Well, it’s Monday morning. The fun is all over, but I wanted to report that the 2104 ASI PNW Fall Conference was deemed a great success by all who attended. The Conference task team of Sherry Smith, Maria Sosnowski, Scott Smiley, Judy Staigmiller, and Elspeth Richmond earned big thanks for all the planning and effort they put into making it one of the best ever.
Sheila Ryan, the keynote presenter, handily blew away the fog that many of us (me in particular!) experience when trying to visualize the process involved in creating a linked index for an e-book. It’s a skill that we can master to increase our value to our customers who want an e-index in addition to the standard paper index. Now I have to go back to my Kindle and see how indexes are handled in the nonfiction books I have read. Embarrassingly, I never thought to look – just assumed they weren’t there!
In the early afternoon we discussed Marketing for the Long-Term Indexer. Much of our marketing advice is pitched at new indexers who are looking for their first job, but what about those who have been around for a long while and suddenly find their business has dropped dramatically? This has happened to many of us, often more than once. Many good ideas were tossed around, and we found comfort in knowing that we were not struggling alone.
Later we shared Solutions to Indexing Problems. We discovered that among us we had varied approaches to the same problems, and some pretty lively discussions ensued. We work in such isolation, and it was fascinating to compare approaches and share ideas.
The Marriott Springhill Suites in Vancouver, WA, was a new and ideal venue for our meeting. The guest and conference rooms were clean, comfortable, and spacious; the location easy and central; the staff more than gracious and helpful. We enjoyed the two restaurants chosen for Friday and Saturday night dinners, and of course Panera for lunch is always a good choice.
New friendships were made; old friendships renewed; and evaluations were uniformly tip-top.
Thanks so much to the Conference task team and Sheila for all their work and care; and to all who attended with good will and sharing.
I also have very good news regarding leadership of PNW chapter in 2105. We have a full slate of officers:
President – Madge Walls
Vice President – Carolyn Weaver
Secretary – Linda Stumbaugh
Treasurer – Margaret Berson
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Stay tuned for news of a formal election.
And if anyone else wants to volunteer, it is not too late to make it a real contest for any of the above offices.
One more thing: We are the host chapter for ASI 2015 in Seattle, yippee! I hope to see you all there, and trust you will raise your hands to volunteer for some of the many tasks that go into making a fabulous national convention.
Cheers and happy indexing,
Madge Walls
ASI PNW President