diff --git a/app/controllers/media_objects_controller.rb b/app/controllers/media_objects_controller.rb
index 9004d37aee..a791c84818 100644
--- a/app/controllers/media_objects_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/media_objects_controller.rb
@@ -87,10 +87,24 @@ def update_mediaobject
 
     @mediaobject.collection = collection
     @mediaobject.avalon_uploader = 'REST API'
-    @mediaobject.update_datastream(:descMetadata, params[:fields]) if params.has_key?(:fields) and params[:fields].respond_to?(:has_key?)
+
+    populate_from_catalog = !!params[:import_bib_record]
+    if populate_from_catalog and Avalon::BibRetriever.configured?
+      begin
+        @mediaobject.descMetadata.populate_from_catalog!(Array(params[:fields][:bibliographic_id]).first, 
+                                                         Array(params[:fields][:bibliographic_id_label]).first)
+      rescue Exception => e
+        render json: {errors: ['Bib import failed', e.message]}, status: 422
+        return
+      end
+    else
+      @mediaobject.update_datastream(:descMetadata, params[:fields]) if params.has_key?(:fields) and params[:fields].respond_to?(:has_key?)
+    end
+
     error_messages = []
+
     if !@mediaobject.save
-        error_messages += ['Failed to create media object:']+@mediaobject.errors.full_messages
+      error_messages += ['Failed to create media object:']+@mediaobject.errors.full_messages
     elsif params[:files].respond_to?('each')
       params[:files].each do |file_spec|
         master_file = MasterFile.new(file_spec.except :structure)
diff --git a/spec/controllers/media_objects_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/media_objects_controller_spec.rb
index 5d1872af0c..797e261fc4 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/media_objects_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/media_objects_controller_spec.rb
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@
     let!(:filename) {'videoshort.high.mp4'}
     let!(:absolute_location) {File.join(testdir, filename)}
     let!(:structure) {File.read(File.join(testdir, 'structure.xml'))}
+    let!(:bib_id) { '7763100' }
+    let!(:sru_url) { "http://zgate.example.edu:9000/db?version=1.1&operation=searchRetrieve&maximumRecords=1&recordSchema=marcxml&query=rec.id=#{bib_id}" }
+    let!(:sru_response) { File.read(File.expand_path("../../fixtures/#{bib_id}.xml",__FILE__)) }
     let!(:masterfile) {{
       file_location: absolute_location,
       label: "Part 1",
@@ -97,6 +100,16 @@
         expect(new_media_object.date_issued).to eq media_object.date_issued
         expect(new_media_object.parts_with_order).to eq new_media_object.parts
       end
+      it "should create a new mediaobject with successful bib import" do
+        Avalon::Configuration['bib_retriever'] = { 'protocol' => 'sru', 'url' => 'http://zgate.example.edu:9000/db' }
+        FakeWeb.register_uri :get, sru_url, body: sru_response
+        fields = { bibliographic_id: bib_id }
+        post 'create', import_bib_record: true, fields: fields, files: [masterfile], collection_id: collection.pid, api_key:'secret_token'
+        expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+        new_media_object = MediaObject.find(JSON.parse(response.body)['id'])
+        expect(new_media_object.bibliographic_id).to eq(['local', bib_id])
+        expect(new_media_object.title).to eq('245 A : B F G K N P S')
+      end
     end
     describe "#update" do
       let!(:media_object) { FactoryGirl.create(:media_object_with_master_file) }