Resource Description & Access (RDA) is intended to provide a flexible and extensible framework that can accommodate all types of content and media within rapidly evolving digital environments while also maintaining compatibility with the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2). The cataloging community is grappling with practical issues in navigating the transition from AACR2 to RDA; there is a definite need to evaluate major subject areas and broader themes in information organization under the new RDA paradigm. This article aims to accomplish this task through a thorough and critical review of the emerging RDA literature published from 2005 to 2011. The review mostly concerns key areas of difference between RDA and AACR2, the relationship of the new cataloging code to metadata standards, the impact on encoding standards such as Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC), end user considerations, and practitioners' views on RDA implementation and training. Future research will require more in-depth studies of RDA's expected benefits and the manner in which the new cataloging code will improve resource retrieval and bibliographic control for users and catalogers alike over AACR2. The question as to how the cataloging community can best move forward to the post-AACR2/MARC environment must be addressed carefully so as to chart the future of bibliographic control in the evolving environment of information production, management, and use.

RDA: Resource description & access—a survey of the current state of the art

Significant changes in both the cataloging code and our mode of recording metadata are slated to take place in the coming months and years. These changes give us an unprecedented opportunity to change our teaching strategies and our attitudes towards lifelong workplace learning for the better. In this study, we examine results of the U.S. RDA test, some basic principles of adult learning theory, and currently available training materials in order to consider what is most beneficial to practitioners in developing professional fluency and identity and what changes can be made to serve that end.

Effective Learning and Teaching of RDA: Applying Adult Learning Theory

This study examines the current state of knowledge about Resource Description and Access (RDA), the new cataloging standard, among Ohio public library catalogers Data were collected through an online survey from a representative sample of these catalogers While a majority of catalogers know about RDA, their working knowledge about it is minimal There are major differences in this knowledge based on geographic location of Ohio catalogers and educational attainment The authors propose further training and education opportunities for Ohio catalogers Further similar research is needed to determine if this lack of knowledge of the new descriptive standard among public library catalogers is a national challenge

Resource Description and Access and Ohio Public Libraries

The serials literature for 2010–11 reflects the need for all members of the serials information chain to demonstrate flexibility in the face of constant change. Both the current economic context and the rapid development of technology are providing users with more options than ever before for fulfilling their information needs. The literature reflects this and the actions that members of the serials information chain are taking to evaluate, measure, and deliver serials content in new and creative ways. The major themes in the serials literature—workflows and processes, access to serials, metrics, and changing user behavior—are described and illustrated using examples from a selection of materials published during 2010–11.

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Flexibility in the Face of Change

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A Study on the Display Considerations of RDA Resource Type

Ohio State University's Magda El-Sherbini led a preconference session providing details about Resource Description and Access (RDA), the long-awaited successor to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2) cataloging standard. As RDA is primarily based on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model, El-Sherbini provided an in-depth background in FRBR's philosophical constructs and how they apply to RDA. She also illuminated a number of the biggest changes that catalogers will face when describing items using the RDA standard, most notably the elimination of abbreviations, and the identification of relationships between manifestations of works. El-Sherbini also described the RDA testing process and timeline for the major national libraries. RDA was officially released June 23, 2010.

Magda El-Sherbini Presenter

Papers

Resource Description and Access “RDA”: New Code for Cataloging