As with any information system, two types of users interact with the system: the person responsible for maintaining the information in the system, and the user. Your local city librarian organizes and manages the catalog system and maintains the information about the library's collection of materials. Users accessing the card catalog system can get the information they need about what is available and where to find it. The librarian is managing the system behind the scenes to ensure that everything is working as it should be for the users.
With the Information Catalog Manager, the role of the administrator is similar to that of a librarian. The administrator organizes and maintains the descriptive data about your company's information and understands the needs of the users. An administrator is often a user as well. Information catalog administrators work closely with users, other information catalog administrators, and information systems personnel to evaluate and identify what information exists and what information should be contained in the information catalog.
As a user, you can find information faster and easier than ever before because your administrator organizes it to meet your group's specific needs. All of this goes on behind the scenes to ensure that you have the information you need when you need it.
Some information catalog users can perform additional management tasks that are normally performed by information catalog administrators if they have been granted authority by their administrator. Those tasks are described in Additional tasks for Information Catalog Manager users.