Administrative Assistants (ADLIB) Guide: Resources for New Staff

For questions about this page or to request updates, email staffwebupdates-lib@mit.edu.

• Calendaring/Outlook
• COVID-19 Information
• General MIT Resources and Maps
• Hayden Resources
• Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation
• Libraries Rewards and Recognitions Program
• NE36 Resources
• Organizational Charts
• Other General Info, Groups, and Lists
• Other MIT Central Technical Resources
• Patron Data Privacy Policy
• Professional Development
• Purchase Requests
• Slack
• Technical Support
• VOIP Setup
• Wikis/Guides
• Zoom

• Libraries staff usually allow a five-minute grace period at the beginning of meetings (called “MIT time”) to account for moving between meetings, taking a bio break, etc.
• Libraries staff usually try to avoid scheduling meetings between 9-10AM and 12-1PM when possible. Many staff also try to avoid setting up meetings on Fridays (especially in the afternoon), although this varies based on the person and their availability.
• You can find Libraries' Communication & Collaboration Resources here.
• The Libraries’ Desktop Support Knowledge Base has a list of conference rooms here. The NE36 Staff Guide has a list specific to NE36 here. The Hayden Staff Guide has a list specific to Hayden here. 
• You can find the web-based version of Outlook here.
• Add holidays to your calendar in Outlook for Windows (feature not currently supported on Outlook for Mac)

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• MIT Libraries info and updates
• MIT no longer provides Institute-wide guidance with regards to COVID-19.

• Atlas: You’ll find W-2s, benefits info, etc. You’ll also use this to update your work address phone number. If you go to the “About Me” section of Atlas, you can enter your work phone number and address there. (Only you can update your contact info.)
• Atlas Mobile App: You'll be able to use your mobile device to tap into MIT spaces when you don't have your physical ID card. Access Covid Pass, Vaccine, Tim Tickets, Travel, and Space reservation information. Find "MIT Atlas" on your device's app platform. 
• MIT Alert: Check and update which methods MIT will use to send you emergency notifications.
• MIT People Directory: Look up staff and students MIT-wide (find contact information, etc.)
• MIT Campus Map: Look up building addresses, locations of rooms, etc.
• MIT Tunnel Map: A very basic overview map of the tunnel system that runs under some of the buildings on campus, which are handy for travel between buildings during inclement weather. There is some waypoint signage within the tunnels, but I would recommend traveling the tunnel routes with a buddy the first few times.
• MIT Mobile App: Includes some handy information such as building maps.
• Institute Holidays
• Academic Calendar
• T-Pass Program for Cambridge Campus Employees
• Parking at MIT
• MIT Addresses: Facilities guidelines for addressing internal and external mail

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• The Hayden Staff Guide has links to a number of resources specific to this space.

MIT is part of the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (IPLC) along with Brown, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. To be added to the local MIT mailing list (ivy_plus_mitlib@mit.edu) please contact Kim Maxwell. To be added to the general IPLC news email list, subscribe here. This list includes news and announcements from or about member libraries including:

• IPLC Events
• University Librarians
• Strategic Priority Groups (Collection Development, Resource Sharing, and the Leadership & Advocacy in Scholarly Communications Task Force)
• Key Stakeholder Groups (Assessment IT and Technical Service)
• Program and Initiative Information (e.g. BorrowDirect, the Ivy Plus Libraries Web Collecting Program)

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Info is on Staff Web here for both our annual Infinite Mile Awards and our Spot Award program. 

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• The NE36 Staff Guide has links to a number of resources specific to this space, including a form for requesting supplies.

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Groups, Offices, and Programs:

• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Employee-led groups formed around common interests, common bonds, or similar backgrounds.
• Institute Community & Equity Office (ICEO): Serves as a thought leader on the subjects of community, equity, inclusion, and diversity; a focal point for organizing MIT’s related activities and conversations; and a hands-on practitioner who disseminates best practices and inspires the awareness and enthusiasm to help them flourish.
• You Are Welcome Here campaign: Seeks to increase visibility, to identify multiple points of access to LBGTQ+ support services, and to create a more welcoming campus environment.
• MIT-wide Employee Recognition Program
• MIT Center for WorkLife and WellBeing: Offers a wide range of programs and resources that address specific life issues and events.
• MIT HR Policies & Procedures and Employment Policy Manual: Searchable resource from MIT central HR describing MIT policies.
• Office of the Vice President for Finance at MIT (VPF): Often referred to as central finance or VPF. The VPF site has an extensive list of MIT financial policies.

Recreation and Fitness: 

• MIT Medical “GetFit”: Individual and team exercise and step challenges, offered at set times throughout the year.
• MIT Recreation Memberships (gym)
• MIT Activities Committee (MITAC): Offers free and discounted passes, tickets, and other special activities to the MIT community.

Underlib:

Underlib (underlib@mit.edu) is an opt-in listserv made up of current and former MIT Libraries staff members. The list can be used to ask for recommendations, advertise events, etc. See here to sign up or manage your list membership.

News:

• MIT News
• MIT Sloan School of Management Thinking Forward Newsletter
• MIT Technology Review
• MIT Libraries News
• MIT Faculty Newsletter
• MIT Medical Patient Newsletter
• MIT HR Covid-19 Updates and Information
• The Tech: Student-run weekly paper, published independently of MIT

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File Storage and Shared Documentation

• Google Drive
  • To use Google Drive at MIT, you should set up an MIT G Suite account. You should request an account login with the kerb@mit.edu format.
  • Many teams in the Libraries use MIT G Suite Drives for document collaboration, which requires an MIT G Suite account. After you create your MIT G Suite account, check with your team to see if you need to have any G Suite Drives or folders shared with you.
  • The Libraries have an MIT G Suite drive for Libraries-wide presentation and document files. Please email diroff-lib@mit.edu after you have created your MIT G Suite account to be added.

• OneDrive
  • You can access the browser version of OneDrive here. You can also access OneDrive using the desktop client or mobile app.
  • In addition to your personal files that are synced or stored on OneDrive, you will also be able to access shared file libraries.
  • You can find more information about MIT's OneDrive setup on the IS&T Knowledge Base page for OneDrive.

• Dropbox
  • MIT offers Dropbox accounts. You can request one or learn more here.

• LastPass
  • MIT offers LastPass enterprise accounts. LastPass is a password management system that also allows teams to share passwords. You can learn more and request an account here.

Central MIT Resources and Policies

• IS&T Secure Computing
  • The IS&T Secure Computing website has essential information about using computing resources at MIT here.
• Information Protection at MIT
  • Information Protection at MIT provides access to policies and guidance on safeguarding information at MIT here.
• Awareness I: IT Security
  • The Awareness I: IT Security course is available here (in the Atlas Learning Center) as a primer on IT security best practices.
• MIT Policies: Information Policies
  • MIT's central Policies site includes a section on Information Policies here. Section 13.2, "Policy on the Use of Information Technology Resources," located here, is especially useful to review.

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Please take a look at our Patron Data Privacy Policy Landing Page to learn more about our privacy policies. There is a section for new staff to review (or for current staff to get a policy refresher).

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The Professional Development page on Staff Web has most of the information you’ll need to get started, including the form you would use to make requests.

Important things to keep in mind for approved professional development costs or purchases:

• Do not pay for any online trainings or events with your travel card. Consult your area admin for help signing up for any events that won’t be held in person.
• If traveling for your approved professional development opportunity:
  • Once a trip is approved, you can make the necessary charges using your travel card, and use Concur to import expenses and file your final report. You can also use Concur’s travel function to book airfare, etc. (not required, but recommended, especially because it integrates so well with TripIt, a handy itinerary tool, and because you have the backing of The Travel Collaborative, MIT’s travel agent).
  • The Office of the Vice President for Finance at MIT (VPF)’s website has more in-depth travel policies here, and more info about using the Travel Card here.
  • Reports should be submitted within 30 days of completing your trip.
  • When purchasing a flight, conference pass, etc. ahead of time, please make sure that you create a report with your travel dates, and add those expenses to the report after they show up in Concur. That way, central finance (VPF) knows that you aren’t overdue on reporting those expenses, since the trip hasn’t happened yet.
  • Save all of your receipts! If you receive a paper receipt, hold onto it. If you lose receipts, you can fill out lost receipt affidavits, but it’s better to avoid that.
  • Remember that purchases are limited to your travel-specific needs: meals/snacks, lodging, transportation, registration fees, etc. for your use. Purchases on items like headphones, toiletries, meals for other people (except in very narrow circumstances, like an approved MIT Libraries team lunch), books, in-flight movies, etc. are not allowable expenses, and you will have to reimburse MIT if you purchase them.
  • Consult your area admin or travel-lib@mit.edu with any travel-related questions.

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• If you would like to request equipment or software, enter a ticket in Jira Service Management.
• If you need to order supplies or furnishings for remote use, please see our Remote Workstation Supplies and Purchasing page.
• For on-campus supply needs, please fill out a request using this form.

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The MIT Libraries have an instance of Slack within MIT’s larger Slack setup. (You will be able to contact other members of the MIT community via Slack.) The Libraries have our own workspace at mit-libraries.slack.com.

You can also log into the web instance of the MIT Slack Enterprise Grid at mit.enterprise.slack.com. This will allow you to see all of the workspaces at MIT and request to join other relevant groups outside of the Libraries. Both methods require Touchstone authentication. You can read more about MIT’s Slack instance at the MIT IS&T Knowledge Base.

There is an admin team within the Libraries’ Slack instance that oversees Slack requests such as the creation of new channels. Requests can be sent to the Libraries’ Slack admin team at slack-lib-admin@mit.edu.

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• If you’re having computer, equipment, phone, or software trouble, enter a ticket in Jira Service Management with a description of the issue. (Screenshots can also be helpful if you’re getting an error message or strange behavior from a program. You should have a program called Snagit installed on your computer which is great for this.)
• If you would like to request equipment or software, enter a ticket in Jira Service Management.
• Libraries’ Desktop Support Knowledge Base has information on numerous Libraries’ and MIT technology topics. IS&T (MIT’s central IT department) also maintains a central Knowledge Base.

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• You’ll be finalizing your phone settings and voicemail setup via Zoom. IS&T’s Knowledge Base article on Zoom phone service is here. You can also view your overall VOIP account and set up a softphone at voip.mit.edu.
• You can set up the Zoom desktop application to make and receive phone calls from your MIT VOIP number. (Note: You will need to enable a softphone in the VOIP portal first.)

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• Libraries’ Desktop Support Knowledge Base: An MIT Libraries internal staff knowledge base on Desktop Support-related topics, such as software requests, equipment requests, and troubleshooting.
• MIT Information Systems and Technology (IS&T): Information and knowledge base for MIT's central IT resources.
• Libraries Brand Guide: An MIT Libraries guide that includes basic branding do's and don'ts and templates.
• Libraries Staff Web: Includes policy information, organizational charts, and other internal Libraries documentation. If you’ll need an account to edit any Staff Guides, we’ll work with the Libraries’ UX team to get an account set up for you.
• MIT Confluence Wiki Dashboard: MIT-wide wiki resource. Be sure to log in with your Kerberos for full access to Libraries’ wikis.
• Acronyms Master List: A reference list of MIT Libraries and MIT-related acronyms.

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You can log into your Zoom account at mit.zoom.us. If you choose the “sign in” option, you can configure your account settings. The “profile” option will allow you to customize your display name, view your personal meeting room ID (and customize an alias link), and set your phone number. The MIT IS&T Knowledge Base has articles with more info on different Zoom topics.

Note that if you are meeting with folks who are not part of MIT, you should set up a meeting with a password (rather than using your personal room). An MIT Kerberos account is needed to access MIT personal rooms.

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