Does anyone know anything about old Brighton motor bike registrations?

Another day, conference, and 9.15am presentation. 😬 Now at Kents Hill Park in Milton Keynes for @the-ciep.bsky.social’s #CIEP2025. I’m running a breakout session on ‘Another trick up your sleeve: adding book indexing to your editorial skills portfolio’, with a live indexing exercise for all.

The principles of indexing Parliamentary proceedings are very similar to those for book indexing - you need to be thoughtful, neutral, precise, accurate and consistent #SIConf25

The index for the Complete Peanuts volumes is a source of joy. These entries are from the 1987–1988 volume.

Indexers will be gathering in Birmingham tomorrow for our annual conference. We're delighted to be welcoming presenters and participants from our sister societies around the world. Follow along with #SIConf25 #IndexSky

We also like to put reviews that mention the index, good or bad, in The Indexer www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/journal/index

If you are reviewing a book and you have thoughts on the index (good or bad or lack thereof) please include them in your review. Indexing is invisible so reminders of their existence helps to keep them from the chopping block of budget cuts. #BookSky #NonFiction #AcademicSky

'Forgotten' royal castle uncovered on Scottish isle www.bbc.com/news/article...

Well, there's always something new to learn when you're a book indexer. Today I learned about Lady Grange. OMG. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_...

#TinyJoys This handsome chap was in the shopping centre yesterday.

#TinyJoys - Indexing papers in a journal that cite people I follow here. Looking at you @katrinanavickas.bsky.social about political use of tokens. Unfortunately I don't get to index cited authors for this journal.

Indexing biographies can bring up some particular challenges. How do you deal with the subject of the book? Indexer W. Stephen Gilbert discusses biographical indexing approaches in our blog post

How does a book indexing project work? What should I expect as a client? How do I find the right indexer for my project? Our blog series on index commissioning takes you through the process in helpful detail buff.ly/mu1id42

What makes a good book indexer? Our blog post explains what you need to work in this fascinating and varied job. Indexers come from all sorts of professional backgrounds and many work part-time alongside other jobs buff.ly/JscbmCf

We could have saved you the bother of even trying to do this. Pro indexers are keeping a careful eye on AI and how it might take our jobs. Currently, it isn't equipped to do the job of a human being. See also asindexing.org/ai-news/whit...

Perversely cheering to re-encounter the "Index to Tears" compiled for an 1886 edition of Henry Mackenzie's #18thc novel _The Man of Feeling_. (It's reprinted in the modern Oxford edition.) 47 entries for a novel of 98 pages. I like the parenthetical annotation "Choking, &c, not counted".

Our colleagues in the US have produced a document about AI and book indexing.

"At this time, AI cannot replace professional book indexers and we are doubtful that it will be able to do so soon, or even at all." #IndexSky asindexing.org/ai-news/whit....

Worth reading: a brief evisceration of the BBC's expensive historical bin-fire #kingandconqueror. There's too many historical inaccuracies to fully list! historiamag.com/review-king-...

Hoping, probably in vain that TV will come up with something super and correct on 11th century queens and other royal women #kingandconqueror a massive missed opportunity all round. I like the ponies and the babies, not so much everything else.

Well, Porter and Stout: A Complete History has arrived. I've had a bottle of @blackisle.bsky.social Colonel Custard aging in the pantry for a few years, I think this'll be a good time to open it. Heading out so just had a quick flick through, I'm enjoying the X escalations in the index.

There's lots of interesting things in @djbduncan.bsky.social book about indexes.

Yup. The reading public deserves an index. Popular science can be a gateway to other things.

Quite like #whitstablepearl for a bit of evening telly. Got a bit confused in series 3 ep.4 when they used #Walthamstow church www.stmaryswalthamstow.org as a location.

Friday is often the day when clients and editors are looking for the right book indexer for their project. Use our professional directory to find expert professional book indexers and start a great working relationship buff.ly/N5YBs1N

@baindex.org @djbduncan.bsky.social

📣 call for applications 📣 Two part-time, paid Editorial Fellowships at History Workshop. Our fellowships support early career historians to develop expertise in public, radical and digital history & to gain experience of working in an editorial team. Please share widely! www.historyworkshop....

Are you a publishing professional who’s new to working with book indexers? Our guide to commissioning an index takes you through the whole process and helps you foster good working relationships and great indexes buff.ly/VDYF0ad

IYKYK - don't take your index for granted, a good one takes a good indexer

If you're an author and indexing turns out not to be your thing, check out @indexers.bsky.social page for authors www.indexers.org.uk/about-indexi...

And this is why (if you can afford it) you get a professional indexer to index your book. Excellent stuff for CRICK, out in November!

#TinyJoys - getting good feedback from clients - "Just wanted to pass on that the author was thrilled with the index and said you did an amazing job. Thanks again!"

On Saturday 20 September, our first #SIConf25 session is on AI and indexing. How can indexers and indexing societies adapt to the new world of AI? @tanyaizzard.bsky.social and Xiaoyuan [JoJo] Chen will present ideas and suggestions. Book at the earlybird rate until Mon 7 July at

#TinyJoys our brass band secretary extolling the virtues of the band on local radio www.mkfm.com/on-air/podca...

I occasionally work on books about Scottish places and need to dip into the data to pick up things like current administrative areas and publishers recommend using Canmore for this purpose. The new site is not easy on the eye and rather horrible to use compared to the old one. Sorry.

#TinyJoys and nothing in the scheme of things, but getting an order of yarn from #TribeYarns packaged in paper and raffia string, no plastics. Thank you.

Very pleased to have written about the many limitations of AI for book indexing in the current open-access Catalogue & Index from @cilipmdg.bsky.social. Also contains a brief explanation of how human indexers work and the tech that we do find helpful. journals.cilip.org.uk/catalogue-an...

“What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?” Indexers actually read all the text and choose the words for the index carefully. Their software is there to support their work, not do the intellectual bit.

Bookings are now open for our 2025 Conference, The Heart and Mind of Indexing. In person, 19-21 September, at Writers’ Suite, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, University of Birmingham, UK. See the full programme and book your place at buff.ly/DMtUEAN

When academics don't have a clue about what indexing a book involves.

What do you get if you cross a unique bellfoundry with a unique double-track steam railway?The most exciting day out!! Taylors have teamed up with the GCR in a special offer for anyone wishing to visit both attractions! #Loughborough #OnePlaceStudy lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2025/06/bell...

And a well-edited text is a delight to work on because I don't have to slow down to check the issues and report them, it just so disrupts the flow of indexing thoughts.

Yup. A good indexer will report a list of 'issues', but it is up to the desk editor to take them on board. All sorts of issues - typos, punctuation, repetition, names, names, names. Recently had one where a bunch of well-known C18th names were spelled incorrectly, who knows where that came from.

All of this, for indexing too. AI can't do what a human can do in the publishing process.

Thousands of non-fiction books are published every year; we can’t index them all! Help us out by joining the Society of Indexers. Our training course will prepare you for a stimulating career in book indexing. Find out more at buff.ly/Mb55OKB

The latest issue of The Indexer, 43(2), is now available at liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/journal/index. Read about periodical indexing, using diacritics, trends in embedded indexing, and more!

One author's experience of indexing their own book. Never again!

Are you a publishing professional who’s new to working with book indexers? Our guide to commissioning an index takes you through the whole process and helps you foster good working relationships and great indexes buff.ly/nlVK928

Indexing is such a specific talent, and we need to keep indexers employed so it doesn't die ... (I very much do not have this talent!)

This is what professional indexers do, we give you time to do the things you are paid to do.