diff --git a/lib/models/callnumber_item.rb b/lib/models/callnumber_item.rb
index c804be6..99e456b 100644
--- a/lib/models/callnumber_item.rb
+++ b/lib/models/callnumber_item.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 class CallnumberItem
   def initialize(browse_doc:, catalog_doc:, exact_match:)
     @browse_doc = browse_doc
-    @catalog_doc = catalog_doc
+    @catalog_doc = catalog_doc || {}
     @exact_match = exact_match
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/models/callnumber_item_spec.rb b/spec/models/callnumber_item_spec.rb
index d5d1cdd..00470e2 100644
--- a/spec/models/callnumber_item_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/callnumber_item_spec.rb
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
       @catalog_doc["edition"] = ["my edition", "vernacular edition"]
       expect(subject.title).to eq("Zhiznʹ gospodina de Molʹera / M. Bulgakov ; [podgot. teksta i poslesl. V.I. Loseva]. my edition")
     end
+    it "is an empty string when there is no matching catalog record" do
+      @catalog_doc = nil
+      expect(subject.title).to eq("")
+    end
   end
   context "#vernacular_title" do
     it "shows vernacular title without edition when there isn't one" do