Opportunities and articles to enhance your skills and job search.

Employment
It's a tight job market out there, so make sure that your resume gives you the competitive edge. Each month we offer free resume reviews before the monthly meeting. Book your appointment with our Employment Manager. STC Berkeley also operates a free job list, which you can sign up for.

Networking
It really is all about who you know. Networking is important tool in our industry. Before you head out to visit other chapters, visit our networking links to locate the opportunities. This month we found some new online resources as well. If you're tired of driving all over the Bay Area to network, the Silicon Valley Chapter has started some new online special interest groups (SIGs).

Education
Lambs to the Slaughter: Indexing for Tech Writers
 The American Society of Indexers, SoCal Chapter

Presented by Maria Coughlin, president of Coughlin Indexing Services, Inc.
Date: Saturday, March 27, 2004, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Place: CSUN University Club, Northridge (Los Angeles) CA
Price: $20 ASI members, $25 non-ASI members
The intended audience is the tech writer or any other person not temperamentally inclined or professionally trained to be an indexer, but who is forced to index (particularly technical documents).

The course includes:

  • definition of an index, including what an index is not
  • why indexes are important
  • what makes a good index
  • what goes in the index
  • the indexing process, step by step

Attendees will be given lists of tools and resources and hands-on experience, including opportunities to evaluate published indexes as well as to compile a sample index from a technical document. Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring examples of indexing problems they've faced and/or examples of indexes they found inadequate or exemplary.

About the presenter: Maria Coughlin has been indexing since 1985. She is currently president of Coughlin Indexing Services, Inc., a freelance indexing service employing 8 full-time and 2 part-time indexers. Maria's subject specialty areas are medicine and science, and her employees specialize individually in areas ranging from literature, history, political science, and computers to popular culture. Maria has served as an officer in the (Washington, D.C.) DC Chapter of the American Society of Indexers (ASI) as well as a board member and officer of ASI at the national level. Maria is a Founding Fellow of the Consortium of Indexing Professionals. She has published several articles on indexing and she has given numerous presentations both nationally and internationally.

For registration information, email Loraine F. Schacher Co-VP for Programs, ASI SoCal Chapter, or phone 310-397-5255.

 

 

 


All material ©2004 Berkeley STC/Ragged Left. The Ragged Left is published six times a year. For reprint or submission information visit our editorial section.
For any questions, comments, or technical problems, please contact the editor.