RE: Setting Initials at Circulation Desk

["Janet Fine" <janetrfine at hotmail dot com>]

9.26.05

Hi Greg,

We have a 2 tier arrangement in Circulation.   The majority of the circ 
staff logs into Milcirc with departmental initials and password.  The 
functions that are linked to the initials and password allow staff to 
perform routine circ functions: checkout; checkin; accepting payment for 
lost material; cancelling holds from a patron's record; viewing outstanding 
holds, material checked out and charges. The 5 primary workstations are set 
with the departmental initials and password.

The other tier consists of more senior staff passworded to edit records and 
place holds--another 4 workstations are set with the departmental initials 
and password that allow these funtions. If a record is to be edited,  staff  
assisting the patron will ask staff authorized to make change to make the 
changes to the patron record.  I always have at least 1 staff scheduled at 
all times authorized to edit and place holds.

On a related topic, I find the hierarchy of passwords and authorizations to 
be problematic in that too many functions are linked.  Unless I am mistaked, 
in order to place holds, staff must also be passworded to edit records.  
> From experience, I know that allowing all staff to edit can lead to 
problems--often unintentionally.  It would be great if the ability to place 
holds could be separated from the ability to edit.  But the system we have 
in place works fine.

Janet Fine
Department Head, Circulation Services
Great Neck Library
159 Bayview Avenue
Great Neck, NY 11023
(516) 466-8055 ext. 205

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Greg Ferguson" <greg at library dot ucsd dot edu>
Reply-To: IUG INNOPAC List <innopac at innopacusers dot org>
To: <innopac at innopacusers dot org>
Subject: Setting Initials at Circulation Desk
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:57:03 -0700

Hello,

The UCSD Libraries recently reported to III what we consider to be a 
bug/design problem in the Search/Holds module of the MilCirc client.  
Apparently, the system is programmed to remember the initials and password 
used to enter the module and then make certain options available or 
unavailable to the user based on their permissions, specifically the Attach 
New Item, Delete, and Move buttons in item view mode.  Thus, if the initials 
and password used to access the Search/Holds module does not have certain 
item editing permissions, these buttons are inactive, incapable of even 
being selected to prompt for an new set of initials.  The only option is to 
exit the module then re-enter it under initials that have those 
capabilities.

So our questions to the list are twofold:

1.  Do any other libraries limit the permissions of some of their front desk 
staff where this situation would pose a problem?  For example, a library may 
have Circ Desk staff who can only do basic circulation tasks, such as check 
outs, holds, recalls, etc., yet exclude record editing capabilities.

2.  Do any libraries allow their staff to set their initials at front desk 
machines?  At UCSD, our policy is to never set initials at the Circ Desk; it 
is only allowed in the back office work areas.

Thanks for your time.

Greg Ferguson
ILS Circulation Module Coordinator
UCSD Libraries



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