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Institute of Certified Indexers Promoting Quality in Indexing |
Winner of 2023 Purple Pen Contest for New Indexers
The Institute of Certified Indexes (ICI) is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Bartmess has won the 2023 award in this contest for new indexers.
Elizabeth is a San Francisco Bay Area indexer with a background in the social and information sciences. Her formal indexing training includes American Society for Indexing's Module A and the UC Berkeley's extension course. She holds an MS in Information, an MS in Psychology, and a Certificate in Culture and Cognition from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Psychology from Rice University. Her previous work experience includes data management and statistical programming, project management, and writing and editing.
She discovered indexing in 2022 while exploring freelance editing as a potential career. Elizabeth is a member of American Society for Indexing (ASI) and Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) and serves as the Program Co-Chair and Co-Webmaster for ASI's Pacific Northwest Chapter.
Her award-winning index can be found in the book "Immanent Critiques: The Frankfurt School Under Pressure" by Martin Jay, published in 2023 by Verso. This book is a collection of essays applying the Frankfurt School's tradition of immanent critique as established by the philosophers Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, and Max Horkheimer. The focus concerns their analyses of anti-Semitism and Zionism, in addition to Marxist themes: the meaning of alienation, the alleged damages of abstraction, and the advocacy of a politics based on a singular notion of the truth. A very difficult book targeted at scholars already familiar with this School.
I was amazed at how detailed the feedback was, including close analysis and suggested improvements
Elizabeth was commissioned for this job as a subcontractor of Potomac Indexing, LLC. The managing partner of Potomac, Estalita Slivoskey, wrote that there was no guidance from the publisher and author on how to approach the indexing. She said, "Elizabeth should be very proud of this index, and of winning this award, as she did a wonderful job."
The submissions in the contest are reviewed anonymously by a panel of three judges. Each indexer receives detailed feedback on the index with examples of areas in which to improve. Entrants who compete come from the UK, US, and Canada, and have completed indexing training in the previous five years.
In addition to a cash award of $100 USD, the winner participates in a Zoom session with the judges to get individualized guidance on indexing techniques and business tips.
This year, 2023, is the tenth and final year of ICI conducting the contest. A list of winners for the ten years is on this website.
Chitra Karunanayake Becomes Latest Certified Indexer
The Institute of Certified Indexers is pleased to welcome Chitra Karunanayake to its ranks. Chitra currently works as the Library Manager of Geoff Marel Library, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia. She is a part-time indexer and a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI).
Find a more complete biography here.
Why Use an ICI-Certified Indexer?
ICI-Certified Indexers have:
- had their work and experience reviewed by an independent body (ICI)
- completed and successfully passed a rigorous examination (preparation of a test index on a complex 250- to 300-page text)
- demonstrated knowledge of and adherence to indexing best practices (PDF).
ICI-Certified Indexers are committed to continuing education and must be recertified every three years.
While certification is not a guarantee that every ICI-Certified Indexer will produce an exemplary index in every circumstance, ICI-Certified Indexers are individuals who are devoted to quality in indexing and strive to meet and exceed client needs at every opportunity.
By using ICI-Certified Indexers, editors, authors, and publishers help ensure that the indexes produced for them will be of the highest possible quality.
Find an ICI-Certified Indexer to meet your needs.
Benefits of Certification
- Certification attests to the achievement of special knowledge beyond basic indexing techniques.
- The process of achieving and maintaining certification ensures that indexers continue to hone their indexing capabilities throughout their careers.
- ICI-Certified Indexers stand out when publishers and authors are looking for indexing services; certification validates and provides assurance to clients.
- ICI-Certified Indexers are distinguished through the exclusive use of the "ICI-Certified Indexer" appellation. Only individuals who have successfully completed ICI's certification exam may use that identifier.
- ICI-Certified Indexers are listed on the ICI website, which is used by publishers to find appropriate ICI-Certified Indexers.
Learn how you can become an ICI-Certified Indexer.