VSU Archives "Patron Projects" Planner Guide

This guide explains how Archives staff and student workers use Microsoft Planner to track and manage patron research requests. The Planner board is set up as a Kanban board, which means work is organized into columns that represent stages of progress. Each request starts as a task in the New column, moves to In Progress while it is being worked on, and ends in Complete once resolved. This visual system helps everyone see what needs attention, what is currently being worked on, and what has already been finished.

Responsibility for Task Creation:

The person who receives the patron request—whether by email, phone, or in person—is responsible for creating the task in Planner and placing it in the New bucket.

Thing to Know	What It Means
Board Type	This Planner board is a Kanban board that tracks patron requests by progress stage.
📝 New	Create a task here for every new patron request.
🔨 In Progress	Move tasks here while actively working on the request.
✅ Complete	Move tasks here once the patron has been responded to and work is finished.
🚫 Blocked	When work can't move forward on a request for whatever reason.
Labels	Labels identify request type, subject, and status. Email / Phone / In-Person is required.
Your Responsibility	If you are assigned a task, you are responsible for keeping it updated and moving it across the board.

!!! important Always keep tasks updated and in the correct column so others can see the current status at a glance.

Workflow

The planner is divided into four columns or buckets: New, In Progress, Complete, and Blocked. Tasks move from left to right across the board, representing the different stages of progress. Whoever is assigned the task is responsible for moving the task card accordingly.

Step 1. ➡️ Bucket: 📝 New - Create Project Task

Who creates the task? The person who receives the patron request is responsible for creating the task.

➕ Add task for new patron requests
📝 Name task: write a short title with the most relevant info for searching. REQUIRED.
📝 Notes: write out the full details of the request and the patron's contact information. REQUIRED.
📝 Label (Request Type): Email, Phone, In-Person. REQUIRED.
🗓️ Start Date: Day request received. REQUIRED.
📅 Due Date: +3 business days. ❗Important. REQUIRED.
✅Use the checklist to break down tasks into logical steps. OPTIONAL.
📝Label (other): use the additional labels. OPTIONAL.

Once the task is fully created, labeled, and dated, it is ready to be worked. At this point, the request should clearly explain what the patron is asking for and how to follow up.

Step 2. ➡️ Bucket: 🔨 In Progress

When beginning work on an assigned patron project task:

➡️Move the task to the In Progress bucket. REQUIRED.
✅ If not already, assign the task to yourself REQUIRED.

Additional notes:

For complex tasks, you can use the 📒Notes field to keep track of any details. If multiple people are working on a task, you can use the tasks' Comments to share information.

Process Request

🔨⌚ Work on the request until resolved. ⌚🔨
📩 Email Patron and forward response to Archives Alias at archives@valdosta.edu

While a task is in progress, it is your responsibility to keep the task updated and communicate any issues or delays. If the request cannot move forward, add notes and apply the appropriate status label.

Step 2a. ➡️ Bucket: 🚫 Blocked

A task should be moved to Blocked when work cannot continue due to missing information or an external dependency. This most often occurs when the Archives does not have enough detail to fulfill the request or is waiting on a response from the patron.

While a task is blocked:

📒 Add clear notes explaining why the task is blocked. REQUIRED.
🏷️ Apply the Waiting… label when appropriate. Optional.
📩 Follow up with the patron as needed. Optional.

Once the required information is received or the issue is resolved, move the task back to In Progress.

!!! tip Moving a task to Blocked is part of normal workflow and helps prevent requests from being forgotten or misrepresented as completed.

Step 3. ➡️ Bucket: ✅ Complete

Once the patron request is completely resolved:

➡️Move the task to the Complete bucket. REQUIRED.
📒Add an final notes to the task if needed. Optional.
✅Mark task complete

A task is only considered complete once the patron has been responded to and all relevant notes have been added. Completing the task documents the work done and closes out the request for future reference.

Labels

Labels are used to quickly identify the type of request, subject area, and current status of each task. Applying the correct labels helps the Archives track work, prioritize requests, and locate past projects efficiently. Some labels are required, while others are optional and used for organization and reporting.

Label Rules

Every task MUST have exactly one Request Type label (Email, Phone, or In-Person).
Other labels are contextual and help with sorting, searching, and reporting.
DEADLINE should only be used for truly urgent requests.
Color-only labels are organizational aids and should not replace descriptive labels.

Label Name	Color	Category	When to Use	Required?
Email	Orange	Request Type	Patron contacted Archives by email	✅ Yes (choose one request type)
Phone	Peach	Request Type	Patron contacted Archives by phone	✅ Yes (choose one request type)
In-Person	Light green	Request Type	Patron made request in person	✅ Yes (choose one request type)
Alumni	Pink	Patron Type	Request from or about alumni or alumni records. High priority patrons.	⭕ Optional
Faculty/Staff	Lavender	Patron Type	Request from or about VSU faculty or staff.	⭕ Optional
Genealogy	Light green	Research Type	Family history, vital records, ancestry research	⭕ Optional
Sports	Light blue	Research Type	Athletics-related requests (teams, players, seasons)	⭕ Optional
ETDs	Yellow	Research Type	Theses or dissertations	⭕ Optional
Photograph Scans	Gray	Format / Output	Request involves scanning or providing photographs	⭕ Optional
Digitize Audio/Video	Dark blue	Format / Output	Request requires audio or video digitization	⭕ Optional
VDT	Dark green	Collection	Valdosta Daily Times–related request	⭕ Optional
SELA	Dark gray	Collection	South Georgia / SELA-related materials	⭕ Optional
Waiting…	Plum	Status	Waiting on patron response or clarification	⭕ Optional
DEADLINE	Red	Priority	Time-sensitive request with a hard deadline	⚠️ Use sparingly
Brown / Orange / Peach / Marigold / Greens / Blues	Various	Internal Sorting	Unused.	🚫 Staff only