This was an interesting discussion. I normally say that I "write" indexes but after today I may switch to "create" instead #IndexSky

Thanks very much to @indexerscanada.bsky.social for an excellent conference over the weekend. I'm now itching to try indexing in LaTeX and it was great to hear about @asindexing.bsky.social's research in to AI and indexing (it doesn't do a good job) from Elizabeth Bartmess #IndexSky

If you’re intrigued about indexing as a career, explore our online self-paced training course. You’ll index two book-length works before you finish, making you ready to take on professional projects and join the supportive community of this niche career #IndexDay

Happy National Indexing Day! I’m reading ‘Live From New York’ and the index is a goldmine for all those bits you want to go back and read again. #IndexDay

Happy National Indexing Day @indexers.bsky.social #IndexDay This year I have indexed texts on Buddhism, medieval Sri Lanka, performing arts, theatre, Carmelite history, Yoga, Spanish art and literature, and libraries, amongst others -- each a challenge, each a pleasure! indexingcraft.wordpress.com

For #IndexDay, here's my blog post about indexing for academic authors: tanyaizzard.co.uk/2025/11/26/i...

Happy National Indexing Day. We're torn on how to celebrate... but the kettle is going on, who wants a brew? Shout out to everyone in this LIS related profession, thanks for all you do 📑📚 #IndexDay

Happy National Indexing Day from @indexers.bsky.social! Here is a new blog post from me on ‘My 25th freelance anniversary: how it started vs how it’s going (for NID 2025)’. Follow along and post your love of indexes and human indexers today with the hashtag #IndexDay. baindex.org/2026/03/31/m...

National Indexing Day | The Indexer Celebrate National Indexing Day 2026 with a free issue of @indexer.bsky.social. Read it online via the LUP website: ➡️ bit.ly/IndexFTR26 @indexers.bsky.social @cilip.bsky.social @djbduncan.bsky.social @baindex.org #IndexDay

Indexer on penultimate train of March 2026. Off to London for National Indexing Day workshop tomorrow. Look forward to presenting with rest of @indexers.bsky.social team – @carosanderson.bsky.social, @tanyaizzard.bsky.social and Rachel Gee – and to fruitful chats with publishers on #IndexDay.

Last day to book for @indexers.bsky.social National Indexing Day #IndexDay workshop for publishers, with speakers @carosanderson.bsky.social, Rachel Gee, @tanyaizzard.bsky.social and me. We’d love to discuss how to keep your readers happy with quality book indexes by human indexers!

Publishing professionals, please join us for Society of Indexers’ National Indexing Day #IndexDay workshops on Tues 31 March, with speakers @carosanderson.bsky.social (Hon President @indexers.bsky.social), Rachel Gee, @tanyaizzard.bsky.social and me. We’d love to talk about book indexes with you!

I'm looking forward to talking about how technology can help with indexing, particularly in terms of publishing workflow, and sharing our understandings of its limitations, too. Plus some nerdy stuff about index layout to enjoy #IndexDay

What value do indexes add? How can you identify a good index? What skills and qualities do professional indexers bring to an indexing project? Indexer @baindex.org will explore all these points at our 31 March #IndexDay workshops for publishing professionals. Book your place now at buff.ly/f0W1mZC

Our #IndexDay workshops on 31 March in London at the Publishers Association are filling up. Book now to make sure of your place at these workshops and learn more about this key aspect of book publishing

Having a bit of a moment looking at the index of an archaeological report done by someone who has archaeological experience but has not been trained as indexer and it shows. No names, no pack drill, but this is why it is important to have someone trained and knowledgeable doing your indexes.

Great to see some new index users getting started! Indexing books for children is a specific skill - see buff.ly/SgdRGrZ for more information on this fascinating area of work #IndexSky

Meet the speakers for our #IndexDay workshop on 31 March @publishersassoc.bsky.social : @baindex.org on the value of human indexing, Rachel Gee on how indexes make information accessible, and @tanyaizzard.bsky.social on technology and AI. Book your place at www.indexers.org.uk/posts/nation...

Our annual celebration of indexes and indexing, National Indexing Day, takes place on Tues 31 March 2026. We’ll be celebrating online (follow #IndexDay) and running half-day workshops all about indexing for publishing professionals in London. Find out more and book your place at: buff.ly/y0rLvyT

I was a university administrator doing a part-time PhD when my partner, then running an indie press, needed a book index. I enjoyed it so much I retrained via the @indexers.bsky.social training course and have been indexing full-time since I completed it. #IndexSky

This was a great session, with some object lessons in good client communication and turning an unlikely project into a winning one. I also enjoyed talking about Charlotte Matter's excellent Feminist Substances, a niche book that took me on many journeys #IndexSky

It's always instructive to hear what other people think about your job, and the @ecrpodcasters.bsky.social episode on indexing was interesting to hear and to discuss. My blog post on indexing aimed at academic authors has more guidance and resources: tanyaizzard.co.uk/2025/11/26/i...

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/AEtzR1s

Index in the Joy of Cooking

This morning's session was great fun. It's perhaps not surprising that so many indexers like puzzles and games - we're creators of order, we set things right, and we try to enter into the minds of our readers (or setters or opponents). I love a cryptic crossword and I'm also very partial to patience

For indexing, I can't decide between the belittling "Can't a computer/AI do that?" or the baffling "Do you have to read the whole book?", as if having to read a whole book was some sort of dire punishment #IndexSky

Indexing is a niche but immensely satisfying role: read books, get a stimulating intellectual workout, get paid. In our blog post, indexer @tanyaizzard.bsky.social discusses the backgrounds of indexers and the attributes of good ones: buff.ly/Fe6n014 #WorkInPublishingWeek

It's #WorkInPublishingWeek 2025, so it's a good time to reintroduce ourselves. The Society of Indexers is the professional body for indexers in the UK and Ireland.

I saw this adaptation at the weekend - it's on until Saturday 15th November. Well worth seeing; Ellie Ward has made an excellent job of adapting the Diary into a playful and touching piece, and the performances are excellent. thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/the-di...

I like embedded indexing, I do a lot of it, and it was a pleasure to write this post demystifying the process for the SI blog.

🧵I've posted them before, but here's my thread of horror/kids' TV double-bill cinema posters. Happy Halloween... #halloween #cinema #graphicdesign #poster

For Halloween, here's a creepy E.M. Delafield short story, not available in her collected volumes of stories. A would-be psychic researcher spends a night in a house with a sinister reputation: emdelafield.org/blog-databas...

Recalling what a deeply human process it is to create a truly useful book index — not replicable by any automated or AI system, as it requires a theory of mind, a deep understanding of the audience & their likely needs, preferred search-terms, and points of confusion. ✍️📖💡 #AmEditing #AmIndexing

Cookbook indexing is a special skill. You must be selective - you can't index every mention of salt - but try to anticipate readers' likely search terms, which might be ingredients, methods chapter headings (which is perhaps what happened here) or recipe titles. Lots to chew on for the indexer!

Just booked my tickets for another E.M. Delafield stage production - two in one year, astonishing. A new adaptation of Diary of a Provincial Lady at Bridge House Theatre, Penge, London from 4 to 15 November. thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/the-di...

Like Alan, I'd totally recommend presenting at @indexers.bsky.social conferences - I've learned so much doing this. Next year's call for sessions will be out before we know it, so it's worth thinking about now...

For today's SI Coffee Morning 16 indexers met to debrief after last month's #SIConf25. This gave us a chance to hear about those sessions we didn't get to; some will be developed further into articles for @indexer.bsky.social, our members' newsletter SIdelights, and future Coffee Morning sessions.

What I did in September: a conference, a trip to Yorkshire, indexing a book about a Tudor scholar's rough book and more: tanyaizzard.co.uk/2025/10/01/s...

We finished up Day 1 of #SIConf25 with two breakout sessions, one for newer indexers, and one for the more experienced. It's always good to discuss with other indexers how we manage our careers, develop and maintain our skills, and solve problems.

Leaving a foggy Sussex on my way to Birmingham for @indexers.bsky.social's #SIConf25. Reading this beautiful novel which is, appropriately, mostly set on trains.

After a bit of a gap due to indexing duties, a new E.M. Delafield blog post about her uncle, Gerard de la Pasture: emdelafield.org/blog-databas...

Attended a book launch like no other at the Ironmongers' Company last night. I indexed the latest history of the Company earlier this year; last night, Penelope Hunting's book was launched by the Grenadier Guards beating the retreat at London's Guildhall, followed by supper at the Ironmongers' Hall.

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

Another useful session this morning with my indexing colleagues #IndexSky

Two weeks left to book for @indexers.bsky.social #SIConf25. With: @carosanderson.bsky.social @djbduncan.bsky.social @tanyaizzard.bsky.social on AI @closereadingie.bsky.social peer-review panel @annkingdom.bsky.social and me on humour plus more. Join us! #IndexSky www.indexers.org.uk/conference-2...

This was a great discussion - reassuring to hear that everyone struggles with passing mentions. I wrote about passing mentions in scholarly texts on my blog: tanyaizzard.co.uk/2024/07/18/p...

This was a really interesting session, particularly in terms of indexer neutrality and having to let go of those things in the index that you really love but you know aren't hugely relevant.

I've made a new list on @bookshop.org of books that explore nature / walking / the outdoors by disabled, neurodivergent and chronically ill writers - Nature Beyond Cure - aka our own narratives are messy and complex. Do share! #BookSky #DisabledWriters uk.bookshop.org/lists/nature...?

This article, while not specifically about indexing, reveals a lot of the problems with attempting indexing using AI tools: