The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine
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February 1992 - Volume 8:5 [Printout | Contents | Search ]
By Valerie Glauser By now you've probably heard of PennInfo, the new campus-wide information system that became available on PennNet last fall. You may have read about the varied kinds of information posted on PennInfo or scanned a tutorial on how to use it in the October and November 1991 issues of Penn Printout. You may even have logged on to PennInfo, and possibly searched a few menus or scanned the help screens. Since one of the goals of PennInfo is to simplify your information search efforts, it's probably useful at this point to offer tips on how to make the most of PennInfo and the information on it. This article provides answers to commonly asked questions about PennInfo and offers suggestions for using it most effectively. For additional information:
Who maintains the information in PennInfo?Individuals (called providers of information or POIs) from the organizations responsible for the information (called sources) maintain the information you see on PennInfo, usually from their own offices. Thus, POIs from Human Resources maintain and update Human Resources information, POIs from individual schools maintain their respective school's information, etc. Currently there are more than 20 source organizations, some with more than one POI. The list of sources continues to grow as more organizations become involved in PennInfo.To find out who is responsible for the PennInfo document or menu item you are displaying:
Who runs PennInfo?Staff at the Office of Data Communications and Computing Services (DCCS) serve as PennInfo administrators. In this role, they serve several functions. They are the initial point of contact for representatives from campus organizations interested in participating in PennInfo. They also train POIs to post and update their information directly in PennInfo. In addition, they host a Provider of Information Special Interest Group (POI-SIG) that meets monthly to discuss common concerns about effectively maintaining information on PennInfo. The POI-SIG also offers a forum where providers of information are encouraged to share their documents with one another so that, where appropriate, information will appear redundantly on PennInfo. For example, the menu item "Computing Calendars" by its nature should-and does-logically appear in both the "Computing" menu and the "Calendars and Events" menu. Finally, PennInfo administrators write and maintain the PennInfo documentation: quick guides, online help screens, and reference and training manuals.
How do I search for information about a particular topic?PennInfo has a hierarchical structure, with many layers of embedded menus and documents, so it's not always obvious where to find specific information. New users often go through a time-consuming-and sometimes frustrating-search through various menu levels looking for an answer to a particular question. An easier way to find information on a topic is to use the simple keyword searching capability that scans the entire contents of PennInfo. A keyword search results in a dynamically generated menu of all items (documents or embedded menus) that have been assigned that keyword by a POI. You can then select the item you want directly from the search- generated menu. If the first item does not answer your query, you can return repeatedly to the search-generated menu. To initiate a PennInfo keyword search:
Some of the choices I want are neither on a menu nor available through keyword searching. How do I find them?There is a chance that the information you seek was assigned a different keyword than the one you tried. Each source is responsible for deciding how many and which keywords it wishes to assign to an item.First, try searching using alternate spellings, synonyms, or other words that may be related to your topic. If that search is not successful, look under "PennInfo Keyword Lists," under the main menu item "About PennInfo." There you will find alphabetical lists of keywords used by individual sources and a complete list of all keywords used in PennInfo. The individual source keyword lists are shorter, hence less tedious to scan. Check for possible keywords to try in the keyword list of the source most likely to be responsible for the information you seek. If your search is still fruitless, check the longer, complete keyword list, then search for the information using one of those keywords. If you still cannot find the information you are looking for, it may not yet exist on PennInfo. See "Where do I go to suggest that information be added?" (at right) for more information.
How do I report inaccurate or obsolete information?We recommend that you send your suggested corrections directly to the POI responsible for the information. Directions for finding POI names and contact information are contained in the earlier section, "Who maintains the information in PennInfo?" All PennInfo POIs encourage you to provide feedback so that PennInfo can continue to be a source of reliable information.
Where do I go to suggest that information be added?In some instances it may be apparent which source or POI is the most appropriate one to contact to suggest additions. When that is the case, contact that office or person directly. If it is not obvious who is responsible for the information, contact PennInfo administrative staff at penninfo-admin@dccs.upenn.edu or 898-3424. They will try to pass on your suggestions to the appropriate provider or, when necessary, recruit new source organizations to participate as PennInfo POIs.
Where do I go if I want to become a PennInfo Provider of Information?For information on becoming a POI, contact PennInfo administrative staff at 898-3424 or penninfo-admin@dccs.upenn.edu. If you represent a student organization and wish to post information to PennInfo:
VALERIE GLAUSER is a Senior Technical Writer for DCCS/UMIS Publications.
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