ANZSI Courses and Workshops
Courses and workshops are conducted at locations throughout Australia and New Zealand. Their frequency is dependent on demand, so some courses may be held several times a year in one location, but only every couple of years in another.
Courses conducted by ANZSI cover:
- Basic Book Indexing Part 1
- Basic Book Indexing Part 2
- Annual Report Indexing
- Journal Indexing
- Database Indexing
- Newspaper/Magazine Indexing
- Legal Indexing
- Website Indexing
- Thesaurus Construction
see also
- Course dates and locations
- Distance learning
- 2009 ANZSI Conference
- Events
- Other courses listed on local Branch and Group pages
Basic Book Indexing Part 1
This one-day course covers the essentials of theory of indexing and the structure of the index so that participants understand what decisions are involved in compiling a book index. Some practical exercises are included.
Areas covered include:
- The indexer’s role in the publishing process
- Indexing software
- Selection of terms
- Headings and subheadings
- Cross references
- Alphabetical arrangement
- Style in indexes
- Editing the index
- Evaluating indexes
Basic Book Indexing Part 2
This one-day course is a follow-on from the Basic Book Indexing Part 1 course where participants apply the theory skills they have learnt by indexing a small (approx. 50 pages) non-fiction work using one of the dedicated indexing software packages on the market. This course develops practical indexing skills.
Note on Parts 1 and 2: some courses combine elements from both courses together.
Annual Report Indexing
This half-day course is an extension of the book indexing courses wich looks at the special requirements for indexing annual reports produced by predominantly federal or state government departments and agencies. Practical exercises are supplied.
Particular areas covered include:
- Compliance and subject indexes
- Financial statements
- Structuring the index
- Selection of terms
Journal Indexing
This half-day course introduces participants to compiling an annual or cumulative index to a single professional journal. Practical exercises are supplied.
Particular areas covered include:
- Differences between journal indexing and database indexing
- Indexing policy – what to include or leave out
- How many indexes should there be?
- Format of author names
- Editorials
- Letters to the Editor
- Book reviews
- Multi-authored papers
- Volume, issue, page number and year issues
- Title issues
- Subject headings
Database Indexing
This full-day course covers both abstracting and indexing of items (journal articles, reports, conference proceedings, books, etc) for inclusion in electronic databases. A session on pictorial indexing is also included. Practical exercises are supplied.
Particular areas covered include:
- Indexing policy – materials for inclusion
- Database structure
- Purpose and types of abstracts
- Choosing elements of the article for inclusion in the abstract
- Writing the abstract
- Use of thesauruses and selection of keywords
- Non-thesaurus terms
- Checking the entry
- Pictorial indexing
Newspaper/Magazine Indexing
This half-day course contains aspects of both the Database Indexing and Journal Indexing courses but involves creating an annual or cumulative index to a popular magazine or newspaper. Practical exercises are supplied.
Particular areas covered include:
- Indexing policy – what to include or leave out
- Significance of photographs, drawings and cartoons
- Editorials and letters
- Volume, issue, page number and year issues
- Use of thesauruses and selection of keywords
- Non-thesaurus terms
- Setting up a database structure
Legal Indexing
This half-day course is an extension of the book indexing courses but looking at the special requirements for indexing legal materials, whether of books or electronic loose-leaf services. Practical exercises are supplied.
Particular areas covered include:
- Format of entries for legislation
- Format of entries for cases
- Selection of terms
- Foreign phrases
Website Indexing
This full-day course focuses on the principles of website indexing, and has a strong practical component.
Particular areas covered include:
- Ways to provide access to website information
- Website indexing policies for A to Z indexes
- Website index styles for A to Z indexes
- Website indexing software
- Website indexing practical using HTML Indexer
- Website indexing trends, and alternatives A to Z access methods
Thesaurus Construction
This half-day course introduces participants to key concepts and steps involved in developing a keyword hierarchy.
Particular areas covered include:
- Why build a thesaurus?
- Basic relationships between terms
- Building blocks of a thesaurus
- Thesaurus development software
- Practical construction of a thesaurus
Further details contact: Max McMaster






