Gail Armstrong (left) and Beth Tucker review material for the Campus Directory.

A wealth of information is at your fingertips in the Campus Directory, one of the most used and essential books at UD.

A compendium of information including telephone and fax numbers; e-mail and snail mail addresses; maps of the campus, state and bus routes; seating diagrams of everything from the Delaware stadium to Loudis Recital Hall; academic and sporting events calendars; and a listing of student organizations and computing sites–the directory grows each year, according to Gail Armstrong, Publications.

This year, for example, the directory includes an emergency guide, compiled by occupational health and safety and covering everything from fire to gas leaks to medical emergencies.

Another new feature is information about Plus Two, the new system of telephone answering voice mail boxes for students, she said.

"Assembling the directory begins in May when the informational blue pages are readied by Publications. Last year's copy is sent out to be corrected and updated to at least 35 units and departments across campus," Armstrong said.

Other directory sections are handled by different offices. Telephone Services is in charge of the orange pages that list departments and other offices, the executive vice president's office organizes administrative and academic offices that make up the pink pages, Human Resources and Management Information Services ready the green pages of faculty and staff and the registrar's office and Network and Systems Services compile the white pages with student listings.

During the summer months, art director Beth Tucker, Publications, designs the directory covers.

Meanwhile the publisher–Data National headquartered in Virginia–sends a team of salespersons to sell coupons and ads, including those on the back cover, to local merchants and University offices. The revenue offsets the cost of the directory.

"One of the best thing about the directory is that it costs the University nothing except for the time of the employees who work on it," said Harriet Frank, Publications, who helps coordinate the project. "In fact, some of the revenue is sent by the publisher to the Office of Student Life for student activities," she added.

"It's a win/win operation for the University," Armstrong said. "Formerly, the student and the faculty/staff directories were published separately without advertising. This is the ninth combined faculty/staff/student directory and the advertising pays the basic costs.

"We want to be both accurate and timely," Armstrong said, "so we have to complete the student section after the semester begins. But by mid-September, the 15,000 directories are printed, and we hire movers to deliver them to the residence halls. Off-campus students can pick up their copies in the Student Services Building."

The directory is designed only for internal use by the University community, Armstrong said. "We do everything we can to protect the privacy of individuals and do not send the directory to outsiders or allow it to be used for mailings. We send a letter stating this policy to our advertisers when they receive their copies." –Sue Moncure