New app and subgroup: Tags

Hi everyone,

We’re forming a small subgroup that will span the various SIGs, to define the v1 and post-v1 requirements for a tags app. This app will be a cross-FOLIO app, available for any of the other apps to use, allowing for tags to be added to various FOLIO entities like funds, orders, inventory records, items, etc. Tags will allow for faceting/filtering search results, batching things that have similar characteristics, and reporting categories.

I’ll be PO for this app, and development will likely be done by Core Team developers.
Filip posted some initial UI illustrations in a Discuss post a couple days ago.

If any thoughts or questions, please post them here or contact me.

Thank you!
A-M

Hi all - a couple questions about permissions for tags - would be interested in your thoughts:

1. To assign tags to a record, we talked about someone needing edit permissions for that type of record. For example, if I want to assign a tag to a user record, I should only be able to do that if I have permission to edit user records. Can anyone think of a use case where someone should be able to assign tags to a record even though they do not have permission to edit other details in that type of record? Would someone in the library have a reason to add tags to a user record, or inventory instance record, or order record – even if they don’t normally have permissions to edit those types of records? Any use cases come to mind?

2. We have a user story for permission to unassign tags from records, regardless of whether you can assign tags to the record or not. Should the unassign permission just be lumped in with the assign permission (1:assign existing tags + unassign, 2: create/assign new tags and unassign), or is there value in an unassign-only permission? Can anyone think of a use case where someone might need permission to unassign a tag from a record without having permission to assign a tag?

Thanks for any thoughts!

Assigning tags w/out user edit permissions - most of the scenarios I can think of might be better served by allowing notes to be created w/out user edit permissions but here goes:

1. you feed all your users from an external system and only specific people have the authority to edit fed-users but many people might need to tag
2. student worker assigned to tag users for a later mass-emailing
3. evening student worker needs to flag a user record for review while their permanent staff member supervisor is on dinner break

Since tags don’t change the data in the underlying record, I could see being more liberal in permissions. E.g., a person can assign/uassign tags or not. However, I could see keeping stricter controls on tags, and then using notes as Tania suggests.

1. Do we have functionality elsewhere to flag a record as containing errors, to be sent to an expert for review and correction? If not, one might want to use tags for things like selectors tagging inventory records as being inaccurate.

2. Sometimes people ask for reports on data that is not terribly easy to collect, and by the way, they’ll probably want to keep an eye on it for a few years to come. If we know about the data collection plan ahead of time, we can add tags as part of the ongoing workflow - but if it comes up later and we need human eyes to tediously sort through the retrospective records, we might assign it as a project for somebody who doesn’t have edit/create permissions for that module, either if they’re just the people who have time for it, or if we specifically want to introduce them to the way that module works without giving them edit/create permissions yet.

3. I could see wanting to keep stricter control of tags on some modules than others. For example, it’s no biggy if somebody goes crazy and starts adding #THISISAGREATBOOK to a bunch of inventory items, whatever, that’s just a mess to clean up. But it’s a different matter if I’m technically allowed to add a #poopyhead tag to other users even though I’m not allowed to edit user information. There’s a lot of potential for abuse on records that describe people.

Hi Heather, with regard to your questions:

1. I could see tags being used for “workflow lite” until the workflow app is available, so that records could be flagged with review or a user’s name. You might also (or instead) need to use a note if you want to explain what’s causing you to mark the record for review.
2. Yes - I think tags will be used heavily in reporting - both because they are assigned in real time (at point of order, or user creation, or cataloging), or perhaps assigned afterwards, as another way to categorize batches of records or characteristics of certain records. Being able to add tags (and perhaps only previously-created tags) while not touching underlying record data seems like a useful function.
3. For now, I think we’ll likely leave the tag-related permissions the same across all apps, and see if it becomes a problem. Since FOLIO is meant to be internal-facing, there (should?) be less risk of tag data being exposed to end users. There is risk of misuse though, just like there is risk of misuse/abuse of data in cataloging records, notes in user records, etc. As with all systems, with permission comes responsibility.