Return to Main Menu

Find a Person gets makeover, more features by George Spain CCIT Technical Publisher One of the most popular sites on the MUSC Internet has been completely made over, sporting a new, easy to use interface with improved searching capabilities. Formerly Find A Person, the new Directory can be found on the MUSC site’s front page, as part of the MUSC “hat,” and directly at http://find.musc.edu. Under the large blue banner of “MUSC Directory,” is a box to “Search for Individuals” using any combination of first or last name. A search for a person will return last name, first name, the department associated with that person, a phone number and a clickable e-mail address. If the person’s name is itself a link, this indicates more information is available. When you click-choose such a link, additional information, such as cell phone, fax number, P.O. Box, room number and mailing address may be returned. In the new directory, search results for popular names like “Williams” are now more manageable, thanks to a sort feature available on each column title. By clicking on a column title, you can sort the results list by name, department, phone number or e-mail address. Also, there’s a new search box for looking up department numbers. Unlike Find A Person, a search on department will not bring up a list of everyone associated with a department.  Instead, you will be presented with a department’s commonly used numbers.  For example, a search for “CCIT” returns the Help Desk, receptionist, Computer Connection, and various fax numbers. This is to deter cold-call solicitors and spam mail. In addition to the search by name and by department features, the Web site http://find.musc.edu contains links to four special areas: MUSC Directories (Medical Center Departments and Physician Referral), Frequently Called Numbers (everything from bookstore and billing to volunteer services and Wellness Center), Information (links to MUSChealth.com and Telephone Services through University Communications), there’s also a link to interactive campus maps with directions for those walking the area or driving in from other cities. The link to a printed directory states there are none available at the present time, though there are plans to eventually produce them. The Best Laid Plans The go-live of the new directory service was not without a few flaws. Some users found that the released version left out some names, and a department or two had no names associated with them. Fortunately, these problems were quickly identified, investigated, and corrected. As more people use the new directory, we may see additional problems with the data, but CCIT believes that they can be resolved quickly when identified. If you notice an error in the information associated with your name, you should contact the superuser and supply the corrected information. A link to the list of superusers is available on the http://find.musc.edu page. Users can send feedback and suggestions on how to improve the directory to uctdir@musc.edu through the link provided on the left side of the Directory page. Despite the initial hiccups, Vince Dibble, CCIT’s Infrastructure Services director, said he expects this to be wildly popular, more so than the regular find a person link. “This new site has been substantially updated with more accurate information provided by each department.” This is the key. How reliable information gets into the new service is now in the hands of departmental superuserss whose job it is to make sure additions, deletions, and changes are made on a timely basis. The idea is for you to search your information, check what you find, and report any mistakes or omissions to the superuser listed for your department. Although you can’t directly manipulate the information under your name, the superuser can, and will be relying on you to communicate changes.  An online update feature is in the works, along with several other enhancements. Opt-out is available on a case-by-case basis. This policy is set by the department head and managed by the superuser.  In addition to Thomas Cramer and Lori Solado, both members of Dibble’s Infrastructure Services, other members who worked on the project included Jane Lunn and Kathryn Cullinan, both of Hospital Communications, Kelly Roberts, Business Development and Marketing Services; Brian Crawford, IT Lab; and Nickie Kopacka and Kristi Adams, both from CCIT.   Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.