© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
April 29, 2010
Cloud Collaboration:
Using (Microsoft) SharePoint as a Tool to
Enhance Access Services
Jennifer Diffin
Assistant Director for Systems and Access Services
Fanuel Chirombo and Dennis Nangle
Library Technicians
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Outline
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About Us
Intranet overview
Cloud computing overview
Move to SharePoint
SharePoint Wiki for Remote Circ Locations
SharePoint as Comprehensive Cloud
Intranet
Conclusion
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
History of UMUC
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Founded in 1947
Primarily distance education serving
working professionals
Approximately 86,000 worldwide
headcount (~27,000 FTE)
Member of the University System of
Maryland and Affiliated Institutions
(USMAI)
Military contracts
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Information & Library Services (ILS)
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Staff located in Largo, MD
Previously had physical libraries in
Germany and Japan
Remote/satellite locations change
27 library staff members, 2 graduate
assistants
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Document Management (DM) Team
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1 Librarian
1 Library Associate
3 Library Technicians
4-5 student workers (shared with other
library departments)
Remote circulation points throughout
Maryland
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
ILS Circulation Locations
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Overview of Intranets
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What is an intranet?
Functions of Intranets
What are the benefits
Limitations of UMUC Intranet
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
What is an Intranet?
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A private network belonging to an
organization’s members, employees, or
others with authorization.
“…part of the organizational internal
information system, dedicated to the
support of group work and mastering of
organizational knowledge.”
Botazzo, 2005
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Functions of Intranets
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Administrative – finance, human resources,
records management, course scheduling.
Academic- research, course work,
publishing and course administration.
General- communication and public
relations.
Weiner, 1999
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
What are the Benefits?
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Sharing information and documents
Easy updating of documents
Saves time through online discussions
Quick and easy access to vital information
Natarajan, 2008
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Limitations of UMUC Intranet
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Restricted contributors- difficult to update, edit
and/or access.
Interdepartmental promotional tool.
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Cloud Computing- An Overview
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Became an official ‘buzz word’ in 2006
Has several definitions and contexts
An ‘official’ definition:
– “In cloud computing…the software resides on
an [I]nternet server run by or on behalf of the
software supplier, and users get to access the
features of those applications via the
[I]nternet”
Venkatraman, 2009
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
A Helpful Metaphor for Cloud Computing
“My attitude towards online information…was
pretty close to taking my paycheck in cash,
and stuffing it under the mattress because I
didn’t trust a bank to hold it for me… Now we
can treat the [W]eb much more like a bank
with a network of ATMs: it’s a secure
repository with a network of points where you
can withdraw your information on demand.”
Gunderloy, 2008
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
The Appeal of the Cloud
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Cost-effective
Efficient
Fosters Innovation
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Cloud Concerns
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Security
Privacy
Data Ownership
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
The Road to SharePoint
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A Complex History
Initial Obstacles
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
A Careful Approach
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
SharePoint in Context
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Departmental Move
Creating a service point without ILS staff
Developing a wiki for the new service point
staff
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Effective Knowledge Transfer
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Documentation Pre-SharePoint:
Dorsey
Station
Waldorf
Center
Adelphi
College
Park
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Documentation Post-SharePoint:
Dorsey
Station
Largo
Adelphi
Waldorf
Center
College
Park
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Document Management’s
“Cloud Intranet”
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
SharePoint- a Comprehensive Cloud Intranet
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Information storage
Coordination
Communication
Collaboration
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Information Storage
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Wiki for remote location of information
Document library
One-stop location of documents
Secure and easily accessible
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Coordination
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Calendar
Work
scheduling
Leave
scheduling
Responsibilities
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Communication
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Discussion Board
Announcement
Sticky Notes
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Collaboration
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Version History
E-mail alerts
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Conclusion
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Cloud Intranet
– Convenient to access
– Secure server
– Flexibility
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Strategy is essential
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
Questions?
Jennifer Diffin – jdiffin@umuc.edu
Fanuel Chirombo – fchirombo@umuc.edu
Dennis Nangle – dnangle@umuc.edu
© Jennifer Diffin, Fanuel Chirombo, and Dennis Nangle
References
• Bottazzo, V. (2005). Intranet: A medium of internal communication
and training. Information Services & use, 25(2), 77-85. Retrieved from
http://www.iospress.nl/html/01675265.php
• Gunderloy, M. (2008). Is your information under the mattress or in the
ATM?. Retrieved 12/11, 2009, from
http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/07/30/information-under-mattressor-in-atm/
• Natarajan, M. (2008). Knowledge sharing through intranet. Journal of
Library and Information Technology, 28(5), 5-12. Retrieved from
http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/djlit/article/view/414/286
• Venkatraman, A. (2009). Capture the cloud. Information World
Review, (255), 16-17.
• Weiner, S. (1999). The university intranet. EContent, 22(5), 66-69.
Retrieved from http://www.econtentmag.com