[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Problem with Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function?

Mon Jul 27 13:27:21 EDT 2015

Jennifer, 

Based on my limited knowledge of this functionality, I think #1 may have actually occurred but you didn't realize it because that isn't what you expected the functionality to do. 

If you immediately deleted the empty volume, you may not have needed to do so -- waiting for indexing to catch up may have solved the problem and the empty volume would have disappeared. This happens all the time when merging duplicate records -- the empty record can hang around for awhile before reindexing takes care of it, although it is usually almost immediate. I don't know this functionality well enough to be sure about that. 

Without knowing your workflow, I can't speculate on how you managed to delete the item rather than the volume. Unfortunately, the item has to be undeleted on the server side by sysadmin. The only thing we can undelete on the client side is a title/record. Do you have a sysadmin that can do this? I don't know the steps but I do know it can be done and I am sure someone would be able to talk your sysadmin through it if needed. 

As I said in my first response -- I suggest you use Item Status so that you can edit a number of items at one time using the Actions for Catalogers menu. You can import a file of barcodes that need to be edited (you can create the file from a report. I would chop it into workable chunks), then highlight 20 or so at a time, edit volumes, then edit item attributes (or vice versa). If you try to edit too many at a time, it will take a long time for the system to respond, so you may want to experiment to get the optimum number. You can run through a list pretty quickly. 

Elaine 

J. Elaine Hardy 
PINES & Collaborative Projects Manager 
Georgia Public Library Service 
1800 Century Place, Ste 150 
Atlanta, Ga. 30345-4304 

404.235.7128 
404.235.7201, fax 
ehardy at georgialibraries.org 
www.georgialibraries.org 
www.georgialibraries.org/pines 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Jennifer Walz" <jlwalz at asbury.edu> 
To: "Evergreen Discussion Group" <open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org> 
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 11:44:32 AM 
Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Problem with Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function? 

Elaine, 

Thank you very much for this clarification. I am afraid I have not been very good at explaining. 

What we have been experiencing is only #2. We used the Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function to change both the Call number in the top portion (Volume edit?), and the Copy Location in the lower portion (Item edit?). And then we deleted the empty volume that was left behind. I am pretty sure we used the Holdings Maintenance function to do that. In deleting that empty volume, the system now thinks that the item is deleted (a flag is placed). When you run a report, the output includes for that barcode an “is deleted” flag, but that item is not actually deleted. In actual fact, the VOLUME was deleted and the item just moved to a new call number. But somehow, now the system thinks it is actually deleted. 

We never touched the bib record. And they never were mistakenly deleted. 

Does that help to clarify? I hope so. 

We have now completely changed our process and instead now only edit the item first to change location and then the volume by itself to change the call number. That works just fine and does not leave any empty volumes behind. We are using the “Edit item attributes” and “Edit Volume” functions separately from the “Item Status” screen. 

Problem is, how do we “fix” all of those items with the “is deleted” flag on them?? Where is that flag to be found? How can we switch it for those items? 

Thanks! 

Jennifer 

-------------------------------------------------- 
Jennifer Walz, MLS - Head of ILS wonderments 
Kinlaw Library - Asbury University 
One Macklem Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390 
859-858-3511 ext. 2269 
jlwalz at asbury.edu 

From: Open-ils-general [mailto:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] On Behalf Of Hardy, Elaine 
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 9:15 AM 
To: Evergreen Discussion Group 
Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Problem with Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function? 

While I agree that the functionality is not well explained, it seems it does do what it is designed to do -- move one item to another call number without going through the lengthy transfer item process. 

My understanding of your problem is that: 

1) if multiple items were attached to the call number, not all were edited to the same call number and shelving location. 

2) Empty volumes for the original call number were left behind when a single item was transferred to the new call number/volume. 

3) Your deletion of the empty call numbers deleted the bibliographic records/title. 

Does that accurately reflect your issues? 

If so, for # 2, I would consider that a bug to be reported. 

For #3, how did you delete the call/number vol? If the delete flag is on the title, it sounds to me that rather than deleting the volume, you deleted the title. I'm not sure how that happened since you should have gotten error messages that the title/record couldn't be deleted since items and vols were attached (unless that is configurable and you have it set to delete the title/record even with active items attached or you overrode it?). Perhaps if you provided your deletion workflow, we could parse out what happened and give better advice. You can undelete records, if that is what happened. Either your sys admin can do so or you can by pulling up the records one at a time and using the Actions for this record to undelete. 

For #1, I suggest using Item Status to change the remainder of your items. 

Elaine 

J. Elaine Hardy 
PINES & Collaborative Projects Manager 
Georgia Public Library Service 
1800 Century Place, Ste 150 
Atlanta, Ga. 30345-4304 

404.235.7128 
404.235.7201, fax 
ehardy at georgialibraries.org 
www.georgialibraries.org 
www.georgialibraries.org/pines 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Jennifer Walz" < jlwalz at asbury.edu > 
To: "Evergreen Discussion Group" < open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org > 
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2015 4:57:35 PM 
Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Problem with Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function? 

Michelle, 

Sorry. That does not describe what we were trying to do, but it sounds to me as if the unified editor is a big boondoggle and you should never use it. 

We are not getting empty volumes left over – so I guess it does make a call number / item transfer, but then when you delete the now empty call number, it is leaving the record with a “deleted” flag on it somewhere. When in actual fact, the item is still there! 

Crazy stuff. 

We have stopped using the unified editor and now have to figure out how to fiddle with all the records that got the mysterious “deleted” flag when they are actually NOT deleted. 

Thanks! 

Jennifer 

-------------------------------------------------- 
Jennifer Walz, MLS - Head of ILS Madnesses 
Kinlaw Library - Asbury University 
One Macklem Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390 
859-858-3511 ext. 2269 
jlwalz at asbury.edu 

From: Open-ils-general [ mailto:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org ] On Behalf Of Michele Morgan 
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2015 4:35 PM 
To: Evergreen Discussion Group 
Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Problem with Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function? 

Hi Jennifer, 

I wonder if you are also running into a related bug: 

https://bugs.launchpad.net/evergreen/+bug/1253732 

>From your original description, a new call number is being created, but your item isn't being transferred. If the Edit Items / Volumes per Bib is working the way it should, then the fact that a new Volume is being created should be invisible to the staff member making the edit. 

You shouldn't be ending up with empty call numbers unless there's something else going on. 

BTW, no one's confirmed this bug yet, so if it is what you're seeing, you can mark it as confirmed. 

Hope this helps, 

Michele 

-- 

Michele M. Morgan, Technical Assistant 

North of Boston Library Exchange, Danvers Massachusetts 

mmorgan at noblenet.org 

On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 4:40 PM, Walz, Jennifer < jlwalz at asbury.edu > wrote: 

All - 

Here is where I don't understand the current construct and wouldn't it make more sense to have the call number and the barcode be at the item level for each record? 

Like this: 

Title blah blah blah etc, author and owning library and so on. 
- 345.0998 B58a 1908987293 
- 345.0998 B58a 1908987294 
- 345.0998 B58a 1908987294 

Why do the call numbers need to have their own level called volume? What does it add to the mix? In other words, what does this particular construct enable libraries to do specifically? 

If you had the call number at the same level of the barcode, you could STILL update either and not affect the owner or copy location (unless you wanted to). Let's say an owning library had 5 copies of a title, but wanted to put them in five different locations - each with a different call number. You could if you wanted, without creating and fiddling with "volume" level data. Why can't that level just be eliminated altogether? 

Just saying. I'm just not seeing the benefit of having the call number / volume level. Seems to complicate matters unnecessarily. 

If anyone can give me ANY help to fix about 300 records that have gotten deleted and then mysteriously not, I would be most grateful! Where is that pesky "deleted" indicator anyway?? I want to turn it "off" for these records. (my other pet peeve! Items should be GONE from the system entirely and not in a phantom zone!) 

Thanks! 

Jennifer 
-------------------------------------------------- 
Jennifer Walz, MLS - Head of Research & Distance Services 
Kinlaw Library - Asbury University 
One Macklem Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390 
859-858-3511 ext. 2269 
jlwalz at asbury.edu 

-----Original Message----- 
From: Open-ils-general [mailto: open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org ] On Behalf Of Kathy Lussier 
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2015 4:29 PM 
To: open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org 
Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Problem with Edit Items / Volumes per Bib function? 

Hi Jason, 

Yes, I understand the mindset behind the current behavior. If I were to look at tackling this bug/wishlist request, I think I would look at adding a prompt that appears when the user is updating a volume from the unified editor if there are other copies attached to the volume that aren't being edited at the time the update is being made. 

In many cases, I think the answer to the question is Yes, but I can see why you wouldn't want to change the call number label for all six copies if the intent was just to update the label for one. 

Kathy 

On 07/23/2015 04:22 PM, Jason Etheridge wrote: 
> Should we expect for all copies on a volume to inherit a call number 
> "tweak" if just a single copy was being edited as the entry point? An 
> answer of No went into the mindset that built the current behavior. 
> 

-- 
Kathy Lussier 
Project Coordinator 
Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative 
(508) 343-0128 
klussier at masslnc.org 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier 

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