Partnerships in knowledge link professional individuals involved in the knowledge industry: librarians, editors, indexers, publishers, graphic designers, authors and writers, academics, archivists, knowledge managers, web managers, programmers, information architects, internet publishers, government representatives, information specialists, communication managers and others. What could be more stimulating than a national conference to bring all these people together? Imagine - new networks, new groups, points in common, discussion, argument, information, education, laughter, ideas...
Editors have been seeking a national perspective for some years, and this conference is a useful opportunity for collaboration between the individual state societies. Indexers, on the other hand, already have a national body with state branches, and they already have a national conference schedule. By combining forces, the ACT groups of editors and indexers are aiming for a larger scope than a normal biennial national conference of indexers could achieve. Editors with their various activities, all called 'editing', will bring in a range of contacts and inputs. Participants from other knowledge professions will give even greater breadth.
The program has been almost entirely finalised. In putting together the program, the organising committee found many areas of common ground between indexers and editors. Most of the conference sessions will be of interest to several professions. Sometimes there will be two speakers on the platform and at other times one person will be able to deal with both points of view. All forms of publishing will be open to discussion, with a full day devoted to business and information technology issues.
This sort of opportunity for bridging the gaps that have developed in publishing, in government particularly, has neither existed nor been so necessary in Australia before. In the present decentralised publishing environment, people who must commission aspects of publishing have been known to ask indexers, printers and graphic designers to recommend other professionals, including editors. Yet, in Australia, more and more people work as freelancers largely in isolation from each other. This national conference should be a wonderful eye-opener, helping us to understand other professionals' needs, capabilities and constraints, and beginning a necessary strengthening of the industry.
A conference brochure has been produced and it is being sent to all groups likely to have an interest in this conference. It includes a registration form. Details of outings for delegates' accompanying persons will be available at the conference itself.
The Queensland Society of Editors had begun to plan a national conference for editors, but, generously, delayed it to another year in support of this joint conference. It is to be hoped that their plans will blossom, in time, so that both indexers and editors from now on will regularly have a national focus and common meeting ground.
Click here to see the latest on the main program and the workshops.
Practical details of conference registration, accommodation and the like are in the conference brochure that was sent to all members of the Canberra Society of Editors, and is available in .pdf form by clicking here. These details can also be seen by looking at the Indexers' web site.
Richard Walsh was co-editor of OZ, and later founded the weekly newspaper that became Nation Review. He was Managing Director and Publisher at Angus & Robertson for 14 years, and he headed Australian Consolidated Press for 13 years. In March 2000 he and David Salter launched the topical daily newsletter on the net, The Zeitgeist Gazette. Over the years he has led, or been on, councils or boards concerned with literature, the ABC, theatre, the NSW State Library, the Australian Museum, and the National Commission for UNESCO. Today Richard Walsh is a media consultant, a mediator/facilitator and a director of a number of companies.
Kate Lundy is the Shadow Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs and Shadow Minister Assisting on Information Technology. Her appointment as IT spokesperson is recognition of her Internet and IT skills. She was awarded the Australian Computer Society's 'Most Computer Literate Politician' Award in 1996 and was recently named by internet.au magazine as one of the 20 most influential Australians in information technology.
Ian Chubb was appointed Vice-Chancellor of The Australian National University in January 2001. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of Flinders University in Adelaide for six years and the senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Monash University for two years while simultaneously the Foundation Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics for 16 months.
Since January 2000 Professor Chubb has been President of the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC). Also in January 2000 Professor Chubb became a member of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC). He serves, or has served, on numerous other Boards and Committees related to his university or Commonwealth responsibilities-in universities and in the public and private sectors.
Shortis & Simpson are a Canberra duo who create comedy and cabaret shows, productions based on popular music history, large-scale community arts events and tailor-made shows for conferences and other special functions. They recently won the Canberra Critics' Circle Award for music.
Helen Musa, Arts Editor for the Canberra Times, says:John Shortis and Moya Simpson are regarded as pretty well Canberra's premier satirical cabaret team. Shortis composes new songs and Simpson sings them in an idiosyncratic style, and they have drawn to them a large circle of admirers.
We have been working on our Partnerships in Knowledge conference for about 18 months. Although the pace was slow at first, we have gathered momentum and now we seem to be flying down the runway ready for launch in about seven weeks. How frightening!
Over the 18 months we have developed a very good working relationship in the committee. Although I have never been involved in organising a conference before, and probably won't be again (one conference in a lifetime is enough) I had imagined that conference committees could become a little 'fraught', to put it politely. Well, I have been pleasantly surprised. I have to say that this conference committee has never suffered from the vices of intransigence, ambition, hysteria and bloodletting-I suppose there's time yet.
When tasks were allocated some time last year, I was asked whether I would organise the guest speakers. 'Guest speakers? Sure', I said, 'I'll do that', cunningly thinking to myself, 'That's the easy job; I'll take that one'. Little did I know, being new to this game, that speakers are notoriously difficult people to identify and then to contact.
We had some grand visions for speakers. We could ask Bill Gates, the Prime Minister, Mr Murdoch-after all they must have had many dealings with professionals like us. You can't be rich or powerful or both and not have a view on the current status of indexing and editing.
Anyway, after much debate we settled on a list that did not include Bill Gates, the Prime Minister or Mr Murdoch-we decided to go for the A team. The task was simple. I would speak to those people and they would immediately accept my invitation to speak.
Now, although the people on my list are well known (after all, we see them quite often on the media and they have high profile positions) do you think it was easy to find those people? No. Every well known person is contacted through 20 lesser known gatekeepers. I would phone yet another contact. 'Er, Mr ZZ, I am trying to contact XX. I was given your name by YY as someone who might be able to give me a contact number or email address for XX.' Mr ZZ would be perfectly polite. 'Actually, I haven't seen him for about 20 years. He's still alive is he? Well, I suggest you talk to PP, they'll be able to help.' And so it went on.
Eventually, I would be given the magic contacts. Mr XX, Ms BB, et cetera, do have addresses, telephones and computers. However, our prospective speakers, well known as they are, seldom seem to live at their addresses, answer their phones or reply to their mail.
The lesson I learned from this is that you don't just select three keynote speakers for your conference, you start with a short list of 50. Forty-seven of those shortlisted will be overseas, addressing another conference on the day you want them, waiting for a big contract and not able to tell you until two days before the conference, or asking for an astronomical appearance fee, plus airfare, accommodation, publicity.
When someone finally says yes, it's hard to believe. What's wrong with them? Don't they have another conference to go to? Won't they be overseas, or earning huge sums of money doing something else?
Anyway our A list is a very exciting one. We have Richard Walsh to talk to us about the knowledge industry and where it is going. We have Senator Kate Lundy to talk to us about the information revolution and Professor Chubb, President of the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee, to talk to us about universities and training professionals. We also have, on a lighter note, Shortis & Simpson to entertain us at our dinner on Saturday night.
Oh, I thought you should be the first to know: I'm planning to give up editing to become a freelance keynote speaker organiser. Anyone planning to organise a conference?
Louise Forster
This is text from a talk given at the AGM of the Australian Society of Indexers ACT Region Branch.
Advertising and sponsorship deals are available to suit every budget.
Louise Forster (6232 7511, www@wordsworth.com.au) can help you turn your ideas into strategies!
Adverts and business cards for printing in the conference program are due by 30 March.
Lynn Farkas (President of AusSI ACT Region Branch) overall chairperson
Lee Kirwan (President of Canberra Society of Editors) publicity
Louise Forster (Immediate Past President,
Canberra Society of Editors) guest speakers, entertainment, sponsorship/trade fair
Pam Hewitt (Canberra Society of Editors) conference program
Shirley Campbell (AusSI ACT) conference program
Penny Whitten (AusSI ACT) finances and registrations
Maureen Wright (Canberra Society of Editors) finances
Geraldine Triffitt (AusSI ACT) helping with sponsorship/trade fair
Margaret Pender (Canberra Society of Editors) helping with publicity
Edyth Binkowski (AusSI ACT) social program
Laurelle Tunks (AusSI ACT) social program