Center News
Navigating the Center's current intranet is like taking a road trip where signs are sometimes incorrect, unmarked dead ends lurk in corners, and the only guide you have could be outdated. Years of growth as a mishmash of independent pages have made it difficult for the internal Web site to function as a cohesive whole.
"As the technology became available several years ago, a number of administrative and scientific areas put together their own Web pages. So it grew up in this somewhat decentralized fashion," said Myra Tanita, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Now that Web technology has matured, we can make the intranet a much more efficient tool to support science."
That's why Internet Services, part of the External Affairs and Communications Department, is in the process of building CenterNet, an updated, easier-to-use intranet scheduled to launch this summer. CenterNet will bring with it a host of tools to help faculty and staff do their jobs more efficiently.
Unlike the Center's general Web site, the redesigned intranet will be closed to the public. All information on CenterNet will be targeted directly to faculty and staff and make resources for scientists more widely available. Those responsible for authoring content will have better tools to easily create, manage and update information. The External Affairs team will provide training to help smooth the transition.
"CenterNet is very exciting because it will allow us to reorganize and streamline the information that's already out there with the user in mind," said Tanita, who is a main sponsor of CenterNet. "Research is a very complex field, and as we have grown considerably during the last 30-something years, sometimes it can be hard to know where to get information. Now we have access to this wonderful technology that will provide a better way to get information out to people and make their jobs easier."
First step, weekly newsOne of the first steps toward improving the intranet site was the launch last January of Center News Weekly, a newsletter on the intranet home page featuring news briefs and timely announcements. Comments from faculty and staff indicate that Center News Weekly provides quick and easy news delivery.
Center News Weekly will be prominently displayed on CenterNet. Other CenterNet home-page features will include comprehensive calendars for scientific seminars and Center events, daily announcements, weather updates and easy-to-use navigation. Faculty and staff will be encouraged to use CenterNet as their browser home page.
"I currently use Google as my home page, and I'm looking forward to having a Hutchinson Center home page that lets me see what's happening here each day," said Han Nachtrieb, vice president of Human Resources, a proponent of CenterNet.
"I see CenterNet not only as a central location for news and information, but also as a service to Center faculty and staff by making necessary forms and resources more accessible," said Laura Haroldson, senior manager of Internet Services.
Scientists' needs are a top priority guiding the site's navigation and design, Haroldson said. Resources that scientists use will be readily available for assisting with grants, ordering lab or office supplies, or understanding benefits or HR policies about hiring.
"I am really excited about CenterNet because this site is meant for the Center community," she said. "We've been listening to people about what they need and how to make that information available to them."
Redesigning the site with thousands of users in mind is no easy task. Currently, there are 5,000 pages, each with different audiences and goals; some containing information that went out of date years ago.
"Updating and organizing it all could be compared to playing chess in three dimensions with a board that has 10,000 squares," said Gordon Todd, manager of publications, including Center News Weekly. "There are literally thousands of components to deal with and many stakeholders to take into consideration. The goal is to have a more unified, central location for information across the Center, and Internet Services is doing a tremendous job in addressing the various needs of Center staff to reach that goal."
Internet Services interviewed a cross-section of the Center population to help structure the site. "Every effort was made to ensure that people in all job roles had a say in how CenterNet was structured," Haroldson said. "A lot of voting has been done on this. Concerns were listened to, and we tried to meet everyone's needs."
One of the underpinnings is a new content-management system, or CMS, a software application that was carefully selected by Internet Services and the Information Technology Department. It will replace the outdated and cumbersome application currently in place. "One of the reasons the CMS was selected was for its usability. We have done test runs with people who have no background with this product, and they've walked away after about an hour, knowing how to add and edit content," Haroldson said. "We will be providing training for authors to learn to use the CMS."
During the next few months, the CMS will be installed and Internet Services will begin the process of configuring it for the Center's needs. The new intranet will be a new site, separate from the general Web site, www.fhcrc.org. CenterNet will be available only to Center faculty, staff and affiliates. Users also will be able to access the site off campus with a HutchNet ID or Affiliate ID.
"There are some things that we just don't want to broadcast out to the whole world, but are useful for our everyday work, such as benefit forms, the phone directory, worksite information, even floor plans," Nachtrieb said. "This will allow us to be more discriminating about who has access to what."
"This is a very exciting time for the Center," Tanita said. "CenterNet will bring about a variety of positive changes, and I'm really looking forward to seeing those in place."
In the coming months, Internet Services will offer courses to train intranet authors on the new content-management system. There are also courses available for learning how to write effectively for the Web. To learn more about these training opportunities, please contact Kristin Pittman at kpittman@fhcrc.org.
