MARC Import Remove Fields (Trash Fields) applied inconsistently

[Michele Morgan]

Evergreen 3.0 and earlier

We discovered that in the xul client, when a record is retrieved and the marc is edited, the trash field settings are being applied inappropriately.

For some libraries, we have 856 set up as a trash field. The idea is that erroneous 856 links in imported records will be stripped, but libraries can edit the record to add their own 856 fields. When a record is edited, however, trash field settings are causing 856 fields to be stripped, so it's impossible to retain an 856 field in a record.

The documentation for Import Trash Fields (http://docs.evergreen-ils.org/3.0/_marc_import_remove_fields.html) states that specified trash fields should be removed from MARC records only when using the following interfaces:

- Cataloging - Import Record from Z39.50
- Cataloging - MARC Batch Import/Export
- Acquisitions - Load MARC Order Records

It does not indicate that trash fields should be stripped performing a simple record edit.

Further testing in the xul client showed that the trash field behavior is as follows when performing different functions:

Import - trash fields STRIPPED
Edit then Import - trash fields STRIPPED prior to loading into edit screen
Retrieve existing record and Edit - trash fields STRIPPED

Testing in the Web client showed the following behavior:

Import - trash fields STRIPPED
Edit then Import - trash fields RETAINED and loaded into edit screen
Retrieve existing record and Edit - trash fields RETAINED

Though the Retrieve and Edit behavior is fixed in the web client, the Edit then Import behavior is inconsistent between the two clients. An argument could be made for either retaining or stripping the fields before loading the record into the edit screen, but the behavior should be consistent and well documented.

[Elaine Hardy (ehardy)]

I am not seeing this behavior in 3.2. What I see is:

Import - trash fields STRIPPED
Edit then Import - trash fields RETAINED in MARC and stripped at import

Our trash fields are:
029
938
948
952
263

[Derek C. Zoladz (derekz)]

> It does not indicate that trash fields should be stripped performing a simple record edit.

Using release 3.3.5, we're seeing trash fields applied to simple record edits.