Home → Acquisitions in Evergreen → Batch Load Purchase Order Records → Load MARC Order Record

5.1. Load MARC Order Record

Last Updated 11/14/2023

The Load MARC Order Records screen enables you to upload MARC records into Evergreen, and save them on your computer. You can add the records either to a selection list or a purchase order.

General Steps

1. Download your import file from the vendor site.
2. Log into Evergreen.
3. Click on the Acquisitions menu on the top menu bar and select Load MARC Order Records. 

   Note:  We recommend that you always open a fresh tab to import acquisitions records, as there have been instances where reusing a 'stale' tab has caused problems for catalogers.

4. The Import screen displays.
5. Fill out the fields indicated below:

How to fill in the Record Import fields

We recommend you create templates for record types you upload frequently. To do so, fill in the generic fields as required for the template and type a template name in the box at the top of the form. When all fields are filled in as required for the template, click Save Template.

After creating templates, you can use them by selecting them from the drop-down menu in the name field.

Fields to Fill in

Purchase Order Section:

• Provider: Enter the name of the Provider. The text will auto-complete using the existing list of Providers.
• Ordering Agency: Begin typing the name of the library and the name will auto-fill. The Context Org Unit indicates the organizational unit that owns the bib record and will receive the item(s). This means a library branch can be listed as the Ordering Agency, but a system cannot.
• Fiscal Year: Select the fiscal year from the drop down list. Currently, a bug in Evergreen causes this list to only include the current calendar year. This means that if you library ues a fiscal year that doesn't match the calendar year, you may need to use the Legacy Interface to upload records.
• Add to Selection List: Begin typing the name of the Selection List and the name will auto-fill. To create a new selection list, type in the name of the new selection list you wish to create. 
• Create Purchase Order: Click the adjacent check box to upload MARC records and create a new purchase order.
• Activate Purchase Order: DO NOT click the check box to activate the purchase order at the time of creation.

Upload Settings Section

• Record Source: This field is optional. If you choose to use a record source, System Local or OCLC are appropriate in almost all cases.
• Record Match Set: Always use the default Cardinal match match set. If you believe you need a different match set, please contact the NC Cardinal team. See Appendix H for more information.
• Merge/Import Profile: Select the appropriate profile. If you have set up a Holdings Tag in the vendor profile for loading order records during Acquisitions, use the Orders Merge Profile. This profile is available for all NC Cardinal and will replace 901c and 961 fields. In most other cases, Match-Only Merge is the appropriate profile. There is background code built into Evergreen that specifies that any import using the Match-Only Merge profile (or any profile with the 901c in the Replace Specification field) will import only the new holdings if there is an existing record in the database that is determined to be a match, or bring in the new record and holdings if there is not (assuming that the Import Non-Matching Records box is checked). The Full Overlay profile (or any profile with the 901c in the Preserve Specifications field) should be used rarely and with caution, as it will overlay the existing record with the newly imported matching record, based on the Match Set used. It is important not to overlay a full and complete record that already exists in the NC Cardinal catalog with a vendor record of unknown quality without first evaluating the existing matching record(s). The record retained should align with NC Cardinal best practices. It is also important to compare and evaluate if there are more than one matching records, as it may also be necessary to merge and/or edit those records. Note: If you are importing e-resources DO NOT use this interface. Instead, please follow the instructions on the Uploading Electronic Resources with Secure File Transfer page.
• Insufficient Quality Fall-Through Profile: This should be left blank.
• Best/Single Match Minimum Quality Ratio: This is an optional field, which should usually be left blank. If you have set up quality ratios, then this field is useful for importing records that have a quality equal to or greater than the existing catalog record. Please contact NC Cardinal staff if you are interested in more information about this field.
• Import Non-Matching Records: Check this box to import the MARC records for any items that do not currently have an existing record in the NC Cardinal catalog. (Always check this box or your Purchase Orders will not activate correctly.)
• Merge on Exact Matches (901c): Do NOT check this option. This option only applies when Evergreen records are exported and edited, and then used to replace the EXACT record.
• Merge on Single Match: NC Cardinal recommends that you choose either Single or Best Match. Best match is recommended for most scenarios.
• Merge on Best Match: Check this option.
• Load Items for Imported Records: If your order records contain holdings information, by default, Evergreen will load them as acquisitions copies. (Note: These can be overlaid with real copies during the MARC batch importing process.) If you check the Load Items for Imported Records field, then the holding records will be imported as live copies that display in the catalog.

This Upload Section

• Select or Create a Queue: Select an existing queue or create a new queue by typing in a new name.
• File to Upload: Once you’ve created an Upload Queue, select the record file. The file should be a record or set of records you have saved in MARC format. Click the Browse button. The File Upload window opens. Use the Look In drop-down box to find the file you need if it is not displayed. When you have selected the MARC record file, and it is displayed in the File Name box, click the Open button. The File Upload window will close and your file should be displayed in the File to Upload field.

Import Progress

The Upload button transfers records from the import file to the CARDINAL server. Once the upload button is clicked, the screen displays “Uploading… Processing…” to indicate that the records are being transferred. A progress bar should display, showing the actual import progress.

A summary of the items that were processed appears. Click the links that appear to view the purchase order or the selection list.