ResCenter’s Conversations function is used similarly to other text messaging interfaces used in web browsers and mobile devices, though some behavior may be different. The following information should be considered when using the Conversations function:

Message List Display

•     The Conversations page refreshes every few seconds to display any changes, such as when a patron sends or replies to a message.

•     When a user sends or receives a Conversations message, the patron’s name and a short message preview will be displayed in the Search Patrons window. Any unread conversations will be displayed with bold text.

•     Unread conversations are displayed with bold text the first time a user navigates to the Conversations page since any new messages were sent. Once the user logs out or navigates away from the Conversations page, the current unread messages will no longer be displayed in bold when the user returns to the Conversations page.

•     When a ResCenter user sends a message to a patron, the list of messages will be updated to display the most recent message at the top. However, if another user at the same institution sends a message to a patron, that message will not be moved to the top of the Conversations list for the current user.

Searching for Patrons

•     Searching for patrons in the Search Patrons field will only display patrons with ResCenter records. However, any GET-only patrons that have sent a message to ResCenter will be displayed in the list of previous Conversations below the Search Patrons field.

•     If two patrons with identical names are in the list of Conversations, searching by the patron name will display the patron conversation that occurred most recently. When that Conversation is displayed, hitting <ENTER> will scroll to the next (identically-named) patron in the list.

•     When searching for a patron, if a patron with no previous message history is selected and the user does not send a message, the Conversation message will be removed from the list after navigating away from the message.

ResCenter User Access

•     An institution’s Conversations page is not user-specific. Any ResCenter users with full access permissions to Conversations will be able to view all conversations.

•     Patrons will not be able to differentiate from different ResCenter users in a message. On the GET CBORD Student platform, a Conversation will only indicate the message includes the institution’s housing office.