‘Human Indexing in a Digital World’: Society of Indexers 2024 conference

Human indexers from around the world met online in the digital space of Zoom for the 2024 conference of the Society of Indexers (SI), held over two days and focusing on the role of the indexer in the face of the relentless march of digital technology. Presentations covered the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the publishing industry, current developments in dedicated indexing software, the very human collaboration between two authors and their indexer to produce an unusual and playful index, and the scope for human engagement in the digital world of Wikidata. In addition, for SI members there were updates on the Society’s professional-development offering. Breakout sessions provided opportunities for small-group discussion of client relations, embedded indexing and multi-author works, while students were able to meet new professional indexers, and a peer review exercise generated considerable discussion on how to approach a particular text.