International Agreement of Indexing Societies

Agreed at Berlin, October 2022

Agreement between the Society of Indexers, the American Society for Indexing, the Indexing Society of Canada/Société canadienne d’indexation, the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers, the Association of Southern African Indexers and Bibliographers, the China Society of Indexers, and the Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers of Ireland (1999, amended 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022).

All mention of Societies refers to the Societies listed in Schedule A. All mention of Associate groups or networks refers to those listed in Schedule B. Additional procedural practices regarding The Indexer, reciprocal rights among the Societies and Associate groups or networks, the Triennial International Meetings, interim international meetings, and the International Coordinator are set out in Schedules C, D, and E and in the ICRIS Terms of
Reference and Triennial Meeting Guidelines.

This agreement between the Societies promotes the aims and objectives of the Societies and their members, and supersedes all previous affiliation agreements between the Societies.
The category of ‘Associate’ status will enable members of smaller groups and networks that have not formed Societies to enjoy the same rights as members of those Societies, including receiving The Indexer at the preferential rate enjoyed by members of the indexing Societies.
Members of each Society and each Associate group or network will enjoy the right to attend in-person or online national-level meetings and conferences of the other Societies and to purchase publications at the members’ rate. Rates charged for local/chapter meetings are at the discretion of the organising body. Members will not have reciprocal rights to vote or hold office.
Each Society and Associate group or network may accept membership applications from individuals outside their own area but will refrain from actively seeking members in areas covered by other Societies, Associate groups or networks.
Each Society and Associate group or network will appoint an international liaison to represent its interests on matters of international import, and to maintain open communication with the other Societies and Associates. Collectively, these liaisons comprise the International Committee of Representatives of Indexing Societies (ICRIS), a group that has no legal persona.
Each Society may offer a free registration for their annual conference to an authorized representative from each of the other Societies, Associate groups and networks.
A review of the International Agreement will take place every third year at a Triennial International Meeting, which will normally take place in conjunction with the annual conference of one of the Societies.
The host of the Triennial International Meeting may offer a free registration to an authorized representative from each of the other Societies and each of the Associate groups or networks.
The member newsletters of each Society and Associate group or network will be made available at no cost to the governing bodies of all the sister Societies and Associate groups or networks, and these bodies may make the newsletters available at no cost to their members.
The [British] Society of Indexers will be responsible for the management of The Indexer and for entering into any necessary contracts for its publication and despatch on behalf of all the Societies and Associates. The Indexer will remain the property of the [British] Society of Indexers.
The appointment of the editor(s) of The Indexer will remain the responsibility of the [British] Society of Indexers.
The editor(s) of The Indexer will maintain the right to accept or reject contributions from whatever source, at their discretion.
Each Society and Associate group or network will have the right, subject to the
availability of space, to one free advertisement in each issue of The Indexer. Likewise, The Indexer will have the right to a free advertisement in the newsletters of other Societies and Associate groups or networks.
Each Society and Associate group or network will be entitled, subject to the availability of space, to one free advertisement per issue in the newsletters of other Societies and Associate groups or networks.
Any Society may withdraw from the agreement on giving 12 months’ notice to the other Societies.
Proposed changes to this agreement will be circulated in advance of each Triennial International Meeting for comment by each Society and Associate group or network.
This agreement will come into effect on its ratification by the respective Societies, according to their constitutional procedures. It does not depend upon approval of the groups or networks holding Associate status.

Schedule A: Societies

American Society for Indexing (ASI)
Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers of Ireland (AFEPI Ireland)
Association of Southern African Indexers and Bibliographers (ASAIB)
Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI)
China Society of Indexers (CSI)
Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI)
Society of Indexers (referred to above as the [British] Society of Indexers) (SI)

Schedule B: Associate Groups or Networks

Deutsches Netzwerk der Indexer/German Indexing Network (DNI)
Nederlands Indexers Netwerk/Netherlands Indexing Network (NIN)

Schedule C: Procedures Relating to The Indexer

Each Society and Associate group or network may make The Indexer available to its members, as a benefit of membership, according to its own rules and procedures.
The Indexer subscription rate for members of the Societies and Associate groups or networks will be fixed by the [British] Society of Indexers and will be at a lower rate than the non-member subscription rate. Societies and Associate groups or networks, and individual subscribers, will be notified of price changes as far in advance as possible.

Schedule D: Procedures Relating to Reciprocal Rights

Services specific to a Society, such as certification and registers of indexers, are not included in reciprocal rights.
The Special Interest Groups (SIGs) affiliated with the American Society for Indexing are open to members of other Societies and Associate groups or networks; any SIG member may vote on matters brought up in the specific SIG of which they are a member, but only ASI members may hold leadership positions in a SIG.
Member newsletters that are made available at no cost to members of other Societies and Associate groups and networks will be circulated to international liaisons through the ICRIS email list for sharing with the members of each Society or Associate group or network.
Reciprocal arrangements relating to member newsletters do not apply to journals. Arrangements for The Indexer are set out in clauses 2 and 13 and in Schedule C; Key Words (ASI) and China Index (CSI) are available on subscription.

Schedule E: The Triennial International Meeting, the International Coordinator, and the International Committee of Representatives of Indexing Societies (ICRIS)

Each Triennial International Meeting will agree on the host for the next meeting.
Each Triennial International Meeting will appoint an International Coordinator to serve for a term of three years (from one Triennial meeting until the next); the appointment may be renewed for one additional term.
The International Coordinator will be responsible for drafting the agenda for the upcoming Triennial International Meeting and maintaining contact among the Societies and Associate groups or networks (primarily through ICRIS) about amendments to the International Agreement and other issues that may arise.
Amendments to the International Agreement can only be made at the Triennial International Meeting.
Communication among ICRIS members will be through a dedicated email list.
Between Triennial International Meetings, online meetings will be organized to facilitate the exchange of information and discuss matters of mutual interest, with hosting and chairing rotating annually among the Societies. Online meetings will ideally take place twice a year, timed to facilitate attendance by liaisons from all the Societies and Associate groups or networks. No binding decisions will be taken. Minutes will be circulated through the ICRIS list and posted on the ICRIS webpage.
Between Triennial International Meetings, the International Coordinator, working in conjunction with international liaisons from other Societies and Associate groups or networks, may organize interim international meetings at intervening in-person Society conferences. All international representatives attending the conference, as well as participants with responsibility for The Indexer, will be invited to attend the meeting. Other individuals may be invited at the discretion of the International Coordinator or the ICRIS member who is chairing the meeting. No binding decisions will be taken. Minutes will be circulated through the ICRIS list and posted on the ICRIS webpage.