Institute of Professional Editors Limited

News from the Institute of Professional Editors Limited
www.iped-editors.org
March 2009

The IPEd Council met in Adelaide on 14–15 February. Also participating were the new (Larissa Joseph) and outgoing (Karen Disney) chair of the Accreditation Board (AB), and the new convenor of the Communication Committee (CommComm), Rowena Austin. Discussions were wide ranging, as will be evident from the agenda, which is on the website. The minutes of the meeting will also be there in due course.

Some highlights:

A discussion paper from CommComm raised, among other things, the matter of IPEd ‘branding’. Each of the societies (the Members of IPEd) has its own brand but, at present, nowhere is it mentioned that they are members of a national body. In short, IPEd currently presents no brand to the wider world. As a first step towards establishing IPEd as the nationally recognised representative of the editing profession, it was agreed that the societies should be asked to take simple steps to identify themselves as Members of IPEd on their websites, publications and documents. For its part, CommComm is preparing materials focusing primarily on promoting accreditation to employers and editors who may not be members of their local society. These will include a media release, an advertisement, a poster and a compact brochure.

CredAbility 9, published in society newsletters and available on the IPEd website, provides a wrap-up on the first accreditation examination. Council agreed that the second exam should be held later this year, with an announcement of the date to be made four months before the event. The exam this year will again be ‘on paper’, but there are plans for electronic delivery in 2010 if possible. The AB is initially focusing on on-screen rather than online delivery and on offering an on-screen exam as an alternative to a handwritten exam in the first year at least. All facets of electronic delivery are being investigated by a subcommittee headed by Pam Peters (NSW).

Increasing the professional development opportunities available to working editors is a high-priority objective of the Council, and it proposes to harness the resources of the member societies as a big first step towards its achievement. All of the societies have training programs for their members, and many of the workshops and other events that constitute these programs are transportable. IPEd aims to provide the logistical and other support to ‘roadshow’ training events between the societies and other interested groups. To catalogue all that is available, Anne Surma, convenor of the professional development committee, will be contacting society training officers.

Susan Rintoul, chair of the organising committee for the national conference to be held in Adelaide on 7–9 October this year, joined the meeting to outline an informative and stimulating program in progress, and some exciting ancillary events. The committee’s call for papers closes on 27 March. Of the high-profile keynote speakers invited, prominent refugee advocate and human rights lawyer Julian Burnside has already accepted. Mr Burnside has a strong interest in ‘the word’ and ‘truth’ and their corruption in the doublespeak of the usual suspects.

The conference organisers realise that the costs of travel and accommodation make it hard for many editors to consider attending. To help defray such costs, members of the SA society will be able to offer billets to some out-of-state registrants. Discounted, early-bird registration will be available from April. Visit the conference website at .

The minutes of the Council teleconference held on 30 November 2008 are now available on the IPEd website.

Ed Highley
Secretary