Kate Mertes

118 N. West Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
703-549-4574

kmertes@hotmail.com

1993 – present
Indexing

            Sole proprietor of busy, profitable indexing and editing service specializing in legal, theological, and academic works; large, complex projects; and electronic media. I can put together and manage teams of independent contractors for large jobs. Recent work includes indexing, taxonomies, and developmental editing for Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, World Bank, Liberty Fund, Art Institute of Chicago, Dumbarton Oaks/Harvard University Press, The Canon Law Society of America, Stanford, Cornell, and many other publishing houses and individual authors. Many of these are repeat clients who have used me over a number of years. 

1990 – 1999
Thompson Professional Publishing divisions, New Jersey and Virginia

            Starting out as a senior indexer in the New Jersey Office of Maxwell Macmillan, I transferred to Virginia in 1992 to manage information retrieval services for the Research Institute of America Group (subsequently AlignMark Information Publishing). I was responsible for creating detailed indexes for new products and maintaining indexes for existing products; supervising staff and freelancers; developing finding aid styles for different publications; devising product work schedules; and overseeing all aspects of index production. I started up the department from scratch, hiring staff, establishing styles and standards, developing scheduling procedures, and computerizing the indexing function on a searchable database. I worked out an entirely new protocol for information retrieval on our CD-ROM products, combining traditional indexing techniques with the flexibility of keyword searching; and I developed a range of innovative information retrieval tools for our online products. I was a key contributor to the web-based publishing initiative for AlignMark Information Publishing, responsible for design, navigation, and functionality components of numerous online products.

1989 – 1990
Andromeda Press, Oxfordshire

            Developmental editor for active book packaging company specializing in popular reference materials. I wrote, substantially edited, and indexed material to produce clearly-written, accessible text on complex subjects for the intelligent general reader.

1985 – 1989
Oxford University Press, Oxford

            Lexicographer and computer specialist for Concise Oxford English Dictionary. I assisted in the first computerization of an OUP dictionary database, developing improvements to the data input system and the input form design, and participated in the development of the Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM.

1982 – 1985
Blackfriars College, University of Oxford

            Lecturer in medieval history and theology, teaching classes in medieval church history, Thomism, and medieval Latin. Board member, Oxford Women’s Studies Committee, commissioning and producing lecture series and academic publications. I also produced indexes for a number of these publications. Archivist for Women’s Theology Library, documenting large collection of manuscript and video materials now held by the University of Birmingham. Post-doctoral degree in theology awarded in 1984.

1977 – 1982
Edinburgh University, Scotland

            Ph.D. in medieval history awarded in 1981; archivist for Scottish Catholic Records Society, 1979 – 1982; junior lecturer in medieval history, 1980 – 1982; guest lecturer for Scottish National Trust Society and City/University adult education program, 1981-1982.

1973 – 1977
Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts

            BA in medieval studies awarded in 1977; archivist and preservation specialist for College Library’s rare books collection; media assistant to political science department’s “town meeting” video production.

Professional experience

• Wilson Award (for excellence in indexing) judge, 1994-1997, 1999, and 2001.
• Board of Directors of American Society of Indexers (ASI), 1998-2001 term.
• Vice President/President Elect/Past President of ASI, 2001-2004 term, 2008-2011 term.
• President of DC Chapter of ASI, 2004-2005.
• Founding member of ICI (Institute of Certified Indexers) since 2009.
• Conference Planner for ASI, 2014-2016.

Teaching experience

Leader of popular seminars on indexing and taxonomies, available for both indexers and non-indexing editors:

• NASCAR Indexing: Creating and Maintaining Speed; first presented at the ASI conference in Pasadena, 2005, and since presented to numerous
• ASI chapters and the Canadian Society of Indexers; available as a webinar at www.asindexing.org.
• Indexing Legal Publications (with Enid Zafran); presented at the ASI conference in Philadelphia, 2007.
• First Steps: A Guide to Indexing and Taxonomies for Legal Editors (with Enid Zafran and Fred Leise); presented to the Special Libraries Association conference in New York, 2004, and to the American Association of Law Librarians in St. Louis, 2006.
• Aboutness; a workshop on capturing the metatopic systematically in the indexing process, presented at the ASI Conference in Minneapolis, 2010, and since presented to numerous ASI chapters; available as a webinar on  www.asindexing.org.
• Indexing Historical Documents; presented to DC and Southern California chapters of ASI and to the Canadian Society of Indexers, 2011.
• Indexing Standards (with Enid Zafran); presented at the ASI conference in San Diego in 2012.
• Working with Authors and Editors; presented at Chicago Regional conference in 2104, and UK Indexing conference in 2015.
• Indexes Locorum; presented at Canadian Society indexing conference in 2019, and as a Webinar for the American Society of Indexers, January, 2020.
• Adjunct Professor for indexing, abstracting, and thesauri class at Catholic University of America’s library school, 2005 and 2007

Publications

• Good Governance and Politic Rule: The  Noble Household in England, 1250-1550 (Blackwells Press).
• “Legal Indexing” in Indexing Specialties: Scholarly Books, ed. M. Towery and E. Zafran (ASI/ITI)
• “Saints, Kings, and Peasants: Indexing Medieval and Renaissance History” in Indexing Specialties: History, ed. M. Towery (ASI/ITI)
• “The Queen of Sciences: Indexing Theology and Disciplines Related to Religion” in Index it Right! Advice from the Experts, ed. E. Zafran (ASI/ITI)
• Indexing for Editors and Authors, F. Leise, N. Badgett, and K. Mertes (ITI/ASI, 2008)
• “Classical and Medieval Names” and “Religious Names” in Indexing Names, ed. Noeline Bridge (ASI/ITI, 2012)

Awards

• Dalziel Award (from Mount Holyoke College) in graduate studies, 1981.
• Wilson/EIS Award (from ASI) for Excellence in Indexing, 2013, for Montesquieu’s Les Pensees (Liberty Fund).
• Hines Award (from ASI) for Long-Term Services to the Indexing Community, 2014.
• ASI/EIS Award for Excellence in Indexing, 2015, for The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents,  volume 3 (Church Historian’s Press).