Definitions of User Roles for Media
- Doug Boyer
This document provides a list of the major Media User Roles along with definitions and distinctions. Understanding these different roles and making sure the correct users have the correct roles is important for appropriate access to and long term management of media (aka 'data') on MorphoSource.
The figure at right highlights the user roles that are displayed publicly on the media show page. This media represents a best practice example where the Data Uploader (Zach Randall) has taken steps to transfer the Data Manager role to a museum account (Florida Museum of Natural History). The museum has taken steps to align the title of its account with the preferred IP holder name. The Download Reviewer role could have been set in a number of ways. Either as an automatically populated template from the museum team, by the Data Uploader or by the Data Manager.
This example illustrates that in many cases a single user will have multiple roles for a given media record.
More information to help museums make policy decisions regarding user roles for media representing their collections can be found under Museum Collections Staff Docs
*Go to https://doi.org/10.17602/M2/M397683 for full record
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Data Manager | Although this role is called the "Data Manager" in the system, it can also be thought of as the user who "owns" the data in the system. The Data Manager of a media record has the primary (overriding) management and editing rights over that media record in the system. In other words, the Data Manager role automatically confers all other roles (except Download Request Reviewer). No other user can change the Data Manager of a media record. By default, the user who uploads the media (the Data Uploader) is also assigned the role of Data Manager. But this is often not appropriate and there are tools to allow the Data Uploader transfer their Manager role to someone else (see When the Uploader Should Not Be the Data Manager). Generally speaking, in the long run, the most appropriate Data Manager for a media record is probably a user representing the museum that holds the object represented by the scan. But that is a policy decision and a question to be agreed upon among stakeholders. The Data Manager's name, linked to their account profile is always displayed in the first row of the media "ownership and permissions" section (see figure above). There can only be one Data Manager for a given media record at any one time. |
| Data Uploader | This is the user who has uploaded the media. By default, this person will also be the Data Manager, but see above. The Data Uploader's name is always displayed (and linked to their user account profile) in the second row of the media "ownership and permissions" section (see figure above). Unlike a data manager, the data uploader has no guaranteed access to the media. Whether or not the data uploader was the data manager at the time the data was uploaded (the default scenario), they will also be an Data Editor of the media record. However, if another user assumes the Data Manager role, the Data Manager can remove the Data Uploader's access. |
| Data Editor | This is a user who can modify all aspects of a media record. Among other things, Data Editors' can change any of the metadata associated with the media record, replace the data file associated with the media record, change the Download Request Reviewer(s) associated with a media record, and even change some of the other user roles associated with media record. The main thing Data Editors cannot do is modify media access granted to users via membership in a project of which the Data Editor in question is not a member, or change the Data Manager of a media record. Overall, the abilities of the Data Editor are almost identical to those of the Data Manager, with main difference being that, while a Data Manager could remove a user's role as Data Editor in some (but not all) scenarios, a Data Editor can never remove a user's Data Manager role on a media record. A user can obtain Data Editor status in a number of ways: (1) by default if they are the Data Uploader, (2) by being added as a Project Editor to a project that includes the media in question, (3) by being added as a Data Editor individually by another user with Manager or Editor roles individually via the "sharing" tab of the Media Edit page. |
| Data Download Request Reviewer | This is a user that receives requests for download of restricted media and has the tools in their dashboard to approve, clear, or deny the requests. Technically, there are no limits on the number of users that can be made Download Request Reviewers for a given media. A media also does not need to have any Download Request Reviewers. Being a Download Request Reviewer does not confer any other roles to the media. |
| Data Viewer | This is a user that can view an otherwise "private" media (see visibility and publication) but cannot download or edit it. Usually a user will become a Viewer by being added to a data project as a viewer. Once added to a project with View Access, they will be a Data Viewer for all media associated with the project. But a User whose a Data Editor of a media record can grant View Access individually via the "sharing" tab of the Media Edit page. |
| Data Downloader | This is a user that can view and download an otherwise "private" or "restricted download" media (see visibility and publication) but cannot edit it. Usually a user will become a Downloader by being added to a data project as a Downloader. Once added to a project with Download Access, they will be a Data Downloader for all media associated with the project. But a User who is a Data Editor of a media record can grant Download Access individually via the "sharing" tab of the Media Edit page. |
| Features of Roles | Data Manager | Data Uploader | Data Editor | Down-loader | Data Viewer | Data Download Request Reviewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account level required for role | contributor | contributor | contributor | regular user | regular user | regular user |
| view access | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no |
| download access | yes | depends | yes | yes | no | no |
| edit access | yes | depends | yes | no | no | no |
| Can be mediated via project/team membership | no | na | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Users with this role for a given media can be changed | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Number of simultaneous users with role per given media | 1 | 1 | multiple | multiple | multiple | multiple |
| Minimum users with this role per given media | 1 | 1 | 1=manager | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Role can be modified other users without consent | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Who can see what users have a given role? | publicly displayed | publicly displayed | manager & editors | manager & editors | manager & editors | publicly displayed |