Information Resources

The Phone Book is here! The Phone Book is here!

Jann Fong

You will soon be receiving your new 1998-99 Campus Directory, the campus faculty/staff phone book. Production of the printed Campus Directory is now initiated from the Community Profile Dataset (CPD), which is developed and maintained by Communication and Network Services (CNS). The CPD is a database of directory information about members of the UC Berkeley campus community. It serves as a universally available, online source of "white pages" information about all Berkeley faculty, staff, and registered students. UC Berkeley Directory Lookup (http://www.berkeley.edu/cpd/directory/lookup.html) is a web front end for the CPD.

In early February, CNS embarked on a project to modernize the production of the printed Campus Directory. The primary objective of this project was to reduce overall production cost, to improve the accuracy and completeness of directory information, and to merge the data with existing administrative systems for efficiency and ease of maintenance.

Formerly, the printed directory was built on MVS-VSAM technology. All alphanumeric data, such as name and department, was in upper case. There was no online interface. Additions, changes, and deletions were processed by key entry in a massive campaign during the summer months. The information was not matched with information in the payroll system, so new or expired employees might not be processed correctly.

The directory information is now stored in the CPD in mixed case, and is updated via an interactive MS Access system by CNS staff. Updates can occur at any time during the year. The CPD information is synchronized with the Payroll system on a weekly basis, so the addition or inactivation of employees is automated.

The next phase of the project will include adding new directory information fields to the CPD, such as pager number, cellular phone number, and URL. We will also be developing a web-based front end for faculty and staff to update their own directory information with departmental oversight. This will include the ability to update campus address, title, and phone number. Finally, we will be sending out forms to departments to obtain campus addresses and phone numbers for approximately 6,000 current faculty and staff who only have email information in the CPD.

If you have any comments, please send email to nrdeputy@socrates.berkeley.edu.