Viewing and Navigating the Meeting Book

Josh Patton
Josh Patton
  • Updated

Meeting Book Overview

What is a Meeting Book?

A Meeting Book is a collection of all documents attached to a meeting agenda. It combines those documents into a single, organized packet for easy review before and during a meeting.
 
Depending on your organization's terminology, a Meeting Book may also be called:
  • Meeting Packet
  • Meeting Docs
  • Board Book
When a meeting administrator creates a meeting and uploads agenda documents, OnBoard automatically compiles them into a Meeting Book.
 
A Meeting Book helps you:
  • Review all meeting materials in one place
  • Move quickly between agenda sections
  • Search for information across documents
  • Add annotations and notes
  • Prepare for meetings more efficiently
Related Learning Resource: Explore additional training in the OnBoard for Members and Directors Learning Path on OnBoard Academy. Link: Meeting Book Navigation

Video - Navigating Your Meeting Book on the Web Browser

Video - Navigating Your Meeting Book on the Tablet App

Using AI Assist with Meeting Books

How can AI Assist help me find and review a Meeting Book?

AI Assist can quickly find, open, and summarize Meeting Books, helping you locate information without manually browsing the Meetings list.

To find or open a Meeting Book with AI Assist:

  1. Select Ask about meetings & materials at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Enter a request that includes a timeframe and the exact committee name.
  3. Select the link in the response to open the meeting, Meeting Book, or a specific document.
Example prompts:
  • "Open the meeting book for the next [Committee Name] meeting."
  • "Find the [document name] in the most recent [Committee Name] meeting book."
  • "Summarize the meeting book for the next [Committee Name] meeting."
  • "What does the book say about [topic]?"

How can I use Help Me Prepare within a Meeting Book?

The Help Me Prepare button on an agenda section generates a summary of the primary documents attached to the section.
  1. Open the Meeting Book.
  2. Navigate to the agenda section you want to review.
  3. Select Help Me Prepare.
  4. Review the generated summary.
  5. Ask follow-up questions in AI Assist or open documents for additional detail.
Note: Help Me Prepare summaries include primary documents attached to an agenda section but do not include supplemental documents.
Note: AI Assist can find, open, and summarize materials, but it cannot download, export, annotate, or share files. AI Assist availability depends on your organization's settings. Contact your OnBoard administrator if you do not see AI Assist.

Opening a Meeting Book

How do I open a Meeting Book?

You have two options:

  1. From the Homepage
    • Select a recent or upcoming meeting directly from the Homepage.
  2. From the Meetings Menu
    • Click Meetings in the navigation menu.
    • Choose the meeting from the list.

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  1. Click Open Book to view all documents compiled together.

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Navigating a Meeting Book

There are several ways to move through your Meeting Book:

How can I navigate using the Agenda Section view?

The Agenda Section View provides shortcuts to agenda sections and attached documents.

On desktop or web browser:

  • Locate the Agenda Section View in the upper-left corner.

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  • Displays clickable shortcuts to agenda sections.
  • Sections with attached documents show a page icon.

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  • Hover over the icon to preview attached documents.

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  • Select a section or a document to navigate directly to it. 

 

On Mobile (e.g., iPhone):

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  • Tap the three-dot icon in the top-left corner.
  • Open the left-side panel.

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  • Select any agenda document to jump directly to it.

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How can I search for keywords in a Meeting Book?

Keyword search helps you quickly locate information across all documents in the Meeting Book.

To search:

  • Click the magnifying glass icon in the top toolbar.

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  • Type your search term in the Search Panel.
  • Matching terms will appear in results. Click to jump to that page.

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How can I navigate using annotations?

Annotations provide another way to move through your meeting book.

To use annotations for navigation:

  • Click the Comments button in the top-right corner.

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  • The Comments Panel shows all your annotations.
  • Click an annotation to jump to its page.

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Adjusting Meeting Book Viewing Options

How do I access Page View Controls?

Page View Controls allow you to adjust how the Meeting Book appears on your screen. These changes affect only your view, not the actual document.

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Available Options

  • Rotate Clockwise: Rotates the page view.
  • Zoom Controls:
    • Use the percentage dropdown for preset zoom levels.
    • Click Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons.
    • Use keyboard shortcuts:
      • Windows: Hold CTRL + scroll wheel or CTRL + +/-
      • MacOS: Hold ⌘ + scroll wheel or ⌘ + +/-

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  • Pan Tool (Hand Icon):
    • Click and drag to scroll through the book.

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You can return to your normal mouse mode by clicking on the Select Tool.

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  • Select Tool:
    • Click and drag to select text.
    • Access the Select Tool Menu to:
      • Copy text.
      • Add annotations (Highlight, Underline, Squiggly Underline).

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This menu will allow you to copy the selected text, or apply Annotations to the text, such as Highlight, Underline, and Squiggly Underline.

Note: Options vary by device. Smaller screens (e.g., phones) have fewer controls.

Meeting Book Updates

What happens if a Meeting Book is updated while I am viewing it?

OnBoard ensures you always have the latest version:

If updates occur while you’re viewing:

  • A pop-up appears stating annotations are disabled to prevent data loss.
  • Choose Continue Reading to stay on the current version.

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If a new version is published:

  • A pop-up notifies you.
  • Select View Latest for the updated book or Continue Reading to remain on the older version.

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Viewing Individual Documents

Can I open a single document from a Meeting Book?

Yes. You can open individual documents directly from the agenda.

To open an agenda document:

  1. Select the document from the agenda.
  2. The document opens in single-document view.

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Important limitations

  • You cannot add annotations.
  • Highlighting and other markup tools cannot be used.

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To return to the full Meeting Book:

  • Click BACK to select another document.
  • Or click OPEN IN BOOK to view all documents together.

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FAQs

Can I annotate documents in the Meeting Book?

  • Yes, but only in full Meeting Book view. Use the Select Tool to highlight, underline, or comment. Single-document view does not support annotations.

What happens if the Meeting Book updates while I’m viewing it?

  • You’ll see a pop-up. Annotations are temporarily disabled to prevent data loss. When a new version is available, choose View Latest or Continue Reading.

How do I quickly find a specific document or topic?

  • Use the Search Panel (magnifying glass icon) to type keywords or the Agenda Section View to jump directly to agenda items with attached documents.

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