Managing Permissions with Permission Groups

You can set up groups of staff members and workstations that are involved in the same types of tasks in the library, and assign the permissions to the group. For example, you can set up a Circulation Clerk permission group with the required permissions for circulating items. Then, you simply add the staff members and workstations to the Circulation Clerk permission group.

Permission group records are managed using the Permission Group workform. You can find and open a permission group record from the Polaris Shortcut Bar (select Administration > Permission Group), or the Administration Explorer menu bar (select File > Open > Permission Group).

Note:
To set up and manage groups, you need the Permission Group permissions (Access, Create, Delete, Modify), and permission to access any associated staff member, workstation, or organization records.

Group Permissions for Organizations

You can assign entire organizations (system, library, branch) to permission groups. Every staff member and workstation that is assigned to the organization gains the permissions of the group. Organization membership in a permission group is best used for library systems that use centralized cataloging, acquisitions, and serials processing. You can create a permission group that has access-only permissions for bibliographic, item, authority, serial control records, then make the entire system the member of the permission group. Every staff member and workstation for every organization in the Polaris installation automatically has access to the records. However, they cannot modify, create, or delete the records, and you probably would not assign these types of permissions through organization group membership.

Note:
If a library is a member of a permission group, the staff members and workstations assigned to the library and its branches receive the group permissions. If a branch is a member of a permission group, only the staff members and workstations assigned to the branch receive the group permissions.

Default Permission Groups

Polaris is installed with default permission groups that already have many of the permissions needed to do common library workflows at all organizations. All you need to do is identify the staff and workstations that are members of the permission group. You can add or remove permissions from a default group to suit an organization’s staff departmental structure and workflows. If you want stricter security, you can copy the default permission group, remove the permissions that do not apply to the new group, and give the permission group a different name.

Example:
In a system where each library needs to control access to patrons’ personal information, you can copy the Polaris Circulation Clerk permission group and give it a name that identifies it for a circulation desk at a specific library. Remove the permissions that do not apply to the specific library. Include the circulation staff at the library as members of the new group. Repeat the process for each library that requires strict control of privacy information.

The names of the Polaris default permission groups begin with Polaris. To list the default permission groups in the Find Tool results list, search by name for Polaris*.

For a list of the default permission groups and the permissions associated with them, see Polaris Permission Groups - Default Permissions Reference.

Using Groups to Set Initial Permissions

If you are setting up Polaris permissions for the first time, you may find this method useful:

Make lists of the following information:

All organizations (system, libraries, and branches)

Note:
A library must also have a branch of the same name. See Setting Statistical Codes for Reports.

Departments for each organization
Staff members in each department
Supervisors or managers of each department
Workstation names and where they are used

These lists help identify how many permission groups you may need to set up, and the possible members of the groups. Every department for each organization may be a group. You may want a supervisor group for each department, or combine all supervisors into a single group at each organization. You probably need a Circulation clerk group at every branch.

Review areas of organizational responsibilities, and compile a list of functional areas in each department.

Work such as administration, cataloging, serials processing, or acquisitions in large library systems or consortia may be centralized. In this case, you may need a single permission group for catalogers. If each library is responsible for its own technical services, you may need multiple cataloging groups, one for every library that maintains its own cataloging records.

Certain departments may have several functional areas, so they may need a finer division of group responsibilities. For example, a Technical Services department may need a permission group for catalogers and a separate permission group for the people doing acquisitions and serials processing. The list may be based on work area or job descriptions.

Compile a list of permission groups based on the information you have gathered, and the decisions you have made.
Create the permission groups in Polaris Administration, or adapt the Polaris default groups. See Managing Permissions with Permission Groups.
Set the Staff Client profile Generate security history to No until you have completed initial permissions setup. See Setting Staff Client Profiles.
Give each group the permissions needed to do the tasks for the purpose of the group. See Assign permissions to staff, workstation, or group.
Assign the members to each permission group. See Manage members in a permission group.
Ask a member from each permission group to test the setup by doing their normal tasks.