Merge Duplicate Title Records Using a Resource List

Your collection may contain several title records for the same item. Duplicate titles can cause confusing search results, skew circulation statistics, and bloat your database.

With the Merge feature, you can add all the duplicate title records to a Resource List, select the best one, move all the copy records onto it, and delete the others.

Remember that title records are shared throughout your district. When you select the Best title and merge all the copies onto it, the process includes copies owned by all the libraries and schools in the district.

After creating a Resource List and adding all possible duplicates to the list, you can decide which title record is the best and merge the records. If you are a district user, you can merge duplicate title records for the district.

Note: Users need the Merge copies from duplicated library titles permission to merge duplicate records at a site.

Merge the Titles

  1. Select Catalog > Resource Lists.
  2. If there is more than one list, click View next to the list with the titles you want to merge.
  3. Select the Duplicated title checkbox for those titles you may want to merge.
    To select them all, click Select Page at the bottom of the list.
  4. After selecting all possible duplicates, select View these Duplicates from the I want to drop-down and click Go.

  5. On the Possible Duplicates page, evaluate the title records to determine which one you want to keep. To review a record, click Details.
  6. If a particular title is not a duplicate, click Remove to remove it from the Possible Duplicates list (but not from your Resource List).
  7. Once you find the best record, select Best title next to it.
  8. At the bottom of the list, click Merge.

Destiny transfers the copy records from all the other title records in the Possible Duplicates list onto the Best title record. Destiny then deletes the remaining (now copy-less) title records from your collection.

This process results in one title record with all the copies attached to it. The copy records retain any checkout information, fines, holds or reserves that they had before the merge.

Changes to Library and District Media Titles

When you merge library or media titles, any local tags in the other title records are added to the Best title. If any of these additions are duplicates of those already in the Best title, the fields are merged. This includes the following:

  • 521
  • 526
  • 590-599
  • 658
  • 690-699 (including site-specific subjects – those with Destiny [<site ID>] in subfield _5)
  • 790-799
  • 856
  • 900-939
  • 941-999

Changes to Textbook Titles

When you merge textbook titles, no information from the other title records is added to the Best title.

The Best title retains any class or section associations and gains any associations the other title records had.