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Vol. 24, No. 3/Spring 2002

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Intranet Q&A...The Sacramento Bee 'Hive'
By Jalyn Kelley
With Pete Basofin, Chief Librarian, Sacramento Bee

 

How and when was the intranet launched?

I began fooling with a newsroom web server in 1994. My first home page was constructed on an old Mac SE. The server program was some freeware downloaded from the Net. I taught myself enough HTML to build a simple home page. It was just a set of links and only a handful of machines could reach it. Because so few people in the newsroom understood the concept, the Library intranet was never promoted or officially "launched." It just developed over time.

Later, when Unisys Hermes pagination replaced the old SII text editing system and reporters finally had computers with ready access to the Internet, the Library intranet became much more visible and important. It became the de facto newsroom intranet mostly because we persuaded the IT folks to make it the home page on every newsroom web browser. During a redesign, we renamed it "The Hive," a moniker consistent with Sacramento's mascot, Scoopy the Bee.

Is the intranet a newsroom-only intranet or part of a corporate intranet?

The newsroom intranet developed long before the non-news intranets were created. It remains independent of other intranets maintained by the Bee and the McClatchy chain. Incidentally, our IT department maintains an intranet which sports a searchable directory of staff in all departments. Recently, Human Resources launched an internal web server filled with benefits information, forms and other essential employee materials. The chain's intranet includes the employee magazine and 401k results. All this is linked from The Hive.

Describe the news library’s role in the development and maintenance of the intranet.

The newsroom web server and intranet was born in the Library and remain under Library control. It started out as a way to manage the growing number of important web sites librarians were using. Later it became a tool for Internet instruction. Reporters and editors found the Library web page to be a good starting point in their initial trips on the 'Net.

Around 1996 the Library began collecting digital information and importing it into the Microsoft Access database program. We purchased voter registration records from the local counties. One set came in 9-track tape, which had to be converted by the IT department and loaded onto the PC network for transfer to the Library computer. We also bought county court indexes. Both types of information proved of high value to the newsroom, so we searched for a way to make the data accessible to PCs via the web browser. The initial solution was "Cold Fusion," an expensive piece of software that exceeded our needs. Later we tried Internet Database Connectivity (IDC), a troublesome little program to learn - but it worked. (Now we use a similar application built into Microsoft FrontPage.)

Once we "married" the Access databases with the intranet, reporters could search the Library book catalog, voter registration and other internal databases with their browsers. They could enter in certain words or phrases (e.g., from a person's name or title of a book) to retrieve information from pre-selected database fields.

The Library web server labored in obscurity so long because desktop computers were a rarity in the newsroom. But once pagination brought PCs to every newsroom desk, the situation changed significantly. For the first time news staff has ready access to the Internet and many people needed a lot of help navigating the 'Net. There was a new impetus to expand links to outside sources as well as create new internal resources.

The Library intranet became the "official" newsroom home page when editors began asking for additional material. The Hive would incorporate files formerly stored on the old SII system: sources lists, news staff directory, industry news, and staff announcements. We also added various stylebooks (included AP's in PDF form), design guides and staff evaluation forms. Recently, the Managing Editor requested that photos and biographies of every news staffer be posted on the intranet.

What areas of the intranet do reporters and editors find most useful?

Overall, the intranet centralizes the most essential internal and external links a reporter might use in a given day. These include links to search engines, government sites, other newspapers, as well as to Dow Jones Interactive and the internal text/graphic archive. During those rare moments when the Library web server is down, we've discovered just how dependent reporters are on the intranet. Some reporters are completely lost. They can't use the Internet because they rely on search engines linked off the home page.

How has the intranet changed the way people in your newsroom perform their daily jobs?

It's really the availability of e-mail and the World Wide Web that has irrevocably altered the way journalists do their jobs. The Internet provides a huge pipeline to connect with sources and information. It has become as essential in reporting as the telephone and the automobile. The newspaper intranet just facilitates the transition to digital forms of news gathering. But because it is the launching pad for travels into cyberspace, it is an important tool in developing journalists' research skills.

Has the intranet gone through any major redesigns?

A few years ago an artist intern created a masthead for the intranet. At that point we reorganized all the links, found new ones and gave the intranet a new name, "The Hive." We also added an index to the entire intranet as a column on the left-hand side of every page.

What insights would you share with someone developing an intranet?

With respect to this intranet, early development had been mostly by the seat of the pants. The Hive's creation didn't involved a committee, or a mission statement, or a preliminary survey of needs. It just evolved organically over time.

I don't think this "seat-of-the-pants" approach works at larger papers where things proceed more formally. But at smaller shops, librarians have an opportunity to take the initiative and create something of real value to their newsrooms. With web technology you can start modestly and build over time. Begin with a set of external links, then develop some internal content. I wouldn't ask permission; just assume the intranet is part of your job responsibilities. Later you can show editors what you've done.

Even if you're not technically inclined, don't be put off by the challenge of starting an intranet. It's never been easier to set up a web server and create pages. There are dozens of programs that help with both tasks. And don't be shy: ask for help from your computer support department or colleagues at other publications. Obviously you're going to need some help from networking people to set up the Internet Protocol (IP) number on your web server. But beyond that, you can keep control of the intranet just by doing a bit of study and experimentation.

Every newsroom - no matter how small - needs some kind of intranet. That's because journalists need help navigating this vast thing called the internet. Sure, there are many news-oriented web directories available. But an intranet by definition is customized for just that group of users. It's a valuable resource that can identify essential local, state and national web sites for your staff.

I think newsroom intranets should be built and maintained in newsroom libraries. This is the responsibility of library professionals - as much as maintaining clips, books, photos or microfilm copies of the paper. Why? Because an intranet is both an informational resource as well as a navigational tool. As such it is well within the province of librarianship. We can't let other people (IT folks, etc.) - no matter how well intentioned - do our job.


Jalyn Kelley is a researcher at Computer Sciences Corp. You can contact her at jkelley4@csc.com. Contact Pete Basofin at the Sacramento Bee at pbasofin@sacbee.com.