Users

Managing staff access to Papyrus Cloud and controlling what each user can see and do

The Users screen controls which staff members have access to Papyrus Cloud and what they are permitted to do. Each user is identified by their email address and can be granted or restricted from specific areas of the system — cataloguing, circulation, system parameters, and the OPAC — using a set of permission flags. This gives the library administrator precise control over each staff member's level of access.

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Users vs Library Members

It is important to understand the distinction between Users and Library Members in Papyrus Cloud:

Type	Who they are	Managed where
User (Librarian)	A staff member who logs in to administer the library system — cataloguing, circulation, parameters, and reports	This screen — Parameters → Users
Library Member	A person who borrows books from the library. Members automatically have access to the OPAC and can view their own circulation details	Members → Maintain Members

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Library members do not need to be added to this Users screen. They have automatic access to the OPAC and their own borrowing record when they log in. Only staff who need to administer the system require a User account here.

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If a staff member also borrows books from the library, they will need both a User account (added here) and a Library Member record (added under Members). These are two separate records linked by the same email address.

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Adding a User

To grant a staff member access to Papyrus Cloud, they must first have registered a Papyrus Cloud account using their email address at papyruscloud.org/account/Register. Once registered, the administrator can add them as a user here.

Enter the staff member's registered email address in the User email address field at the top of the screen.

Click the Add button. The user will appear in the users list below with default permission settings.

Click Edit on the new user's row to configure their permissions, location, and access level.

Tick the appropriate permission checkboxes for the user's role (see Permission flags below). Click Update to save.

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The number of users you can add is limited by your licence. The current licence includes 2 user accounts. If you need additional users, contact support@papyruscloud.org to upgrade your subscription.

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Permission Flags

Each user account has a set of permission flags that control which areas of Papyrus Cloud they can access. These are set by ticking or unticking checkboxes when editing a user record.

Enabled

The user account is active and the user can log in. Untick to temporarily suspend access without deleting the account.

Manager

Grants access to the Parameters menu — system configuration, user management, and all setup screens. Restrict this to senior staff only.

Back Office

Grants access to Cataloguing — EasyCAT, QuickCAT, FastCAT, AdvanceCAT, stock management, and related tools.

OPAC

Grants access to the Online Public Access Catalogue — searching the catalogue on behalf of members.

Front Office

Grants access to the Front Desk — issuing and returning items, processing overdues, managing fines, and reservations.

Flag	What it controls
Enabled	Master on/off switch for the account. An Enabled user can log in; a disabled user cannot. Use this to temporarily suspend access rather than deleting the account.
Manager	Access to Parameters — all configuration screens including Global Parameters, System Dates, Holidays, Users, Member Types, Publication Types, Fine Types, Privileges, and all other setup screens. Assign only to the library administrator or senior staff.
Back Office	Access to Cataloguing — all four cataloguing methods (EasyCAT, QuickCAT, FastCAT, AdvanceCAT), barcode labels, interlibrary loans, stock take, and reading lists.
OPAC	Access to all OPAC search screens — Advanced Search, AI Search, Simple Search, Reading Lists, and QR Code. All library members have OPAC access by default; this flag controls whether staff have it too.
Front Office	Access to Circulation — the Front Desk for issuing and returning items, overdues management, outstanding fines, transaction summary, bulk returns, and reservations (Bespeaks).
Last Date	Read-only. Shows the date and time the user last logged in to Papyrus Cloud. Useful for auditing and identifying inactive accounts.
Help Level	Sets the contextual help level displayed to the user within the system. A value of 1 indicates full help is shown.

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Special Permissions

In addition to the main area permissions, three special flags can be assigned to individual users to grant elevated operational capabilities at the Front Desk.

Reveal Member

When searching the OPAC, shows which member currently has a particular item on loan. Without this flag, the member's identity is hidden from the OPAC.

Override Bespeaks

Allows the user to issue a reserved book to a different member, bypassing the reservation queue. Use with caution.

Override Privileges

Allows the user to issue a book to a member even if it would normally be blocked — for example, if the member has reached their quota or their loan duration has been exceeded.

Flag	Description and when to assign
Reveal Member	When a staff member searches the OPAC for an item that is on loan, this flag allows them to see which library member currently has it. Without this flag, the item shows as "On Loan" but the member's name is not revealed — protecting member privacy. Assign to senior staff who need to trace items.
Override Bespeaks	Normally, if an item is reserved (bespeaked) for a member, the system will warn against issuing it to a different member. This flag allows the user to override that warning and issue the reserved item to someone else. Assign only to senior staff who are authorised to make such decisions.
Override Privileges	Borrowing privileges — such as the maximum number of items a member can borrow, or the maximum loan duration — are set per member type. This flag allows a user to bypass those restrictions and issue an item regardless of the member's privilege limits. Assign to senior staff for exceptional circumstances only.
Can Renew All Books	Allows the user to renew all outstanding loans for a member in a single operation. Useful for bulk renewals at end of term or for members with special circumstances.

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Special permissions allow users to bypass normal system controls. Assign Override Bespeaks and Override Privileges only to senior or trusted staff, and review these settings periodically to ensure they are still appropriate.

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Location and Visibility

For libraries with multiple physical sites or branches, user access can be restricted to a specific location. This controls which members, stock items, and circulation records are visible to that user.

Field	Description
Location	Assign a user to a specific library location (e.g. JHB). If assigned, the user sees only the members, stock, and circulation records belonging to that location. Leave blank to give the user access to all locations (the default for single-site libraries).
Only View Main Library	When ticked, restricts the user to viewing only the main library's data, even if multiple locations are configured. Useful for staff who should not see data from satellite sites.

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Locations are defined under Parameters → General Parameters → Locations. For single-site libraries, leave the Location field blank for all users — the Location and Only View Main Library fields are only relevant when a multi-site licence is active.

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Role Examples

The table below shows recommended permission settings for common library staff roles. Adapt these to suit your library's staffing structure.

Role	Enabled	Manager	Back Office	OPAC	Front Office	Reveal Member	Override Bespeaks	Override Privileges
Head Librarian / Administrator	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Librarian (full access)	✓	–	✓	✓	✓	✓	–	–
Cataloguer only	✓	–	✓	✓	–	–	–	–
Front Desk assistant	✓	–	–	✓	✓	–	–	–
Read-only / OPAC only	✓	–	–	✓	–	–	–	–
Suspended / Inactive	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

✓ = permission granted · – = permission not granted

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Editing a User

All existing users are displayed in the users list below the entry form. The list shows each user's email address, name, enabled status, last login date, location assignment, and all permission flags. Columns can be sorted by clicking their headings.

	User ID	Enabled	Last Date	Location	Manager	Back Office	OPAC	Front Office	Reveal Member
Edit Delete	help@papyruscloud.org	✓	2026/04/18		✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Edit Delete	ken.fargher@gmail.com	✓	2026/03/11	JHB	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Edit Delete	support@papyruscloud.org	✓	2026/04/18		✓	✓	✓	✓	–

To edit a user's permissions or settings, click the Edit link on their row. The row expands into an editable form. Make your changes and click Update to save, or Cancel to discard.

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To temporarily suspend a user's access without losing their permission configuration — for example, during extended leave — untick the Enabled checkbox rather than deleting the account. Re-tick it when access should be restored.

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Removing a User

To permanently remove a user's access to Papyrus Cloud, click the Delete link on their row in the users list. You will be asked to confirm before the record is removed.

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Deleting a user removes their access immediately and permanently. Their Papyrus Cloud account itself is not deleted — only the link between that account and your library is removed. If you need to reinstate the user later, you will need to add them again and reconfigure their permissions. Consider using the Enabled flag to temporarily suspend access instead.

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User activity — including which records were created or modified by each user — is visible under User Activity in the user menu at the top of every screen. This log is retained even after a user is removed, providing a permanent audit trail.