about me
Services
I index books and any other kind of text, whether intended for print or for digital publication. Indexes can either be delivered as standalone files or embedded in Word.
Qualifications
I completed my indexing qualification with the Society of Indexers (SI), the professional body in the UK, and am a current member of the Society.
Specialisms
My main specialisms are Linguistics, Education, Travel, Local History and Sport.
My bachelor’s degree was in Linguistics with Ancient Greek (!). I have a strong interest not only in languages but in Mediterranean, Hispanic and Arabic cultures, and in history of all kinds. Two childhood obsessions, with maps and football, have carried through into adult life and I still find them useful lenses for looking at the world.
I have spent a decade working as a librarian in international schools in Europe, North Africa and East Asia. As someone who teaches young people to find information, including the use of indexes, I am well positioned to index non-fiction aimed at children and teenagers, and textbooks for schools.
Before achieving my Master’s degree in Information Studies – a professional qualification accredited by CILIP – I worked at Oxford University Library Services, where I completed full cataloguing training, and in the reference and locla history section of a public library in Yorkshire.
about indexing
“Never index your own book.”
So Claire Minton, professional indexer, tells the narrator of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle.
But – apart from the danger of a peculiarly attentive reader like Claire Minton deducing from index entries that you are secretly in love with one of the subjects of your book – why should you spend money on a professional indexer when you can probably do a good job yourself?
- Training – we’re trained to spot the significant references, to separate them from passing mentions, and to group them together thematically in ways that are useful to the reader. This can make the difference between an adequate index and an excellent one. Have you ever been annoyed at following an index reference only to find it’s no use to you?
- The human brain – seriously, we’re better than a computer program. We know the difference between Shirley the town, Shirley the book, and Shirley the character in Shirley the book. We also recognise a topic even if the exact word is not used. And only human indexers can create effective cross-references between related terms. Beat that, CTRL+F!
- Perspective – it’s usually beneficial to have a healthy distance from the production of the text: you’ve been knee-deep in writing it but an indexer might spot connections that you haven’t. Also… do you really want to spend even more time looking at your text, yet again? Let an indexer have a go!
contact
To make an inquiry, to request a quote, or just to find out more about indexing, email: