Comment 9 for bug 1838553

I think this bugfix leads to a further problem: any non-null values, *including empty strings*, in the alias and preferred name fields now get displayed in the Hold Shelf grid (and anywhere else that wide_hold_data is used).

So, for example, if you go into the patron editor, add an alias, delete the alias, and click Save, the alias is now an empty string (not null) -- which means the User Alias or Display Name column on the Hold Shelf will always appear blank. This is also true for preferred names and the User Display Name column. The Hold Shelf ought to treat empty strings in these fields as if they were null.

I've opened bug 1996651 about this issue.