Any document containing classified information as determined by your security guidelines falls under the category of accountable material. Generally, libraries use the Accountability module to restrict certain users to a particular classification of material.

How Accountability Is Used

The Accountability module can provide your library with the following capabilities.

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Restricting the circulation and viewing of catalog information

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Creating and tracking receipts for controlled materials

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Creating inventories of controlled materials by location and individual users

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Reclassifying documents according to the assigned regrade date and designated reclassification

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Tracking the destruction of classified information

For example, a user may want to check out a document with a classification of SECRET. SirsiDynix Symphony must verify that the user’s security clearance is adequate to charge the item. The item is classified, and users must not be allowed to charge this material if they have inadequate clearance.

SirsiDynix Symphony also checks the access restrictions attached to both the item and patron record.

For example, if the access restriction of the item requires a user to have a NATO clearance, then the user record must specifically contain that special access before the user can charge out the item. Otherwise, the item should not be charged to the user.

Accountability Levels: Item, Login, Title, User

Before an item is charged, SirsiDynix Symphony displays all restrictions associated with the item, including classification, need to knows, and access restrictions. The accountability operator should review these areas before releasing the item for circulation. It is important to understand the structure of the records used by the Accountability module to adapt them to the library’s standard work flow.

The Accountability module provides control and accountability at the following levels.

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Item Accountability Levels

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Title Accountability Levels

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User Accountability Levels

Item Accountability Levels

An accountability item record identifies the following information.

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Document classification — Initially fills in with the same classification level as that of its related title

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Notes — Can include information about the item’s modification to provide an audit trail

An accountability record is associated with the login level of the user, including the following.

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Clearance – Contains the clearance of the operator.

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Accountability Operator – allows the user to deal with all aspects of accountability.

This login level is determined in clearance policies and defines whether the operator can modify accountability information or charge accountable materials to users. Accountability operator capability is assigned at this level by a Yes or No when the user’s User Access policy is set up by the SirsiDynix Symphony administrator.

In order to modify anything associated with accountability, the user must be classified as an accountability operator.

Title Accountability Levels

An accountability title record identifies the following information.

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Document classification – Defines the minimum classification required of a user to work with any items associated with this title.

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Bibliographic classification – Defines the minimum classification required of a user to search and display bibliographic information in any item associated with this title.

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Need to know – Defines the attributes the user must have at least one of in order to circulate any items associated with this title.

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Access restrictions – Define a list of attributes that the user must have in order to circulate any item associated with this title.

A Need to Know and Restriction policy of ALL can be created and assigned to a user, allowing the user access to all categories in these policies.

User Accountability Levels

An accountability user record identifies the following information.

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Clearance – Contains the clearance level of the user.

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Need to know – Contains a list of all need to know attributes assigned to the user.

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Access restrictions – Contain a list of all access restrictions assigned to the user.

The user is further classified as the following.

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Internal – A user who has items charged out and returns the items at some date in the future.

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External – A user who has items dispatched to himself or herself and will not return the items to the library.

See FAQs: Working with EXTERNAL Accountability Users for more information.

When creating a user record using the New User Registration wizard, accountability information is added at the same time. To modify the accountability information for a user or later add accountability, use the Modify User wizard.

Accountability Work Flow

The basic steps in using the Accountability module are as follows.

The SirsiDynix Symphony administrator sets up the accountability polices and logins. See Accountability Configuration Wizards for more information.

The accountability operator creates items and accountability at the title and item levels.

The accountability operator creates user records and accountability for internal and external users.

The accountability operator charges accountable items to internal and external users.

The accountability operator regrades title, item, and bibliographic classification levels as needed.

The accountability operator edits the accountability record to initiate the destruction process.

The accountability operator runs the appropriate report to generate Certificates of Destruction for accountable material scheduled for destruction. See the Set CD Number Report.

Authorized personnel destroy accountable material.

The accountability operator removes accountability from unclassified records in the database as needed.

The accountability operator runs a report to remove accountable item records from the database when indicated by the purge date. See the Remove Items by Purge Date Report.

The accountability operator inventories accountable material when designated by the organization’s security policies.

Ongoing Processes

Ongoing accountability processes include the following.

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Creating items and user records

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Charging accountable items to users

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Regrading items

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Editing user and item accountability information

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Inventory, destruction, and removal of accountable material

See FAQs: Destroying Accountable Items for more information.

Streamlined Accountability Wizard Features

The accountability wizards and some circulation and cataloging wizards have been modified to streamline the accountability verification, checkout, and maintenance processes.

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Accountability wizards include the Item Search functionality for searching accountability title and item records.

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Accountability wizards include the Call Number/Item tree on the Item Information tab, allowing users to easily display and select specific item accountability records.

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A behavior property in the Delete Accountability wizard allows the accountability operator to automatically reset the classification to an unclassified value within the wizard work flow.

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The Item Search and Display wizard can display accountability information for a title. This option appears on systems configured for Accountability only. In wizard properties, the Show Title Accountability property appears on the Defaults tab. If you select this property, the Accountability tab will appear for titles that have an accountability record. This tab will appear after the Call Number/Item tab in the detailed display. Additionally, when the Viewer is turned on and the Configure Options for Item Search helper is configured to display title accountability, the Accountability tab will also appear in the lower section of the wizard window for accountable titles.

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Accountability behavior properties are included in the Checkout, Renew Item, and Renew User wizards: Require Override for Permitted Charge, Allow Permitted Charge Without Override, Allow Permitted Charge without Acknowledgement. The behavior properties give the accountability operator the ability to streamline or even eliminate the accountability verification and override process, as long as the patron’s security level matches the item’s security level, and the charge is permitted. These behavior properties only appear on systems configured to use Accountability.

Displaying User Accountability Information In Circulation Wizards

Sites can control the user accountability information fields that display in the circulation wizards. Global configuration policies control displaying the following fields. These global policies are found on the User Accountability tab of the Global Configuration Wizard.

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Display Of User Birth Date Field Policy: Accountability

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Display Of User Birth Place Field Policy

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Display Of User Citizenship Field Policy

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Display Of User Social Security Number Field