Not a messy affair! Instead, gourmet food and good company are on offer for the November end-of-year meeting of the society. Organise the family and come to Telopea Park on Wednesday 28 November. The barbecue will start at 6 pm, with the usual drinks and wonderful nibbles.
The barbecue area we shall use is at the east side of Telopea Park at the lake end of Currie Crescent in Kingston. It is away from water and has colourful play equipment and parking nearby.
Catering is being organised by Jenny Cook and Ann Parkinson, our resident experts. However, you must tell Ann Parkinson you will attend, on or before 23 November, so quantities can be worked out. To cover costs, the society will collect $12 per adult, $6 per child over 10 years, and $3 per child under 10 years, on the day. A sticker system will indicate those who have paid.
Anticipated menu: nibbles and felafel, a variety of salads, gourmet sausages including gluten-free types, bread, wine, juice, Christmas cake, coffee and tea. If you want other drinks, please bring your own.
Bring your own chair or rug. So, if you enjoy networking, social chatter, catching up with old friends, and good food, under a canopy if the weather is poor, we hope to see you on 28 November at about 6 pm.
Remember to contact Ann Parkinson to say if you will be there.
Gourmet BBQ for editors and their families
Typography and fonts for print and web
The President's column
By the way. . .
Au revoir, Pam
Bloopers?
Book review
The National Library's Open Day
News and notes
What name?
Reminder: guidelines for thesis editing
Dates for your diary
Copyright notice
At the society's October meeting we enjoyed a very instructive presentation by Sharon France (of Looking Glass Press) and Simon Yates (of Graphic Ark) on typography and fonts, topics that are obviously of great interest to our society members given the healthy attendance and intense questioning. Unfortunately, we ran out of time. Perhaps we can attract Sharon and Simon back next year to enlighten us further.
EH.
'One of the biggest challenges of publishing is the merging of image and text to produce an effective communication message,' said Simon. 'The focus these days is on the image; typography is not as well understood.' After Sharon's and Simon's talk, however, we probably understand much more about typefaces and typography than we did before.
First, definitions. A computer font is a typeface at a particular size and weight and is usually described in relation to the leading (that is, line spacing) used. A typeface, on the other hand, is the name that embraces all the members of a font family. The words 'typeface' and 'font' have become interchangeable through common usage. A family typically includes roman, bold and italic styles, and medium, heavy and light weights. In this context, 'roman' indicates uprightness and standard weight. More comprehensive typefaces include condensed, narrow, compressed, extra bold and black fonts.
Typefaces are grouped into classifications: Humanist, Old Style, Transitional, Modern, Geometric and Display. Humanist typefaces, such as Venetian and Golden Type, have letters that are wide and spacey, with big capitals and strokes that are all of similar thickness. These are too boring to be used in continuous text, but are good for headings or displays. Old Style and Transitional typefaces were designed later and they have shades of thickness in the strokes - contrast - that give a page a good tone and legibility. Examples are Garamond, Times New Roman, Baskerville, Cochin and Stone Serif. In this context, 'Roman' is part of the font name; it does not indicate a roman style.
Typefaces classified as Modern have vertical emphasis, and the strokes within any one letter range from very thin to very thick. The design is so detailed and the variation is so strong that this font is very hard to read in large bodies of text. It is excellent for headings. Display fonts are also not for text but instead are excellent for creating imagery.
We learnt that serifs - the little tails on the extremities of letters - can be bracketed (like a right-angled triangle) or square, round, intermediate or absent (sans serif). The sans serif typefaces such as Helvetica/Arial do not make comfortable reading for a long book, even though it is thought modern to use them. These fonts, including Univers and Franklin Gothic, are called 'grotesque' from the German term for 'instant recognition'. Geometric typefaces, such as Futura, Gill Sans, Optima and Albertius are 'humanist', more like human writing. Gill Sans and Albertius actually appear to be between serif and sans serif fonts, possibly contributing to their readability. (Our newsletter is set mainly in Gill Sans.)
When choosing the best font family for a particular publication, consider the publication's content, purpose and audience, not forgetting the audience's age-range. Headings are often set in a sans serif font and the body text in a serif font for readability. For short publications, the opposite arrangement can work equally well.
Consider if the font family contains all the characters, weights and styles you need. Some comic typefaces have no punctuation characters, for example. It is fine to use one typeface with all its variations in a document - extra bold for headings, roman for the body, and variations of size and weight to create emphasis where needed. Beware of the connotations some typefaces carry: for example, the Internal Revenue Service in USA uses Helvetica, we were told. As a result, any other publications in Helvetica generate instinctive anxiety in their readers in the USA!
Space is important. Serif fonts need larger leading. Also, the longer the line, the larger the leading should be, so choice of column width and leading should be interrelated. The spaces between letters and across a whole line are defined by the font's kerning and tracking settings. Some True type fonts on PCs have been created using existing Macintosh fonts, Sharon said, but they have not necessarily taken on the kerning and tracking characteristics of the properly designed original fonts. (You can tell that these speakers work on Macintoshes, can't you?)
Simon described the way we read, recognising word shapes rather than spelling out each letter. That is why serif fonts are easier for large blocks of text - the serifs give visual clues that speed up recognition. Alignment matters too. Left alignment helps the eye find the start of each line quickly, regardless of whether the right ends of the lines are ragged or justified. Right alignment with ragged left ends, or centred text, therefore obstructs fast reading.
What about the 'colour' of a page? A careful choice of font can generate a mood for a piece of text: light weight fonts for freedom and friendliness; extra bold fonts for solemnity; likewise, very tight leading creates a sense of urgency. Too wide leading just makes the text hard to read. There are no strong rules about leading, because the x-heights of fonts differ, but a leading that is four point sizes larger than the font size is a good rule of thumb (for example 10/14, 10 point font, 14 point leading).
On-screen, serif fonts degenerate because screen pixels that are less than half-full get switched off. Sans serif fonts, which lack the small detailed serifs, suffer less from degeneration and are therefore generally sharper and easier to read.
A trap for new web-site designers is that the fonts on a viewer's monitor are controlled by the browser's settings, regardless of the designer's clever choice of fonts. If a browser doesn't have a particular font, it substitutes a default font, often resulting in unpredictable and undesirable typography. Originally, web sites had to be written in Arial, Courier, Times New Roman (for PC) or Helvetica, Courier or Times (for Macintosh) to ensure that a viewer's computer system would have the fonts installed. These fonts were usually unattractive and unwieldy. New fonts, such as Georgia and Verdana, are being designed specifically for browsers, to ensure legibility and allow for some design variation. The wise designer, though, will still specify back-up fonts for the web site - just in case…
There are other traps as well.
When preparing a job for print and screen versions, remember that postscript and Type I fonts come in separate files for screen and printer, but True-type fonts (PC) have the screen and printer codes in the one file. The general practice in the industry is to supply the fonts used in the job to the bureau or commercial printer to ensure the printed document is a faithful reproduction of the design. Therefore it is wisest to give the printer all the files for the fonts used. Also, if a Word (for PC) file is transferred to a Mac, say for professional desktop publishing, in all likelihood the formatting and footnotes will be lost. Therefore the file must be accompanied by a hard copy if you are to convey the formatting you want.
The practice of copying and providing fonts is of course a breach of copyright. The industry has recently experienced some interesting turns of events involving some of the larger font producers such as Adobe which have a vested interest in selling their wares and not having them copied and distributed unchecked. Simon will keep us posted on developments.
Since the meeting, Sharon has sent this list of useful websites on fonts:
www.typeindex.com
www.adobe.com/type
www.bitstream.com
www.microsoft.com/truetype
www.atypi.org
www.disturbed.com
www.comicbookfonts.com
www.typesite.com
www.monotype.com
www.linotypelibrary.com
http://fontsanon.com/
http://www.rintrah.org/nwalsh.com/comp.fonts/FAQ/index.html
http://www.fontcraft.com/scriptorium
and these are some of the books she used as references:
The Design Manual, by David Whitbread, UNSW Press (2001);
The Complete Typographer, by Christopher Perfect and Jeremy Austen, Prentice Hall (1992);
Type and Colour, by Michael Beaumont, Phaidon Press (1991).
If you want to speak to Sharon, phone Looking Glass Press, Dickson, ACT (02) 6262 7122, or to Simon, phone Graphic Ark, Fyshwick, ACT (02) 6228 3166. (This is the correct number - business cards handed out at the meeting were wrong.)
Ann Milligan
Readers who were not at the October meeting may be surprised to see the name at the end of this column. Let me put you in the picture. Shortly after the Annual General Meeting at which she was elected President, Elizabeth Murphy suffered a change in circumstances that forced her to relinquish the position - with much regret. She discussed the matter with me, then Vice-President, and I totally agreed with her decision. It has thrust me into a position to which I now fully commit myself.
Elizabeth will continue to be an active member of the society and we can look forward to seeing her at future meetings and to reading her contributions to both our newsletter and, if you receive it, Stylewise magazine. Though Elizabeth's presidency was short it had considerable influence, because she put a tremendous amount of productive effort into preparing material for the recent CASE meeting in Sydney (see below). I attended the meeting on Elizabeth's behalf and was, as a result of her good work, exceptionally well briefed to put our society's position on the various issues discussed.
The Council of Australian Societies of Editors (CASE) met in Sydney over 10-11 October. CASE had been rather quiet since it finished its work on the editing standards last year and this meeting was stimulated by a recommendation of the national conference held in Canberra earlier this year. All the State/Territory societies of editors were represented at the meeting, bar the Northern Territory group, which is very small and retains observer status on CASE, and Western Australia. Unfortunately, the WA delegate had to return home before the meeting started, in response to a family crisis.
I outline here only the three outcomes of the meeting that I believe are the most important, though all that was discussed was significant. A detailed report on the meeting, prepared by the current CASE secretary, Cathy Gray of the NSW society, is on our web site. If you do not have Internet access and wish to read the report, please contact me and I will fax or mail you a copy.
First, CASE has decided, subject to the agreement of all the Australian societies of editors, to give itself more teeth. It wants always to have a secretary to keep activities moving and for societies to agree to set aside resources for their delegates to attend two meetings per year. These will normally be in either Sydney or Melbourne, the most economical locations overall. They may be either general meetings or associated with the working groups operating from time to time. If a national conference were to be held, such as is mooted for Brisbane in 2003, then at least one of the meetings would be held around that time.
Second, a working group will be formed to examine the issue of accreditation in the editing profession. The group will be convened by Janet Mackenzie of the Victorian society. Those of you who read her article in the October issue of our newsletter will have detected that she is fairly passionate about the business. The group's initial task will be to present to CASE at least two models for the possible implementation of accreditation, plus a prognosis of doing nothing. Our society will appoint a delegate to the working party in the near future.
A third major proposal put to the CASE meeting was for a national web site for all the Australian societies of editors. This would be a portal to give visitors access to the web sites of all the State/Territory societies, and it would provide up-to-date information about CASE and other national activities and issues.
Implementation of this proposal would in no substantive way affect the content of the various society web sites or the activities of their minders, who would retain full control of their own bailiwicks. The Queensland society is developing this proposal.
Each society came away from the meeting with a specific task. Ours is to research and report on how various societies and associations handle business and relationships between their national and State/Territory branches. One can read into this and other outcomes from the CASE meeting that there is some serious thinking under way about how we can make a better future for our profession. Our committee has considered, and supports, all the CASE recommendations.
Looking ahead, we hope the February meeting will be a special curator's tour of 'Treasures from the World's Great Libraries', an exhibition that the National Library of Australia is hosting. Watch the web site and the January (yes) and February newsletters for details. I hope to see you at the end-of year barbecue and that you all have a happy Christmas and can look forward to good editing in 2002.
Ed Highley
Have you ever stood on the fringe of a gathering of people and wondered how to refer to them all at once? I found myself wondering just that at the April joint editors' and indexers' conference. I climbed the stairs at the conference hotel and there they were - such a huge ……… of editors - a bunch of editors? No, a bunch of flowers. A collection of editors? No, a collection of antiques. An amalgam - no, that's dentists. What is the collective noun for editors? Well, why not ask them? So I sent out an SOS on various email lists that I belong to, and this is what I got (with acknowledgements where I know them).
Carol in Indiana said 'Depending on the size of the group, it could be a ream, galley, or proof of editors. Or perhaps you are referring to the more classic and always correct punctilio of editors. ' Sara in Boston said 'I don't know the "official" word, but how about a nitpick?'.
Dwight in Florida suggested that 'a "delusion" of editors sounds almost as good as a "screed" of editors'. Our mutual friend John Bangsund in Melbourne suggested a barrage was appropriate, and in a similar military vein, Rishi in India recommended a column.
Then there were heaps of other more or less appropriate suggestions, depending on your sense of humour: a stroke, a pedantry, an opinion, a colophon, an appendix, a bracket, a quire, or a chapter of editors. Going down the path of generic names like Hoover for all vacuum cleaners, Kat in Rochester, NY, recommended a fowler or a strunk of editors. And another New Yorker, Eli, put a bit of a lid on it for a while by saying he was 'starting to get board [sic] of editors'! (Pun entirely intended. )
One of the cutest descriptions of an individual editor was an itchypencil (from Al in California) and from that I extrapolate the disease that afflicts all editors: itchypencilitis.
Martha in Boston suggested an emendment of editors while Ginny in Seattle thought an opinion of editors was appropriate.
There were also some suggestions that I would blush to include in a serious journal, so I'll stop here with a contribution from my recent host in Ottawa, Gerry: 'According to An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton, there are actually four collective nouns for editors - a mangle of copy editors, a caprice of assignment editors, a dyspepsia of city editors and an ultimatum of executive editors. For what it's worth, there's also a scoop of reporters, a platitude of sports writers and a query of checkers. '
I don't know what I feel part of, apart from a society of editors.
Elizabeth Murphy
As most of you will know by now, Pamela Hewitt is moving to Sydney in December. Although this will not be a goodbye, because she will continue to be a member of our society, Pam's change of residence provides me with the opportunity to write a few words about her and to thank her for her contribution to the Canberra Society of Editors over so many years.
Where to begin? - perhaps by saying that Pam is a self-effacing sort of person and, for this reason, many members may not be aware of how much she has given to our society. It was really only when we worked together as President and Vice-President that I began to understand and appreciate Pam's role.
Pam is a great committee person. She is generous with her advice and has an uncanny ability to solve problems. I think I can speak for everyone on our committee when I say that Pam was a marvellous person to have on the team. Pam's qualities were never more evident than in the planning for the joint editors' and indexers' conference, held earlier this year. Pam was involved from the beginning - contributing ideas, hours of her time, and her enthusiasm and energy. She was the inspiration behind an exceptional program - she identified the themes and, most significantly, the speakers, all people of high repute and recognised expertise.
Pam once said to me, probably when I was whingeing about how much I had to do, 'If you want a job done, give it to a busy person'. Pam exemplifies the very essence of that advice.
Finally, I have to admit to having had a lot of fun with Pam. Laughter, jokes, whirlwind shopping expeditions and coffee stops, all relieving those little stresses of an editor's life.
I know I speak for everyone in our society when I wish Pam and her family the very best for their new life in Sydney. We will miss her.
Louise Forster
Would you buy this house? At least the agent warns you of the risk, up front.
'Magnificent family residence located on a massive 1,230 m2 private block.
Compromising 4 bedroom, ensuite, study or guest quarters …. '
(Spotted in The Canberra Times real estate pages, 27 October, by Ann Milligan)
And Andrew Bell took this photo...
Bernadette Hince (2000) The Antarctic Dictionary: A Complete Guide to Antarctic English. CSIRO Publishing and Museum Victoria. Hardback. 394 pages. Available from CSIRO Publishing, PO Box 1139, Collingwood 3066; and from local bookshops. RRP $44.95. Add $9 per order via CSIRO.
When a dictionary starts with aaaa ' "Halt", a sledge dog command, usually softly called', and ends with zucchini 'an extended apple hut, a (usu. red) fibreglass field hut with two additional sets of panels', you know you're in for a good read.
This is a great book for the wordlover's serendipitous way of finding an interesting word on the way to looking up something else. A quick dip into P to look up Pole, for example, also found the verb to pont 'to pose, in polar discomfort, for a photograph' (named after Ponting, a photographer with Scott's second expedition).
The dictionary, covering the Antarctic continent and the sub-Antarctic islands, is attractively presented, generously laid out (though the print is rather small), and organised on historical principles with citations for each word. However, Hince writes (p. ix) of her disappointment that she could find no written citations for the wonderfully evocative term for Antarctica, the big pav, and hence could not include it as an entry. This raises the question of whether dictionaries should continue to work in the tradition of using only written citations, as by doing so they miss some of the language as it is used by speakers, not just writers.
Entries are informal in tone, in spite of the rigorous academic work that went into compiling them, and Hince gives additional information and comment. For example, under katabatic wind 'a wind produced when cold dense air falls by gravity downslope', she adds that Antarctica is 'the king of katabatics. In Commonwealth Bay, George V Land, the highest wind speeds in the world have been recorded'.
In the tradition of lexicographer Samuel Johnson, Hince adds asides like the one under the term for 'an egghead, an academic, a scientist: an antithesis of the manual labourer or skilled tradesman': jafa '[Acronym formed from ''just another fucking academic''. . . I am puzzled by its lack of wider application. ]'
Although you can generally work out how the more unusual words are pronounced, a pronunciation guide would have been helpful, e.g. for larcie 'a larc driver or handler' (larc is an acronym from 'landing and resupply cargo'); or polynya 'an expanse of open water in pack ice or fast ice'.
As well as flora and fauna, and the many words for ice, snow and wind, the roles of the people who work in Antarctica are also there, e.g. beaker 'a scientist', inside man 'the person responsible for setting up the inside of a tent and cooking the evening meal', or winterer or winter-overer 'a member of an antarctic expedition who stays in Antarctica over winter'. Living conditions emerge from the dictionary in words such as moop '[Acronym from "man out of phase''] Someone disoriented by changing patterns of light and dark in polar regions, a sort of high latitude version of jet lag', sledging biscuit 'a hard and durable biscuit purportedly for human consumption', or polar ennui 'a darkness of the soul in the polar night'.
This dictionary is unusual in being an enjoyable scholarly work. For the growing number of tourists to Antarctica, all of them avid to read everything they can find about it, and for the jafas and winter-overers, this dictionary offers the language they will need for their time on the ice.
Pauline Bryant
In the book review above, the definition of jafa was a challenge for the newsletter editors. Neither the editors nor the reviewer like to use indelicate language, particularly in print. We considered substituting other quotes, but decided that the asides were less memorable and amusing.
We sought guidance from the society's 'canberraeditors' discussion list. The range of responses is summarised here. One response asked us to substitute 'f…ing' for the full word. Most respondents acknowledged that the full word is in common use and recommended leaving it alone. The problem that 'some people may well be offended if we were seen to be condoning the use of such language' was also mentioned. The suggestion of inserting [sic] after it, in adaptation of the instruction in AGPS Style Manual para 8. 17 (which pertains to discriminatory words) was generally rejected. After all, as was pointed out, the word is already within a quote, and it is correctly spelt. It was suggested that we omit the quote entirely, but we had already rejected that idea. We recognise that the reviewer is not aiming to achieve 'gratuitous titillation' or to give offence, as queried on the email list, so we had no need to censor the word on those grounds.
As you see, we have decided to leave the word alone. To substitute f…ing, as we planned to do at one stage, invalidates the quote. We apologise to any readers who are offended by our decision.
Ann and Alexa
The National Library of Australia held an open day recently to celebrate its 100th birthday. The Library started life with the Federal Parliament in 1901, and gradually evolved into the busy and esteemed institution now gracing the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
Of course the Library is familiar to society members because of the monthly meetings held in the Friends' Lounge, but though it is a national institution, and a fantastic storehouse of treasures, memories, and current affairs, many people seem unaware of the full scope and accessibility of its activities and holdings. The idea that it is there for bookworms, intellectuals, academics, students and editors is not inaccurate, but it is also true that the library welcomes all comers and its extensive collections are available to everyone. So, as well as a celebration, the open day was held to attract and inform people who are unaware of the extent of the Library's functions and accessibility.
The Library holds much more than books, from up-to-the-minute publications to more aged tomes. It also has unpublished manuscripts, the personal papers of individuals, newspapers, journals, maps, music, paintings, photographs, drawings, and ephemera - that disposable material such as menus, postcards, and political pamphlets that is often thrown away but that carries such important messages about our past. There is even a collection of objects, including Mrs Macquarie's gold earrings, a Bundy card machine used to record the arrivals and departures of library staff in another age, and a silver kettle given by Queen Charlotte to Sir Joseph Banks that is on display in the main foyer.
The Library manages its vast holdings by organising the material into specialised collections: an Asian collection, Manuscripts, Maps, Newspapers/microform, Ephemera, Oral history, Pictorial (which covers photographs, paintings and drawings) and Music. Some of them, such as the manuscripts, oral history, maps and pictorial collections, have separate spaces where their particular materials can be more comfortably and safely consulted. Others, such as ephemera, are accessible through the integrated catalogue, and can be consulted in the main reading rooms.
While a readily available reference collection is shelved in the Main Reading Room, most of the collections are housed in closed stacks and are not visible to the visitor. But they are made easily available using the wonderfully user-friendly electronic computer catalogue and electronic call slip system. This can even be used from a home-based computer via the Library's web site. The site is also a useful guide to the Library's functions and services and provides direct access to material that has been digitised.
Much of the pictorial material can be viewed in this way, as well as some of the exhibitions the Library has mounted in the past. For example, the exhibition of Australian Travel Posters is available on the web site.
On Open Day, all the reading rooms were open to visitors, with staff available to assist, explain, answer questions and conduct tours of their particular territory. Staff in the manuscript room, a very special collection, were on hand to explain how their material is presented to readers, what the collection comprises and how to use it. The crown jewel in this collection is Captain Cook's Endeavour Journal, but the collection ranges from hand-written nineteenth century shipboard diaries to the private papers of quite recent individuals. Staff of the section presented some of their precious items for the Open Day visitors. This rich resource has been used to produce many rewarding books: for example, former society member Yvonne Cramer's recent book This Beauteous Wicked Place; Letters and Journals of John Grant, Gentleman Convict; Paul Cliff's A Sporting Nation and The Endless Playground, which celebrates Australian childhood; and the forthcoming Diaries of Donald Friend by Anna Gray who spoke at our society meeting in February.
The Oral History collection staff explained their role in collecting oral history and the process of interviewing the famous for posterity. Visitors were able to listen to such historical luminaries as Jack Lang, colourful Premier of New South Wales in the 1930s, May Ann Gibbs, the writer, and Howard Florey the scientist. But it is not only the famous who are recorded in the collection: social history gets a look-in as well, and a major project in this genre lately has been recording interviews for a series entitled 'A Response to Aids'.
Other collections open were Maps, Ephemera, Pictorial, and Newspapers and Microform, all of which had organised tours and presentations for Open Day visitors. There was also storytelling for children, music and a wealth of other activities to interest, amuse and inform. A lovely Canberra spring day enhanced the occasion and the number of visitors exceeded all expectations, to the delight of the hard-working staff.
Sylvia Marchant
Grammar is the bones that support the body of the writing. Mark Tredinnick BA (Hons) LLB (Hons) MBA presents this workshop, at the ACT Writers Centre, on 23 November, 9. 30 am to 5 pm. Mark was a book publisher for a decade and now works as a freelance writer, running business and non-fiction writing workshops. Cost: $72 members/ conc. & $110 non-members. Enquiries and bookings on 6262 9191.
Would you use your skills in editing, writing, languages or other fields to help others? If so, RAPlink will welcome you to its membership. RAPlink aims to link communities all over Australia, particularly those in rural and remote areas, with the resources they need to promote growth and undertake community projects. It helps to provide the information that people in those communities need in order to achieve their aims, and it links communities to expert skills that can be shared with a community to help them grow. For more information, see the group's web site.
The Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS) in the United States has an accreditation process for life science editors, centred on a three-hour written examination.
The first examination in Australia will be held in Sydney on a Saturday in March 2002. To be eligible for the certification exam, you must be registered and have a bachelor's degree and at least two years of experience as a manuscript editor in the life sciences. Some substitution of education and experience is allowed. Registration, which lasts for three years, must be done well in advance and costs US$25; the examination costs US$100 (Australians can pay by Mastercard or Visa).
Further information is available in a booklet and on the BELS web site. To obtain a copy of the booklet or ask questions, contact Rhana Pike on rhanap@ozemail.com.au or (02) 9562 5317.
The Literature Board of the Australia Council and the Australian publishing industry will run their residential program, the REP 2002, on 17-22 March 2002 at Varuna, in Katoomba. The REP 2002 offers editors with several years' experience the opportunity to develop their skills in editing literary fiction and non-fiction and in fostering talent without undermining a publisher's business expectations. Training takes place in hands-on workshops and seminars with respected publishing personnel. The REP enables editors to exchange ideas with other editors, authors and a wide variety of publishing personnel, in both structured and informal contexts.
Applications close on 30 November. If interested, contact Rowena Lennox, rlennox@shoalhaven.net.au (or phone 02 4448 3525).
Among other subjects, delegates to the recent CASE meeting discussed the definition of editing and a possible new name for editors. If the description of what we do remains 'preparing for publication', then both 'preparing' and 'publication' are different now and the word 'editor' still has the old connotations.
These names were among those put forward: value adders; lingua smith; nuance engineer; reader's advocate; comms pro; text mender; content manager; knowledge brewers; info constructionist; linguistic rectifier; ex librist; word proctologist; info wizard; textual decipherer; information architect; amanuensis; conceptual language interface technicians.
See Appendix 2 in the CASE minutes, under the notes on 'Editforce'.
The following statement was passed at the September 1994 meeting of the society:
Editors should be aware of the potential for ethical problems in editing theses, essays or other work to be submitted by undergraduate or postgraduate scholars to universities or other tertiary institutions.
The society recommends that, before accepting such work, the editor discusses with the scholar the department's view on editing and suggests that it may be desirable to obtain formal departmental approval. The scholar should be asked to acknowledge in the work that it has been edited.
23 November: ACT Writers Centre grammar workshop
28 November: Society's end-of-year barbecue
30 November 2001: Closing date for residential editors' training at Katoomba
20 or 27 February 2002: Society's February meeting
The Canberra Editor is published by the Canberra Society of Editors, PO Box 3222, Manuka ACT 2603. © Canberra Society of Editors 2001. ISSN 1039-3358
The deadline for the next regular issue is
1 January 2002.
Mail contributions on a 3.5 inch disk, using Word for Windows
(essential) or email (preferable) to:
Ann Milligan
Science Text Processors Canberra
PO Box 3161, Belconnen MDC, ACT 2617
phone/fax: (02) 6259 3080
email: scientex@actonline.com.au
If mailing, always provide a printout as well.
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