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Delete titles data

Learn about the different ways of deleting title records in OLIB.

Manual delete

You can delete a Title record manually in 2 ways:

  • With full details displayed, choose the Delete this record button from the top right of the screen
  • With the hit list displayed, check the box to select the title and from Other Actions choose the Permanently Delete Titles option

A number of checks are still carried out to ensure that deleting the title or copy records would not result in data corruption in your database, as follows:

  • none of the Copy records should be on loan or held
  • none of the Copy records should have a trap set on it
  • none of the Copy records should have any outstanding reservations
  • the Title should not be on a serial circulation list
  • the Title should not have a trap set on it (when deleting a title)
  • the Title should not be cross-referenced to or from another title

If any of the above checks fail, a suitable error message is displayed, and you should resolve the reason for the failure to delete before attempting to delete the record again.

Delete titles in full details screen

OLIB deletes the title but not if copy records still exist. First delete the copy records:

  1. In Titles, search for the title and display full details.
  2. Check the box in Availability next to all the copies
  3. In Actions click Delete copies with checks to remove the copies. OLIB lists the barcodes and prompts you for confirmation of the deletion.
  4. When you select Yes, if all the checks are passed, OLIB will respond that all copies are deleted. Alternatively you may still be prompted for confirmation, if for example it is the last copy of the title.

This removes the copy and it's link with the title.
Click the Delete this record button from the links at the top of the screen to then remove the title. OLIB prompts for confirmation.

Delete titles in the list view

 Caution: this method deletes the title together with its associated copy records in one operation without warning you.

  1. In the title hit list, select the title by clicking the check box.
  2. From the list of Other Actions choose Permanently Delete Titles.

The title and copy record are deleted immediately.

A number of checks as above, are still carried out to ensure that deleting the title or copy records would not result in data corruption in your database.

 Note: another possible method for managing the deletion process is to use Folders for copies and titles under consideration for deletion. This process would allow one member of staff to put records into a Folder to be considered for deletion and another member of staff to take the decision and actually delete the items.

Delete title after deleting the last copy

The system manager can optionally configure settings in OLIB Defaults (Cataloguing Defaults) that have an effect on OLIB's behaviour and the messages OLIB displays, when you try to delete the last copy of a title. The system manager can configure OLIB so that optionally, the Title record is also deleted. See Delete title after deleting the last copy.

Audit of title deletions

OLIB keeps the updates audit trail (Audit Trail tab) for deleted title records. The title deletion action is recorded in the audit trail table and you can view the information:

  1. Go to Cataloguing> Titles (Deleted).
  2. Search by title to view the deleted titles and view full details to see all record updates.

When a title record is deleted, OLIB deletes the title record but retains the title update audit trail. This allows the cataloguers to search for deleted titles.

 Note: the title record cannot be reinstated once the deleted title has been placed in the Titles (Deleted) domain.

Batch deletions: titles for auto-deletion

There is a process that allows batch deletion of users, copies and titles. This can be useful in a number of situations. For example after withdrawing a large number of items from stock, the Titles can be put into the Titles for deletion Folder and the batch process will delete them and any copies they have when the overnight daystart process is run. The main advantage of using this batch deletion, rather than the right mouse methods or individual deletion processes is in speed of operation.

These folders are accessible only to the system administrator and are found in Searches> Folders in theMenu. Permissions can be given to other users on these Folders as required. Putting items in these folders is the same process as for any other folders – the difference is that the items will be automatically deleted overnight by the Daystart process.

Procedure

  1. In the Titles or Copies domain, search for the items for deletion.
  2. Select the title / copy for deletion and click Add to Folder.
  3. Select the folder Titles for Auto-Deletion or Copies for Auto-Deletion.

 Note: if a title is deleted by this process any linked copies and any cross references to other titles will also be deleted.

Auto-deletion of title records if all copies auto-deleted

OLIB can delete a title record automatically, if its last copy is deleted in daystart via the Copies for Auto-Deletion folder. This is without having to drop the title itself into the Titles for Auto-Deletion folder:

  1. Go to System Administration> OLIB Defaults and click to display full details.
  2. In the Daystart tab, locate the Auto-Delete Title if all Copies Auto-Deleted? field.
  3. Click the drop down and set to Yes. (NULL is the same as No.)

A title record will now be deleted in daystart if all of its copy records are included in the Copies for Auto-Deletion folder.

Authority records

Deleting a title only removes the title record from the catalogue. Reference data and authority records used to build that record still exist, e.g. in the Names, Subjects, Classes domains. If you decide that these values also require deletion, you should retrieve them in the relevant domain and delete them using the Delete function in the hit list or full details.

Alternatively it is possible to configure your system to automatically delete authority records if you delete a title which is the only title still linked to that authority record. The system administrator configures the Auto. Delete option in OLIB Defaults (Cataloguing). Here you can configure precisely which authority records are automatically deleted.

Titles which have been acquired through the Acquisitions system can only be deleted if the order item is of status Complete or Cancelled. Titles associated with order items which are at any other status cannot be deleted.

 Note: you can create a Folder of copies and/or titles for deletion. One member of staff can add items to the folder for consideration, and someone else can perform the actual deletions.