The process for creating and designing the directory begins in May each year. Gardner spends months compiling the information. Forms are sent out in June to departments requesting updated and correct information that will be included in the directory. The project involves 15 to 20 people from the University Relations department to proofread the lists of names and phone numbers for about a week. But Gardner puts in many hours of editing information before the proofreading team begins.
Food is the incentive that keeps the proofreaders chipping away at the pile of information.
Gardner said designing the directory's cover is one of the biggest challenges. The brainstorming begins during the summer, when marketing and graphic designers help sketch the cover. This year's cover is very symbolic. This year's biggest challenge came with the reorganization in the Academic Affairs office, in which University President Mark Yudof made several office position changes. This year, a department section on the World Wide Web is also being explored.