Accounts: Overview of LibAnswers account permissions
There are 5 different user levels in LibAnswers:
- Admin users can create content, edit all content in the system, and manage system settings & customizations. They have access to all ticket queues, FAQ groups, and (if LibChat is enabled for their account) chat departments.
- Regular users can create and edit FAQs in assigned groups, reply to tickets in assigned queues, and (if LibChat is enabled for their account) monitor chats in assigned departments. Ideal for most general users.
- Reader users have read-only access to the public pages of Internal and Restricted Internal FAQ groups. These users cannot access the LibAnswers dashboard, Knowledge Base Explorer, Ref Analytics, LibChat, Stats, Social media, or Systems Status Management internal pages..
- Ref. Analytics Only users can only add, view, and analyze transactions in your Reference Analytics datasets. This is helpful if you want certain users (such as student assistants) to record transactions, but not have access to other areas of LibAnswers.
- Inactive users are prevented from signing into your LibAnswers system, while allowing the data they entered to remain attributed to them. This is helpful if a user is no longer employed at your library, but you want to keep the data they created assigned to them. By comparison, if you remove a user from your system, you would have to reassign their records to a different user.
The sections below summarize the various permissions that each account has.
General Permissions
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users | Reader Users | Ref. Analytics Only Users | Inactive Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log into LibAnswers | Yes | Yes | Can log into public pages of Internal and Restricted Internal groups only. No access to Admin side of LibAnswers. | Yes | No |
| View the LibAnswers dashboard | Yes | Yes, but will only see tickets in assigned queues | n/a | No | n/a |
| Create widgets | Yes | Yes, but only for assigned queues and groups | n/a | No | n/a |
| Edit widgets | Yes | Yes, but only those that they created | n/a | No | n/a |
| Customize system settings | Yes | No | n/a | No | n/a |
| Create and manage user accounts | Yes | No | n/a | No | n/a |
| Manage assets (i.e. links, files, & media) | Yes | Yes, but only content they created | n/a | No | n/a |
| Create dashboard views | Yes, shared & private | Yes, but only private & for queues they have Admin-level access to | n/a | No | n/a |
| Create macros | Yes, shared & private | Yes, but only private & for queues they have Admin-level access to | n/a | No | n/a |
| Access the LibAnswers API | Yes | No | n/a | No | n/a |
| Manage metadata (i.e. topics, keywords & tags) | Yes | No | n/a | No | n/a |
| Manage the trash can | Yes | No | n/a | No | n/a |
| Generate statistics | Yes | Yes, but only for assigned queues and groups | n/a | Yes, but only for Ref. Analytics | n/a |
FAQs & Groups
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users | Reader Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| View Public and Hidden group pages and FAQs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View Hidden group pages and FAQs (via the direct URL) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View Internal group pages and FAQs | Yes, if logged in | Yes, if logged in | Yes, if logged in |
| View Restricted Internal group pages and FAQs | Yes, if logged in | Yes, if logged in and assigned to the group | Yes, if logged in and assigned to the group |
| Create and delete groups | Yes | No | No |
| Edit group settings | Yes | Yes, but only if assigned to the group as an Admin | No |
| Create and edit FAQs | Yes | Yes, but only if assigned to the group as an Editor or Admin | No |
| View the Query Spy | Yes | Yes, but only for assigned groups | No |
| Manage FAQ comments | Yes | Yes, but only for assigned groups | No |
Tickets & Queues
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users |
|---|---|---|
| View and reply to tickets | Yes | Yes, but only in assigned queues |
| Create new tickets & SMS messages (from the Answers > Create page) | Yes | Yes |
| Add internal notes to tickets | Yes | Yes, but only in assigned queues |
| Assign or transfer tickets to other users and/or queues | Yes | Yes |
| Unclaim another user's ticket | Yes | Yes, but only if assigned to the queue as an Admin |
| Create and delete queues | Yes | No |
| Edit queue settings | Yes | Yes, but only if assigned to the queue as an Admin |
LibChat & Departments
Please note that LibChat must be enabled for a user's account before they can access LibChat, LibChat settings, and/or LibChat statistics & transcripts.
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users |
|---|---|---|
| Sign into LibChat | Yes | Yes |
| Monitor and answer chats | Yes, for personal and assigned departments | Yes, for personal and assigned departments |
| Create, edit, and delete departments | Yes | Yes, but only for departments that are assigned to a queue where they are a Queue Admin |
| Add banned IP addresses | Yes | Yes, but only while chatting with a patron or viewing transcripts or if there are departments that are assigned to a queue where they are a Queue Admin |
| Remove banned IP addresses | Yes | Yes, but only if there are departments that are assigned to a queue where they are a Queue Admin |
| Create and manage canned messages | Yes, system and personal | Yes, personal and for departments that are assigned to a queue where they are a Queue Admin |
| View and analyze chat ratings | Yes | Yes |
| View and email chat transcripts & missed chats | Yes | Yes |
| Leave feedback on chats answered by a Co-Op | Yes, if library belongs to a Co-Op | No, unless in a Shared Group System and the user has Group Admin permission |
| Edit and delete chat transcripts & missed chats | Yes | No |
| Create and copy chat widgets | Yes | Yes |
| Edit and delete chat widgets | Yes | Yes, but only ones they created |
| Add Co-Op monitoring to a chat widget | Yes, if library belongs to a Co-Op | Yes, if library belongs to a Co-Op |
| View stats for Co-Op chats answered by their institution | Yes, if library belongs to a Co-Op | No |
LibChat Co-Ops
The following permissions apply to actions that are related to participating in a LibChat Co-Op, both the 24/7 Co-Op and local co-ops. Please note that "Regular" here refers to a Regular Co-Op user -- this is not the same as a Regular-level account in a local LibAnswers system (i.e. a local Admin-level user could still be a Regular user in the Co-Op). If a local user does not have one of the permission levels listed below for a Co-Op, they will not have access to it nor be able to monitor chats from it.
| Permission | Co-Op Admin | Institution Admin | Regular |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add, edit, and remove accounts from the Co-Op | Yes, all institutions | Yes, but only from their own institution (and can only assign the Institution Admin or Regular account levels) | No |
| View chat transcripts | Yes, all institutions | Yes, but only from their own institution | Yes, but only chats they answered |
| View chat monitoring activity & statistics | Yes, all institutions | Yes, but only from their own institution | Yes, but only chats they answered |
| View QA feedback for chats | Yes, all institutions | Yes, but only from their own institution | Yes, but only chats they answered |
| Monitor and answer chats from the Co-Op | Yes (LibChat must be enabled in their local LibAnswers account) | Yes (LibChat must be enabled in their local LibAnswers account) | Yes (LibChat must be enabled in their local LibAnswers account) |
Reference Analytics
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users | Ref. Analytics Only Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create, edit, and delete datasets | Yes | No | No |
| Add transactions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View and edit transactions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View statistics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Generate a cross tab report | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Shared Group Systems
Learn more about Shared Group Systems.
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users |
|---|---|---|
| Add, manage, & view a group's policy FAQs | Yes | Yes, but only if they have Group Admin status for their assigned group, or given Admin / Editor permission for their group's FAQ group. |
| Leave feedback on chats originating from their group's widgets | Yes | Yes, but only if they have Group Admin status |
| Add, edit, or remove user accounts within their group | Yes | Yes, but only if they have Group Admin status (and only for accounts in their assigned group) |
| Create and manage chat widgets (with or without affiliation with their group) | Yes | Yes |
| View LibChat statistics | Yes, for all group libraries in the system | Yes, but only for their affiliated group library |
| View chat transcripts | Yes, for all group libraries in the system | Yes, but only for their affiliated group library |
Social
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users |
|---|---|---|
| Monitor the social feed | Yes | Yes, but only for accounts connected to assigned queues |
| Create posts, tweets, and/or pins | Yes | Yes, but only for accounts connected to assigned queues |
| Analyze social media posts and statistics | Yes | Yes, but only for accounts connected to assigned queues |
| Connect and manage LibApps social channels to queues (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest) | Yes | Yes, but only if assigned to the queue as an Admin |
Systems Status Management
| Permission | Admin Users | Regular Users |
|---|---|---|
| View the public and internal dashboards | Yes | Yes |
| Create product posts | Yes | Yes, but only if given access to System Status Management |
| Edit and delete product posts | Yes | Yes, but only ones they created unless given Admin access to System Status Management |
| Update the status of products | Yes | Yes, but only if given access to System Status Management |
| Approve, edit, and delete ideas & votes | Yes | Yes, but only if given access to System Status Management |
| Create product widgets | Yes | Yes, but only if given Admin access to System Status Management |
| Create, edit, and delete products | Yes | Yes, but only if given Admin access to System Status Management |
| Manage System Status Management settings | Yes | Yes, but only if given Admin access to System Status Management |