Public Folder Usage
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Outlook supports the use of Public Folders for distribution of information and threaded discussion. The Public Folder structure is divided into two separate folders to accomplish this. These folders are Discussions and Information.

Discussion Folders provide for threaded discussion among the members of the discussion. Threaded discussion consists of an initial discussion topic (message). All members of the discussion group can reply to the message. Each reply appears as a single message and the series of replies becomes the "discussion thread". By reading each message in a thread, one after the other, you can see how the discussion has evolved. Typically a discussion is created by a single person, and this person invites others to join. Those who are invited to participate in the discussion can post replies or begin new threads to the specific discussion. Generally, only those who are invited to a discussion have the rights to see the discussion. However, a discussion can be viewed by everyone if it is made public. Whether a discussion is public or private is the decision of the owner.

Information Folders contains items that are of interest to the college community. This information can include items such as committee minutes, departmental forms, calendars or anything that is essential to the mission of the college. The information contained in these folders is determined and maintained by each area. Information Folders also provides for public or private viewing. This means the owner of the folder can determine if the contents of the folder can be seen by the entire college or just a select group.
General categories will be setup under both of Information and Discussion folders. The following list provides the name and description for each folder.
  • Administration - established administrative units/departments of the college.
  • Administrators - Administrator Constituency group items, ie. Administrative Council, etc.
  • Classified - Classified Staff Constituency group items, ie. Board/Staff, CABA
  • Committees - Committees of the college, ie. Cabinet, Executive Committee, EPC, etc.
  • Faculty - Faculty Constituency group items, ie. Faculty Senate, etc.
  • Institution - Open discussion and information items for the college, ie. Board policies, Board minutes, etc.
Directions for maintenance and usage of Information and Discussion folders can be found at the Maintenance and Operation of Outlook Public Folders page. For further information, please contact the Information Technology Help Desk at ext. 4357.

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