fall Meeting, December 2, 2017

Come join us at the Howe Library at 13 E. South Street in Hanover, NH. There is no charge for this meeting, but each person is responsible for their own lunch costs if they participate in the informal networking luncheon. RSVP is required for both events by sending an email to Michelle Guiliano at: michelle@linebylineindexing.com. Deadline for RSVP is November 23rd.

Schedule:

11:30 to 1 pm. Informal Networking Luncheon at Market Table from 11:30 to 1 pm.
(Market Table is located at 44 S. Main Street, just 1 block from the library. The parking garage is conveniently located between the library and the restaurant. Visit their website www.markettablenh.com for a look at their menu).

1:15 to 4:15 pm. Fall Meeting at Howe Library
Detailed schedule:
1:15-2:15 pm Starting and Maintaining Your Indexing Business. This will be a panel discussion with Joan Shapiro, Sherri Dietrich, and Jennifer Spanier. Here’s your opportunity to learn from experienced indexers on how to start your indexing business. Established indexers are sure to glean some useful hints on marketing and business management as well.
2:30-4:30 pm Knotty Bits Discussion. The Pacific Northwest Chapter hosted a Knotty Bits Discussion that was a resounding success at their Fall Meeting. We’re shamelessly replicating their idea on the East Coast so here’s your chance to ask questions and receive answers about how to approach the thorny problems you’ve encountered while indexing. Are you unsure how to handle name changes throughout the book? Maybe you want to discuss how to update an index from a previous edition. Submit your question or situation to michelle@linebylineindexing .com before the meeting or, if time allows, at the meeting. All written submissions can remain anonymous if you like so don’t be shy! There will be a room full of indexing experts to brainstorm different approaches.
4:00-4:30 pm Annual business meeting.

Hanover, NH is easily accessible from both I-89 and I-91. For detailed directions, feel free to email Michelle Guiliano at michelle@linebylineindexing.com.

Alternative transportation: Dartmouth Coach from South Station and Back Bay station. Their schedule is located at https://dartmouthcoach.com/route/upper-valley-to-boston-logan-airport/. The drop off/ pick up in Hanover is 1 block from Market Table and 2 blocks from Howe Library.

Next Informal Luncheon

We are pleased to announce the next informal luncheon of the New England Chapter of ASI on Friday, November 13, 2015 at 11:30 am. It will be held in Portsmouth, NH at BRGR Bar. Please look at the restaurant website for menu and location.

All indexers, friends, and those interested in indexing are welcome to attend.

Please RSVP to Linnea Dwyer, at linnaeusindexing@aol.com by Nov. 11.