The second edition of the International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (IEILS) by Feather and Sturges has been substantially revised and updated to include rapid changes in technology since the first edition was published in 1997. However, the two editions follow the same basic format. The main body of the work is an alphabetical arrangement of subjects or terms found in the fields of information and library science. The entries vary in length from brief definitions of a few sentences to long, signed articles that are followed by numerous references and recommendations for further reading.

International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science

1. Catalogues and cataloguing standards 2. The FRBRization of the catalogue 3. Bibliographic elements 4. Access points and headings 5. RDA: resource description and access 6. AACR and RDA 7. MARC 21 8. Practical cataloguing: bringing it all together 9. The birth of RDA and the death of MARC? 10. Examples.

Practical cataloging: AACR2, RDA and MARC21

Linked In: Library Data & The Semantic Web. A Report of the LITA Next Generation Catalog Interest Group Program, American Library Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, June 2011

Although Resource Description and Access (RDA) has been discussed extensively amongst the
ranks of cataloguers internationally, no research on the perceptions of South African
cataloguers was available at the time of this research.
The aim of this study was to determine how well RDA was faring during the study's timeframe,
to give a detailed description regarding cataloguer perceptions within a higher education setting
in South Africa. Furthermore, to determine whether the implementation of RDA has overcome
most of the limitations that AACR2 had within a digital environment, to identify advantages
and/or perceived limitations of RDA as well as to assist cataloguers to adopt and implement the
new standard effectively.
The study employed a qualitative research design assisted by a phenomenological philosophy
to gain insight into how cataloguers experienced the implementation and adoption of RDA by
means of two concurrent web-based questionnaires.
The study concluded that higher education cataloguing professionals residing in the Western
Cape were decidedly positive towards the new cataloguing standard. Although there were some
initial reservations, they were overcome to such an extent that ultimately no real limitations
were identified, and that RDA has indeed overcome most of the limitations displayed by
AACR2. Many advantages of RDA were identified, and participants expressed excitement
about the future capabilities of RDA as it continues toward a link-data milieu, making library
metadata more easily available.

Rachel Janse

Papers

Resource Description and Access(RDA): continuity in an ever-fluxinginformation age with reference totertiary institutions in the WesternCape