Join us for the 2007 TAA Conference at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo in downtown Buffalo, NY, June 22-23

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Preliminary Conference Schedule now available
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Book Raffle
IIL Publishing, New York will raffle four books at the 2007 TAA Conference
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Coming to Buffalo? Put these two books on your reading list
City of Light by Lauren Belfer
Trip to Niagara Falls by Geronimo Stilton (Scholastic)
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Mentoring Sessions
Several veteran authors have agreed to serve as mentors at the conference. Attendees will be able to sign up at the conference registration desk for 15-minute sessions with a mentor. A list of mentors will be available soon.

Roundtable Discussions Luncheon
Saturday, June 23
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Choose from 10 different moderated roundtable discussions related to textbook and academic authoring.
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Dinner at The Anchor Bar
Thursday, June 21, 6 p.m.
The restaurant where Buffalo-style wings were invented
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Buffalo, NY Waterfront Tour
Friday, June 22, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Take a guided tour of the Buffalo waterfront
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Karpeles Manuscript Musuem and Library Tour
Friday, June 22, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
View Walt Disney illustrations and documents, among others
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Social Networking Event: A Chartered 3-hour Dinner Cruise Aboard the Grand Lady
Friday, June 22, 6:45 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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Four-hour Guided Tour to Niagara Falls (American side)
Saturday, June 23, 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tour full.
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Free one-on-one sessions with an authoring attorney or literary agent
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Click here for information from the 2006 TAA Convention:

• Articles
• Convention Q&A
• Convention Materials
• Photo Gallery

Archive of past conventions

Book Indexing Basics
Presenter: Seth Maislin, Freelance Indexer and Consultant, Focus Information Services, President of the American Society of Indexers

Saturday, June 23
2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Preliminary conference schedule

Quality indexing, in both print and online media, comes down to a few simple concepts. By understanding these core concepts, both your indexing and your writing will improve. In this presentation, the audience will learn all the basics of indexing in a very short amount of time: information analysis, conceptual relationships, page numbers, cross references, language choices, sorting, tools, usability, and business issues. In the end you'll unleash your latent love for indexing ideas, absorb the fundamentals of writing an index, learn how to judge index quality for yourself, and truly grasp why good indexes add so much value to their books.

This session is for authors, editors, readers and potential indexers. You'll learn: the basics of quality indexing; the first steps toward writing an index by yourself, as well as guidelines for effective index evaluation; practical information about the indexing process and business; and come away with a better appreciation of the value of indexing.

"I have some hands-on exercises that always inspire discussion," said Maislin. "My presentation is an engaging forum for those never-before-asked questions. I'm not afraid to talk about the MONEY part of indexing, and that usually perks people up."

About the presenter

Seth Maislin is a freelance indexer and consultant who has written over 1,000 indexes on subjects from midwifery to capital punishment, statistics programming to sports marketing, and Asian theatre to forensics. He is the 2006-7 President of the American Society of Indexers, founder of the techindexing mailing list, and an adjunct instructor at three Massachusetts colleges. He is a regular author and speaker at indexing-related events, both domestic and overseas, and author of a blog on indexing and information architecture topics. Visit his website at http://taxonomist.tripod.com

Want more indexing?
Participate in Seth Maislin's Roundtable Discussion on Writing Indexes

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