Establish a set of mini deadlines. Assuming a database already exists, two months should be plenty of time to update a catalog database and publish updated content. Tasks should include requesting content changes from various departments, getting changes approved by upper management and submitting changes to producers of the printed catalog. The two-month timeline varies based on the size of your college and management styles within your college administration.
Learn what's in the database. A typical college catalog contains course information, descriptions of degrees offered, descriptions of campus departments, a student code of conduct, a campus map and a brief college history. Whether it's through Microsoft Excel or Access, your database may be organized by department, class subject or degrees offered. Learn exactly what should go in your college's catalog.
Email or call staff members responsible for curriculum and procedural changes about two months before the catalog is to be printed. Allow about a month for these people to make changes and get them approved, and let them know you prefer to get them as an email attachment. Remember, be flexible with time.
Email staff members a final reminder to submit catalog changes three weeks later. This keeps workers on task with your deadlines. Allow about one more week for people to submit changes.
Match content with what's in your database when all corrections are in. Depending on the workload and time constraints, have an assistant help you. Devote a full work week to this.
Use the next two weeks for multiple catalog revisions. At this point, you're about one month before publication.
Import final catalog changes to a print design software document. Adobe InDesign is routinely used for this, but QuarkXPress, Adobe PageMaker and Microsoft Publisher can be used too. EasyCatalogCS from Adobe is a plug-in designed to aid the production of catalogs, brochures, price lists and most other types of data or design-driven publications. Adobe InDesign CS5 uses this plugin. Design content to the specifications of your college style and template set up by your college's print design professionals.