CIVR information specialists Jan Cook Moore, right, a 16-year Cornell employee, and Margaux Neiderbach, a junior communication major, answer calls at the Information and Referral Center in Day Hall. Adriana Rovers/University Photography
For 21 years, Cornell's Information and Referral Center (IRC) has answered questions as varied as "What's the elevation of Cornell?" and "How do I get a new ID card?" to "When is graduation in 2001?" On Monday, the IRC will officially add Cornell directory assistance to its mission, providing student, staff, faculty and departmental telephone numbers to thousands of callers each day.
The integration of the IRC and directory assistance will eventually result in increased hours of operation for the Information and Referral Center and the availability of directory assistance on Saturdays. These changes are essential to serve the significant number of contacts from people in other time zones, including parents, prospective students and alumni.
Directory assistance was formerly the responsibility of the Network and Telecommunications Services section of Cornell Information Technologies (CIT), at 120 Maple Ave.
"It's always been confusing to callers that there are separate offices for directory assistance and for general information," said Joel R. Seligman, director of campus information and visitor relations. "Functioning separately did not allow us to reach our full potential. We spent a lot of time transferring callers back and forth."
Pat Searles, deputy director of CIT's Academic Technology Services, agrees that the move will avoid the previous role confusion of the two operations. She said one full-time CIT employee has moved to the Information and Referral Center with the merger. The other switchboard positions are now being staffed by IRC personnel, who are mostly students.
"Calls to the IRC and to CU directory assistance will go to a highly trained information team," said Celisa Manly, assistant director of campus information and visitor relations. The IRC staff now includes four full-time employees and 35 students.
During the academic year, over 3,000 calls per day will be answered by as many as six information specialists working together at the IRC. A computer-driven call management system efficiently distributes calls among employees to minimize the time that callers wait.
"The information on Cornell that has been gathered [by the IRC] is amazing," said Jan Cook Moore, a Cornell operator since 1981 and the newest member of the IRC staff. "It's all at our fingertips."
"We receive the most random questions," said Margaux Neiderbach, a junior communication major who began working in Campus Information and Visitor Relations (CIVR) last spring. "But we have the means to answer them or refer callers to other resources that can help."
Planning for this transition began in 1995, culminating in the move of the call center from Maple Avenue to Day Hall this summer. Since the move, IRC staff members have been integrating their telephone and information retrieval systems with those used for directory assistance and retraining 35 information specialists to provide the new service.
"We view this function as part of the university's public relations program," said Heather Stakich, a senior communication major and student manager at the IRC. This weekend, Stakich and the whole CIVR staff will work with a professional communications and customer service trainer from Dun & Bradstreet of New York. "These are skills we'll use for the rest of our careers," said Stakich.
A unit within the Division of University Relations, the IRC opened in 1976, consolidating visitor information, campus tours and general information. Since 1976, the demand on the center has increased steadily through face-to-face contact and through electronic means.
In 1996, the department's name was changed to Campus Information and Visitor Relations to reflect its broader function. The IRC retained its name and presence in the Day Hall lobby and continues to be the core of CIVR. Besides directory assistance, CIVR is responsible for campus tours, the CU Home Page on the World Wide Web, four visitor information booths at the entrances to campus and a variety of publications, including the Campus Map, the Help Sheet and Cornell Facts.
"In many situations, our staff is the first human contact that people have with Cornell," said Seligman. "In order for that relationship to begin on a positive note, we attempt to meet their needs right from the beginning directions, hotel listings, parking information, whatever they need." Seligman believes that the benchmark for good customer service on university campuses is constantly being raised.
"Our goal is to provide the appropriate amount of useful information," said Manly, "with the minimum number of transfers to another person. We have no qualms about researching questions and calling people back once we've found the answer."
"We have grown and changed in the past two decades, but our core function of introducing people to Cornell University in the most positive manner remains intact," said Seligman. "Whether it's via the Web, on a tour, in a visitor information booth or over the telephone, we represent the interests of the whole university."
The IRC is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday
through Saturday, and can be reached by calling 607 254-INFO or
by dialing 0 from campus telephones.
Thousands of people call Cornell each day to find students, faculty and staff telephone members. Although the IRC cannot update or change your telephone number or address, you can do it yourself in the following ways:
Students: Update your telephone number and address through Just the Facts on Bear Access. If you need assistance, contact the CIT Service Help Desk at 255-8990. (Note that entries via Who I Am are not reflected in students' official university records. Only changes that are made in Just the Facts will update your telephone number and address with the university.)
Staff and Faculty: Update your telephone number and address through Employee Essentials, or contact your department's human resources/payroll representative.
Cornell Affiliates: Use Who I Am to update your entries. If you need assistance, contact the CIT Service Help Desk, 255-8990.