By Susan Pierotti
The inaugural Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI) Scholarship was awarded last year to 6 candidates who enrolled in an indexing course of their choice. Three IPEd members – Gabrielle David, Kerryn Burgess and Kerrie Le Lievre – chose the UC Berkeley Extension “Indexing: Theory and Application” course, consisting of 10 modules to be completed within 6 months.
Here are their impressions after completing the course.
Susan: How did you hear about the ANZSI Scholarship?
Gabrielle: In an IPEd indexing PD session.
Kerryn: I’m an ANZSI member, and I saw the scholarship advertised.
Kerrie: Through the announcement in Gatherings, the IPEd newsletter.
Susan: Had you had any previous indexing experience before you were awarded the scholarship?
Gabrielle: No, but I have been looking at the UC Berkeley course for many years.
Kerryn: I’d been indexing for about 25 years, and I felt confident at it. I’ve been accredited as an indexer through ANZSI, and that’s a good test of proficiency.
Kerrie: I’d taken Sylvia Coates’s short online indexing course and helped to run 2 IPEd events focused on indexing – a short presentation and a 3-hour workshop – so I had some awareness of basic indexing concepts, but no experience of working as an indexer when I was awarded the scholarship.
Susan: Given there are few indexing courses around, why did you choose to do the UC Berkeley Indexing: Theory and Application course?
Gabrielle: Cost and time. The other main course (from the UK’s Society of Indexers) available at the time was much longer and more expensive. I had had good experiences with UC extension courses from UC San Diego and thought the UC Berkeley course would be taught in a similar way (it was not). There is now a new ASI [American Society for Indexing] course, which I am considering taking as it sounds good.
Kerryn: The Berkeley course was a lot more affordable than the UK alternative, and it covered what I wanted to learn.
Kerrie: I’d heard good reports of it from fellow editors who’d taken the course previously and now also work as indexers.
Susan: What did you expect to gain from this course?
Gabrielle: The ability to work as an indexer.
Kerryn: To learn how to use various indexing software programs. This was a big gap in my indexing knowledge before I did the course.
Kerrie: To gain indexing theory and skills so I could add indexing work to my business.
Susan: How did you feel as you began?
Gabrielle: I was interested to learn more.
Kerryn: I felt excited to be learning new things. I enjoyed being a student again. Doing the required reading (and there was a lot of it) was a pleasure, never a chore.
Kerrie: Slightly overwhelmed, but optimistic. The course was accessible, well designed and easy to keep up with even during a busy work period.
Susan: How did you feel at the end?
Gabrielle: I think I became less confident the more I was aware of where my knowledge was lacking, particularly when you have been an “expert” in something for 17-plus years. I regularly remind myself it is normal to feel overwhelmed and that I will get there eventually.
Kerryn: I felt delighted that I’d learned so much more than I’d expected to. I started the course wanting to learn how to use indexing software, but I finished the course having learned a great deal about indexing theory and practice as well.
Kerrie: Tired! – the final graded assignment was large and complex – but with a good sense of my own progress. I’m happy with what I accomplished while doing the course.
Susan: Did you feel you achieved your initial aim?
Gabrielle: No, but maybe my initial aim was too high.
Kerryn: Yes, and more!
Kerrie: Yes. I’ll need more study and practice to master some skills – structure and term selection come to mind! – but I feel that I have a good foundation to build on with self-directed study.
Susan: What else did you learn from the course?
Gabrielle: As I am neurodivergent, it is interesting to approach learning with a new lens – “This teaching method just does not work for me” rather than “Why don’t I understand this? I must be deficient”. I learn best by watching others do things and having more direct feedback and input along the way (demonstrations on video, shadowing, having a mentor etc.), which the UC Berkeley course does not provide.
Kerryn: See above.
Kerrie: The continued importance of mailing lists in professional development! It’s great to have access to an international community of indexers from whom I can learn just by watching them solve problems in real time via email discussions and ask questions when I need to.
Susan: Did the course give you more confidence as an indexer?
Gabrielle: I know the process and can replicate it to produce a relatively good index.
Kerryn: Absolutely! The feedback from the instructor instilled a lot of confidence in me. It was great to get that external validation of my work.
Kerrie: It’s given me a realistic level confidence that I’ll be able to work as an indexer.
Susan: Do you feel that you could now gain work as an indexer?
Gabrielle: I don’t yet rank my indexes as professional grade, but I have rather high standards. I learn best by “doing” and under the time pressure of a deadline, which indexing work will provide.
Kerryn: I’ve been working as an indexer for a while, but now I feel I can write indexes far more efficiently than I could before.
Kerrie: Not yet, but hopefully within the next 12 months.
Susan: How did the ANZSI scholarship assist you in achieving your aims?
Gabrielle: I have had the course on my professional development to-do list for almost 13 years, and I would not have been able to do it without the scholarship! I am really grateful, as it is amazing to finally be able to tick it off and I am determined to get to that point where I am a confident indexer.
Kerryn: I’ve been wanting to do the Berkeley course for ages, but it was always just out of reach financially. The scholarship made it possible for me to enrol, and I’m very grateful to ANZSI for that. It was invaluable for my professional development.
Kerrie: Without the ANZSI scholarship, I would not have been able to afford to do any indexing course. I’m very grateful to have been offered the scholarship and look forward to putting what I’ve learned into practice as both a professional indexer and a member of ANZSI.
If this has whetted your appetite to consider adding indexing to your portfolio, why not apply for the ANZSI Indexing Scholarship?