Understanding User Permissions
Once you're logged into the ILLiad Staff Web Client, what you can see and do depends entirely on your permissions. Think of permissions as your job description translated into system access – they ensure you have the tools you need to do your work while protecting sensitive information and critical system functions.
How Permissions Work
ILLiad uses role-based permissions, which means you're assigned to a role (like "Staff" or "Student Worker") that comes with a predefined set of capabilities. This approach makes it easy for administrators to manage access for large teams – instead of configuring permissions for each person individually, they assign roles that match job responsibilities.
Your permissions affect everything you do in the system. They determine which menu items appear, what buttons you can click, which queues you can access, and even what data fields you can view. The beauty of this system is that you only see what's relevant to your work – no clutter, no confusion, just the tools you need.
Standard Roles Explained
Most ILLiad installations use three primary roles, though your institution might have customized these or added additional ones:
Staff Manager
This is the superhero role with access to everything. Staff Managers can modify system settings, manage other staff accounts, customize forms and fields, and access all workflows and queues. They're typically the ILL department heads or designated system administrators.
If you're a Staff Manager, you're responsible for the overall system configuration and ensuring other staff have appropriate access. With great power comes great responsibility – you can make changes that affect everyone, so the system trusts you to be careful.
Staff
The Staff role is for your regular ILL team members who handle day-to-day operations. They can process requests, manage borrowing and lending workflows, handle billing, and work with patron records. What they can't do is change system settings or manage other staff accounts.
This is probably the most common role in any ILL department. It provides full operational access without the risk of accidentally changing critical configurations.
Student
Student Workers get a streamlined set of permissions focused on basic tasks. They might check items in and out, update request statuses, or handle simple patron inquiries. The system hides advanced features, billing information, and sensitive patron data from this role.
This limited access serves two purposes: it simplifies training by showing only relevant features, and it protects sensitive information from inexperienced users.
Breaking Down Permission Categories
Beyond roles, permissions are organized into functional categories. Understanding these helps you know why you might or might not see certain features:
System Permissions
These are the administrative controls – managing staff accounts, changing system settings, customizing layouts, and configuring print templates. Typically, only Staff Managers have these permissions because changes here affect everyone using the system.
Workflow Permissions
These control access to ILLiad's main functional areas:
Borrowing – Can you process requests for items your library wants to borrow? This includes searching for lenders, creating requests, tracking shipments, and managing returns.
Lending – Can you handle requests from other libraries wanting to borrow your materials? This covers reviewing requests, pulling items, shipping, and managing your lending policies.
Document Delivery – Can you process requests for article copies and chapter scans? This includes copyright tracking, scanning operations, and electronic delivery.
Circulation – Can you check items in and out to patrons? This covers the final step of getting borrowed items to your users and tracking their return.
Each workflow area can be further refined. For example, you might be able to view borrowing requests but not cancel them, or process lending requests but not modify billing information.
Data Access Permissions
These determine what information you can see and modify:
User Management – Can you search for patrons, view their information, edit their records, or add notes? Higher-level permissions might include clearing patron history or managing blocked users.
Request Management – Can you view all requests or just those in certain queues? Can you modify request details, move requests between queues, or access historical transactions?
The system can be very granular here. You might be able to see patron names but not their contact information, or view request details but not billing amounts.
Multi-Site Considerations
If your institution is part of a consortium or manages multiple libraries, permissions can be site-specific. You might have full access at your home library but read-only access for consortium partners. This ensures staff can collaborate while maintaining appropriate boundaries between institutions.
Site-level permissions add another layer to the role-based system. Even if two people have the "Staff" role, their actual capabilities might differ based on which site they're accessing.
Reading Permission Cues in the Interface
The Staff Web Client is smart about permissions – it doesn't show you buttons you can't click or menus you can't access. This creates a cleaner, less frustrating interface. Here's how to read the visual cues:
Missing Menu Items – If you don't see an expected menu option, you probably don't have permission for that feature. The system hides inaccessible options rather than showing them grayed out.
Available Actions – Buttons and links only appear if you can use them. If you can view a request but not edit it, you won't see an Edit button at all.
Form Fields – Fields you can't modify appear as read-only text rather than input boxes. Fields you're not permitted to see don't appear at all.
This design philosophy extends to the mobile interface, which is particularly streamlined to show only what you need for on-the-go tasks.
Checking Your Own Permissions
Curious about your exact permissions? Click your name in the top-right corner of the screen and select "My Profile." The Permissions tab shows your role and specific access rights. This is helpful when you're unsure why you can't access a feature or when requesting additional permissions from your administrator.
Common Permission Scenarios
Here are typical permission setups for different positions:
Circulation Desk Staff might have full circulation permissions, view-only access to borrowing requests (to answer patron questions), and no access to billing or system settings.
ILL Processing Specialists typically have full borrowing or lending workflow access, associated billing permissions, and user management rights, but no system administration capabilities.
Department Supervisors often have all operational permissions plus reporting access and the ability to view (but not edit) staff profiles. They might also have export capabilities for gathering statistics.
New Employees usually start with minimal permissions, often the Student role, then graduate to more access as they complete training modules and demonstrate proficiency.
When Permissions Don't Match Your Needs
Sometimes you'll find you can't do something your job requires. Before assuming it's a permission issue:
- Make sure you're in the right area of the system
- Check if the item is in a status your role can access
- Verify you're looking at the correct site (in multi-site systems)
- Try refreshing your browser in case of a display glitch
If you genuinely lack needed permissions, contact your Staff Manager or ILLiad administrator. Explain what you're trying to accomplish and why you need the access. Permission changes usually take effect immediately, though you might need to log out and back in to see updated menus.
Best Practices for Permission Management
Whether you're a Staff Manager assigning permissions or a staff member working within them, these principles help maintain security:
Least Privilege – Users should have the minimum permissions necessary to do their jobs. This isn't about trust – it's about reducing the risk of accidental changes or data exposure.
Regular Reviews – Permissions should be reviewed periodically, especially when job responsibilities change. That student worker who graduated to full-time staff needs updated access.
Clear Documentation – Keep notes about why specific permission decisions were made. Future administrators will thank you for the context.
Prompt Updates – When staff leave or change positions, update permissions immediately. Old access is a security risk.
Moving Forward
Now that you understand how permissions shape your ILLiad experience, you're ready to dive into the specific workflows you can access. The features available to you will depend on your role, but whether you're processing one type of request or managing the entire operation, the Staff Web Client adapts to show you exactly what you need.
Remember, permissions exist to help you focus on your work while protecting the system and patron data. If something seems inaccessible, there's usually a good reason – but don't hesitate to ask if you need additional access to do your job effectively.