The procedure for importing patron can be automated with the help of an sql script. Follow these steps to create an import script:

    BEGIN;

    -- Remove any old staging table.
    DROP TABLE IF EXISTS students;

    -- Create staging table.
    CREATE TABLE students (
        student_id text, barcode text, last_name text, first_name text, email text, address_type text,
                street1 text, street2 text, city text, province text, country text, postal_code text, phone
                text, profile int, ident_type int, home_ou int, claims_returned_count int DEFAULT 0, usrname text,
        net_access_level int DEFAULT 2, password text, already_exists boolean DEFAULT FALSE
    );

    --Copy records from your import text file
    COPY students (student_id, last_name, first_name, email, address_type, street1, street2, city, province,
        country, postal_code, phone, password)
        FROM '/home/opensrf/patrons.csv' WITH CSV HEADER;

    --Determine which records are new, and which are merely updates of existing patrons
    --You may with to also add a check on the home_ou column here, so that you don't
    --accidentally overwrite the data of another library in your consortium.
    --You may also use a different matchpoint than actor.usr.ident_value.
    UPDATE students
        SET already_exists = TRUE
        FROM actor.usr
        WHERE students.student_id = actor.usr.ident_value;

    --Update the names of existing patrons, in case they have changed their name
    UPDATE actor.usr
        SET first_given_name = students.first_name, family_name=students.last_name
        FROM students
        WHERE actor.usr.ident_value=students.student_id
        AND (first_given_name != students.first_name OR family_name != students.last_name)
        AND students.already_exists;

    --Update email addresses of existing patrons
    --You may wish to update other fields as well, while preserving others
    --actor.usr.passwd is an example of a field you may not wish to update,
    --since patrons may have set the password to something other than the
    --default.
    UPDATE actor.usr
        SET email=students.email
        FROM students
        WHERE actor.usr.ident_value=students.student_id
        AND students.email != ''
        AND actor.usr.email != students.email
        AND students.already_exists;

    --Insert records from the staging table into the actor.usr table.
    INSERT INTO actor.usr (
        profile, usrname, email, passwd, ident_type, ident_value, first_given_name, family_name,
        day_phone, home_ou, claims_returned_count, net_access_level)
        SELECT profile, students.usrname, email, password, ident_type, student_id, first_name,
        last_name, phone, home_ou, claims_returned_count, net_access_level
        FROM students WHERE NOT already_exists;

    --Insert records from the staging table into the actor.card table.
    INSERT INTO actor.card (usr, barcode)
        SELECT actor.usr.id, students.barcode
        FROM students
                INNER JOIN actor.usr
                        ON students.usrname = actor.usr.usrname
        WHERE NOT students.already_exists;

    --Update actor.usr.card field with actor.card.id to associate active card with the user:
    UPDATE actor.usr
        SET card = actor.card.id
        FROM actor.card
        WHERE actor.card.usr = actor.usr.id;

    --INSERT records INTO actor.usr_address from staging table.
    INSERT INTO actor.usr_address (usr, street1, street2, city, state, country, post_code)
        SELECT actor.usr.id, students.street1, students.street2, students.city, students.province,
        students.country, students.postal_code
        FROM students
        INNER JOIN actor.usr ON students.usrname = actor.usr.usrname
        WHERE NOT students.already_exists;


   --Update actor.usr mailing address with id from actor.usr_address table.:
    UPDATE actor.usr
        SET mailing_address = actor.usr_address.id, billing_address = actor.usr_address.id
        FROM actor.usr_address
        WHERE actor.usr.id = actor.usr_address.usr;

    COMMIT;

Placing the sql statements between BEGIN; and COMMIT; creates a transaction block so that if any sql statements fail, the entire process is canceled and the database is rolled back to its original state. Lines beginning with — are comments to let you you what each sql statement is doing and are not processed.