When the Uploader Should Not Be the Data Manager

By default, when a user uploads new media, they also become the Data Manager for the media record.  The user account assigned as the Data Manager has over-riding edit, download, and sharing rights (see Definitions of User Roles for Media). However, there are many cases in which these rights should not sit with the uploader for the long term.  Here are some example scenarios

• A museum curator enlists interns to upload scans from their collection.  The Data Manager role should not sit with these various interns. It should sit with the curator, or another museum affiliate who has a permanent position that involves managing collection assets as one of its roles.
• A PI of a research lab enlists undergraduate employees or volunteers to upload scans for use in a study.  The Data Manager role should not sit with these various undergraduates. It should sit with the PI or perhaps, eventually even a museum affiliate who has a permanent position that involves managing collection assets as one of its roles.
• A tech at an in-house museum facility uploads a scan commissioned by a curator upon request by a researcher.  Most likely, the scan tech should not be the permanent Data Manager of the scan, the role should instead be held by staff affiliated with the collection the specimen came from.
• A researcher is given permission to borrow and scan a specimen on the condition that the museum is allowed to take over full management of the scan in MorphoSource. The researcher should not remain the Data Manager of the scan.

There are two primary ways that the Data Manager can be different from the Data Uploader. Both require approval or consent from the user who is to become the Data Manager.  The two approaches differ in terms of whether the consent or permission is established before an upload happens (proxy uploading) or after upload (transfer requests). 

How do I decide whether to use proxy uploading or transfer requests? The answer mostly has to do with how many media needed to be added.  Big projects, where someone is loading a lot of data for another user are probably best handled through proxy uploading (like the first two scenarios above). Situations where you are just dealing with a few scans now and then indicate use of transfer requests.  The reason why is that setting up proxy uploading with an other user can take some time coordinating mutual expectations, etc. But once it is established it provides a seamless route to add media to another user's account.  Transfer requests require no pre-planning or coordination between the intended Data Manager and Uploader, but it is more time intensive because a transfer request must be submitted for each media that is uploaded and there is no way of doing a "batch request" at this time.