History

The Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI) was established as the Australian Society of Indexers (AusSI) in Melbourne on 27 April 1976, to replace the Society of Indexers in Australia (a group of members of the Society of Indexers of the United Kingdom).

Its aims were:

• to hold practical workshops
• to set fees for indexing work
• to maintain a register of practising indexers
• to cooperate with other bodies of related interest
• to form local groups or branches
• to issue a newsletter
• to set subscription rates for membership.

The membership has grown from 55 in 1976 to 220 in 2007. In 2015, membership stands at 160.

Branches were established in New South Wales (1990), Victoria (1991), the Australian Capital Territory Region (1992),  New Zealand (2004) and Queensland (2008). There are members in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.

The ANZSI Council and the five branch committees carry on the work of the Society,  with

1. General meetings — talks, panel discussions, seminars, workshops, visits to places of interest and joint activities with other bodies
2. Conferences — these have been held at Marysville, Victoria (1995), Robertson, NSW (1996), Katoomba, NSW (1997), Hobart (1999), Canberra (in association with the Canberra Society of Editors, 2001, 2015), Sydney (2003, 2009), Melbourne (2005, 2007, 2011), Wellington, New Zealand (2013).
3. Courses on back-of-book, periodical and database indexing have been conducted since 1977; courses by branches or in cooperation with ANZSI or by members of ANZSI have been held in all Australian states and territories, New Zealand and Singapore.
4. Accreditation — this form of recognition was established in 1977 and is based on work presented to a Panel of Assessors, and judged to be of professional standard.
5. Awards are presented by the Society — the annual Medal for an outstanding book or periodical index, first presented in 1985; the Web Indexing prize, first presented in 1996; Honorary Life Membership granted for service to the Society; and the Outstanding Contribution award, first presented in 2012.
6. Publications, including:
   – Newsletter, since December 1976
   – Index series
   – Conference proceedings

Further information

• History of AusSI — Jean Hagger
• ‘Australian and other indexers: John Simkin reminiscences at the 30th anniversary dinner of AusSI/ANZSI‘, ANZSI Newsletter, 2006, vol. 2, no. 6, pp 1, 4–5
• ‘Joyce Gillespie remembers … memories of my involvement with the Society‘,  ANZSI Newsletter, 2006, vol. 2, no. 6, pg 3
• ‘AusSI: aspirations and achievements since 1976‘, by John Simkin, in: Karen Gillen (ed) Indexing: engage, enlighten, enrich: proceedings from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers Conference, 17–19 March 2005, Melbourne. Melbourne: Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers, 2005, pp.  131-135.