‘The Art of Connection’: a report on the ISC/SCI 2024 online conference

The Indexing Society of Canada/Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) held its 2024 virtual annual conference on 30 May and 1 June. The theme was ‘The Art of Connection’ and around 100 people registered in order to connect with colleagues from around the world. The seven main sessions ranged widely, from practical advice on indexing multi-author texts and on useful non-indexing software to accounts of running an indexing business while travelling the world and on becoming a successful indexer almost by chance, from very humble beginnings. In addition to the pre-conference software sessions, there was a report on a survey into why (or why not) indexers were embracing embedded-indexing techniques. Broadening participants’ horizons, the parallels between indexing and qualitative research were examined, and the conference concluded with a guided discussion on how to advocate for indexers and the indexing profession. In between the main sessions there were opportunities for networking and discussion in breakout rooms and during a quiz, and participants were encouraged to look after their health and well-being during two movement sessions.