Who can Access MLS

Who in the ward should have access to MLS? I have reviewed the access table on lds.org, but it says nothing about EQ presidents, RS, primary etc. Can only the presidents of each auxillary have access or can the entire presidency? Do you set up access for each individual or can you set up a generic EQ user id that anyone in the EQ persidency can use? (thats how ours is currently set up) Also, do most clerks have each auxiliary input their attendance info into MLS on their own, or do they have each auxiliary give them the paper copy and the clerk inputs it?

Thanks for the help, I'm a new clerk trying to get this all figured out.

Kelton

kleinman wrote:Who in the ward should have access to MLS? I have reviewed the access table on lds.org, but it says nothing about EQ presidents, RS, primary etc. Can only the presidents of each auxillary have access or can the entire presidency? Do you set up access for each individual or can you set up a generic EQ user id that anyone in the EQ persidency can use? (thats how ours is currently set up) Also, do most clerks have each auxiliary input their attendance info into MLS on their own, or do they have each auxiliary give them the paper copy and the clerk inputs it?

Thanks for the help, I'm a new clerk trying to get this all figured out.

Kelton

Access to the MLS program is basically up to the Bishop of the ward. Typically access should be controlled to the point where it's not just given away to anyone who asks. Access should be granted based upon an actual need, such as an organizational secretary who needs to input Visiting Teaching/Home Teaching results, etc. You should discuss this with your Bishop and then follow his wishes.

Each MLS account must be linked with a membership record, so I discourage everyone from creating "generic" accounts for each calling. Each account should be personalized.

kleinman wrote:Also, do most clerks have each auxiliary input their attendance info into MLS on their own, or do they have each auxiliary give them the paper copy and the clerk inputs it?

Once again, that's a local preference. I found in my tenure of being a ward clerk it was faster for me to input the information and run the reports then to clear out what I was doing, find the person in question (who had wondered away while waiting) or wait for them to show up, and then wait for them to fumble around trying to do things.

The computer is very busy on Sundays. Other then that, YMMV.

kleinman wrote:Who in the ward should have access to MLS?

The official answer is on RKATS at Maintain MLS User Access.

kleinman wrote:I have reviewed the access table on lds.org, but it says nothing about EQ presidents, RS, primary etc.

The access table on LDS.org is only relevant for LDS.org. The permissions for MLS are quite different, and are (for the most part) independent of calling. Of course, a person's calling should help guide the bishop in choosing the appropriate MLS permissions.

kleinman wrote:Can only the presidents of each auxillary have access or can the entire presidency?

That's up to the bishop. I've seen it done a variety of ways. In some wards, only the secretary has access.

kleinman wrote:Do you set up access for each individual or can you set up a generic EQ user id that anyone in the EQ persidency can use? (thats how ours is currently set up)

As was mentioned earlier, setting up MLS users by calling is a very bad idea. Always give a person their own user account. That's mentioned in the RKATS article I linked to above.

kleinman wrote:Also, do most clerks have each auxiliary input their attendance info into MLS on their own, or do they have each auxiliary give them the paper copy and the clerk inputs it?

Auxiliaries don't input attendance info; the only attendance info MLS can accept is the single number per auxiliary for attendance on the quarterly report, and the ward clerk enters that. The main work for auxiliaries is inputting home and visiting teaching.

But with that clarification, I've seen that done both ways, too. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to arrange access to the clerk's computer for auxiliaries to input information, so the clerk just does it from paper, but other wards are successful in having auxiliary secretaries input it directly.

We had a few secretaries that would print their own rolls too.