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Journal ArticleDOI

RDA: End of the World Postponed?

09 Nov 2011-Serials Librarian (Taylor & Francis Group)-Vol. 61, pp 334-345
TL;DR: The author discusses issues and controversy concerning the new cataloging code Resource Description and Access (RDA) and the results of a test of RDA conducted by the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Agricultural Library.
Abstract: The author discusses issues and controversy concerning the new cataloging code Resource Description and Access (RDA) and the results of a test of RDA conducted by the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Agricultural Library.
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A thorough and critical review of the emerging RDA literature published from 2005 to 2011 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.
Abstract: 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.

31 citations


Cites background from "RDA: End of the World Postponed?"

  • ...Apparently, the reception of RDA has not reached the same level of criticism and acrimony that characterized the previous cataloging code revision (Randall, 2011)....

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  • ...…Hillmann (2006), Coyle and Hillmann (2007), and Tennant (2007) offered sharp critiques of the initial development of RDA—which they attacked for still being mired in outdated, print-based cataloging practices and failing to develop a new standard that would be relevant for today’s web environment....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It may only be necessary to learn RDA in the future, when considering both Library of Congress-Program for Cooperative Cataloging (LC-PCC) and OCLC initiatives and an example from this author's institution relating to authority control in RDA and bibliographic record hybridization.
Abstract: The cataloging community is at a crossroads. Will catalogers need to continue learning both Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition (AACR2) and Resource Description and Access (RDA), or will learning RDA alone be enough? Through a selective literature review and examining the RDA Toolkit, it seems that there is currently a collective need to have access to both codes. However, when considering both Library of Congress-Program for Cooperative Cataloging (LC-PCC) and OCLC initiatives and an example from this author's institution relating to authority control in RDA and bibliographic record hybridization, it may only be necessary to learn RDA in the future. Additional research into practitioner experience could be done in the future to further examine this.

8 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The RDA Implementation Task Force targeted a major goal of retrospective enrichment of all existing bibliographic records with RDA elements, and discussed the RDA implementation planning, systems configuration, vendor collaboration, local RDA guidelines, training and communication.
Abstract: University of Houston (UH) Libraries, along with three other UH Systems libraries, took the initiative to implement Resource Description and Access (RDA), the new resource description standard, across their shared library database. An RDA Implementation Task Force was established to develop a plan and a strategy for the implementation process. The task force targeted a major goal of retrospective enrichment of all existing bibliographic records with RDA elements. This article discusses the RDA implementation planning, systems configuration, vendor collaboration, local RDA guidelines, training, and communication. Authors also identify challenges, benefits, and lessons learned from this process.

7 citations


Cites background from "RDA: End of the World Postponed?"

  • ...Randall discusses issues and controversy concerning RDA for the purpose of a better understanding and smoother implementation of the new standard.(5) RDA records are perceived to be just cosmetic changes from AACR2 records, whereas the structural change of RDA is much deeper than just changes in records....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A selection of articles that provide job related practical advice as well as a comprehensive synopsis of the development of RDA and its related metadata schema are provided.
Abstract: With the publication of the new cataloging standard, Resource Development and Access (RDA) in June 2010, the follow-up beta testing, and an imminent implementation date announced for the near future, catalogers are immersed in RDA preparation. Consequently, the library literature on RDA is extensive. The purpose of the author of this article is to provide catalogers with a selection of articles that provide job related practical advice as well as a comprehensive synopsis of the development of RDA and its related metadata schema. A relevant timeline is appended.

4 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This research investigated cataloguers’ experiences with using RDA and the current issues they encounter and discuss while RDA is still being reviewed and shaped, and showed a potential paradigm shift in cataloguing, professional knowledge and mental flexibility required of cataloguers.
Abstract: Cataloguing has been undergoing significant transformation for the last several years in order to keep up with the changing world of digital technologies, dramatically increasing the number of reso...

4 citations


Cites background from "RDA: End of the World Postponed?"

  • ...Previous publications have considered the suitability and usability of both AACR2 and RDA, sometimes in very specific areas (McGarry and Yee, 1990; Sheridan 1979; Tosaka and Park, 2013), and while opinion pieces on both from the cataloguing community have been plentiful (Martell, 1981; Randall, 2011; Sanchez, 2011), it has not been possible previously to witness in ‘real time’ the engagement of the community in the ongoing development of a code....

    [...]

  • ...…1990; Sheridan 1979; Tosaka and Park, 2013), and while opinion pieces on both from the cataloguing community have been plentiful (Martell, 1981; Randall, 2011; Sanchez, 2011), it has not been possible previously to witness in ‘real time’ the engagement of the community in the ongoing…...

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