33 Resource Description and Access (RDA)
TABLE OF CONTENTS (for textual content)
1. Introduction
2. History
3. Purpose and Scope
4. Underlying Principles
4.1 Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)
4.2 Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)
4.3 Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
5. Structure of RDA
6. Examples of RDA Entry:
7. Conclusion:
e-Text
Resource Description & Access
1. Introduction
Resource Description and Access (RDA) is a new standard for bibliographic description. It is the successor of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2). RDA provides:
- A flexible framework for describing all resources – analog and digital
- Data that is readily adaptable to new and emerging database structures
- Data that is compatible with existing records in online library catalogues
2. History
In 1997, the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC) organized the International Conference on the Principles and Future Development of AACR in Toronto to look at future directions for the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2) was published in 1978. It has been updated many times through the revision process established by the JSC. AACR2 is largely designed for an environment dominated by the card catalogue. Toronto conference identified substantive problems with AACR2. Some of the topics under consideration were FRBR, content versus carrier, internationalization, seriality etc. And it was decided that a fundamental rethinking of the code was required to respond fully to the challenges and opportunities of the digital world.
The JSC decided to develop a new cataloguing code called AACR3. In December 2004, JSC distributed a full first draft of Part I of the code. The public reaction and comments on the draft were surprising. Many of the cataloguers did not like to change the rules. On the other hand, many people were expecting a greater change in the cataloguing code. After reviewing the comments, the JSC decided to change their approach. It was recommended that the term ‗resource‘ to be used to express the materials in a library‘s collection or things that would be part of the greater bibliographic universe. They decided that a new standard designed for the digital environment was more appropriate. In April 2005, the JSC agreed to abandon the title Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules and took a new working title for the code i.e., RDA : Resource Description and Access.
3. Purpose and scope:
RDA provides a set of guidelines and instructions on formulating data to support resource discovery.
The data created using RDA to describe a resource are designed to assist users performing the following tasks:
find—i.e., to find resources that correspond to the user‘s stated search criteria
identify—i.e., to confirm that the resource described corresponds to the resource sought, or to distinguish between two or more resources with similar characteristics
select—i.e., to select a resource that is appropriate to the user‘s needs
obtain—i.e., to acquire or access the resource described.
These are based on the user tasks defined in Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records.
The data created using RDA to describe an entity associated with a resource (a person, family, corporate body, concept, etc.) are designed to assist users performing the following tasks:2
find—i.e., to find information on that entity and on
resources associated with the entity
identify—i.e., to confirm that the entity described
corresponds to the entity sought, or to distinguish
between two or more entities with similar names, etc.
clarify—i.e., to clarify the relationship between two or
more such entities, or to clarify the relationship between
the entity described and a name by which that entity is
known
understand—i.e., to understand why a particular name or title, or form of name or title, has been chosen as the preferred name or title for the entity.
These are based on the user tasks defined in Functional Requirements for Authority Data.
Records.
RDA provides a comprehensive set of guidelines and instructions covering all types of content and media.
4.Underlying Principles of RDA
RDA is based on:
n Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)
n Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)
n Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
4.1 Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)
FRBR includes a conceptual model of entities and relationships and attributes; identifies specific user tasks that bibliographic records are intended to fulfill: find, identify, select, obtain; and recommends a set of elements for inclusion in national bibliographic records.
FRBR provides the conceptual foundation for RDA. RDA includes the FRBR terminology when appropriate (for example, use of the names of bibliographic entities: ―work‖, ―expression‖, ―manifestation‖, and ―item‖), will use the FRBR attributes as the basis for specific data elements to be included in bibliographic descriptions, will address FRBR relationships, and will use the FRBR user tasks (Find, Identify, Select, Obtain) as the basis for defining a set of mandatory data elements.
4.2 Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)
FRAD is a conceptual model to provide an analytical framework for the analysis of functional requirements for the kind of authority data that is required to support authority control and for the international sharing of authority data. The model focuses on data, regardless of how it may be packaged (e.g., in authority records).
The primary purpose of this conceptual model is to provide an analytical framework for the analysis of functional requirements for the kind of authority data that is required to support authority control and for the international sharing of authority data. The model focuses on data, regardless of how it may be packaged (e.g., in authority records).
More specifically, the conceptual model has been designed to:
- provide a clearly defined, structured frame of reference for relating the data that are recorded in authority records to the needs of the users of those records;
- assist in an assessment of the potential for international sharing and use of authority data both within the library sector and beyond.
4.3 Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
RDA is being developed in line with a set of objectives and principles which are based on the Statement of International Cataloguing Principles, developed by the IFLA Meetings of Experts on an International Cataloguing Code (IME ICC).
The Statement of International Cataloguing Principles sets the Objectives and Functions of the
Catalogue in the following terms:
The catalogue should be an effective and efficient instrument that enables a user:
1. to find bibliographic resources in a collection as the result of a search using attributes or relationships of the resources:
1.1. to find a single resource
1.2. to find sets of resources representing
all resources belonging to the same work
all resources embodying the same expression
all resources exemplifying the same manifestation
all resources associated with a given person, family, or corporate body all resources on a given subject
all resources defined by other criteria (language, place of publication, publication date, content type, carrier type, etc.), usually as a secondary limiting of a search result;
2. to identify a bibliographic resource or agent (that is, to confirm that the described entity corresponds to the entity sought or to distinguish between two or more entities with similar characteristics);
3. to select a bibliographic resource that is appropriate to the user‘s needs (that is, to choose a resource that meets the user‘s requirements with respect to medium, content, carrier, etc., or to reject a resource as being inappropriate to the user‘s needs);
4. to acquire or obtain access to an item described (that is, to provide information that will enable the user to acquire an item through purchase, loan, etc., or to access an item electronically through an online connection to a remote source); or to access, acquire, or obtain authority data or bibliographic data;
5. to navigate within a catalogue and beyond (that is, through the logical arrangement of bibliographic and authority data and presentation of clear ways to move about, including presentation of relationships among works, expressions, manifestations, items, persons, families, corporate bodies, concepts, objects, events, and places).
5. Structure of RDA
There are two main parts of RDA:
A series of sections defining the attributes that may be used to describe each of the FRBR entities (Sections 1-4).
A series of sections defining the relationships that may be made among these entities (Sections 5-10).
Each section begins with a chapter of general instructions, followed by chapters for specific entities.
RDA consists of:
· 10 sections
· With 37 chapters
· And 12 appendices
· Glossary
· Index
Section 1: Recording attributes of manifestation and item
Chapter 1: General guidelines on recording attributes of manifestations and items
Chapter 2: Identifying manifestations and items
Chapter 3: Describing carriers
Chapter 4: Providing acquisition and access information
Section 2: Recording attributes of work and expression
Chapter 5: General guidelines on recording attributes of works and expressions
Chapter 6: Identifying works and expressions
Chapter 7: Describing additional attributes of works and expressions
Section 3: Recording attributes of person, family, and corporate body
Chapter 8: General guidelines on recording attributes of persons, families, and corporate bodies
Chapter 9: Identifying persons
Chapter 10: Identifying families
Chapter 11: Identifying corporate bodies
Section 4: Recording attributes of concept, object, event, and place
Chapter 12: General guidelines on recording attributes of concepts, objects, events, and places
Chapter 13: Identifying concepts
Chapter 14: Identifying objects
Chapter 15: Identifying events
(Chapters 13-15 to be developed after the initial release of RDA)
Chapter 16: Identifying places
Section 5: Recording primary relationships between work, expression, manifestation, and item
Chapter 17: General guidelines on recording primary relationships between a work, expression, manifestation, and item
Section 6: Recording relationships to persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with a resource
Chapter 18: General guidelines on recording relationships to persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with a resource
Chapter 19: Persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with a work
Chapter 20: Persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with an expression
Chapter 21: Persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with a manifestation
Chapter 22: Persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with an item
Section 7: Recording subject relationships
Chapter 23: General guidelines on recording the subject of a work (To be developed after the initial release of RDA)
Section 8: Recording relationships between works, expressions, manifestations, and items
Chapter 24: General guidelines on recording relationships between works, expressions, manifestations, and items Chapter 25: Related works
Chapter 26: Related expressions
Chapter 27: Related manifestations
Chapter 28: Related items
Section 9: Recording relationships between persons, families, and corporate bodies
Chapter 29: General guidelines on recording relationships between persons,
families, and corporate bodies
Chapter 30: Related persons
Chapter 31: Related families
Chapter 32: Related corporate bodies
Section 10: Recording relationships between concepts, objects, events, and places
Chapter 33: General guidelines on recording relationships between concepts, objects, events, and places
Chapter 34: Related concepts
Chapter 35: Related objects
Chapter 36: Related events
Chapter 37: Related places
Chapters 33-37 to be developed after the initial release of RDA )
Appendices
RDA will contain twelve appendices:
Appendix A. Capitalization
Appendix B. Abbreviations
Appendix C. Initial articles
Appendix D. Record syntaxes for descriptive data
Appendix E. Record syntaxes for access point control data
Appendix F. Additional instructions on names of persons
Appendix G. Titles of nobility, terms of rank, etc.
Appendix H. Conversion of dates to the Gregorian calendar
Appendix J. Relationship designators: Relationships between a resource and persons, families, and corporate bodies associated with the resource
Appendix K. Relationship designators: Relationships between works, expressions, manifestations, and items
Appendix L. Relationship designators: Relationships between persons, families, and corporate bodies
Appendix M. Relationship designators: Relationships between concepts, objects, events, and places
6. Examples of RDA Entry:
EXAMPLES OF FULL RDA RECORDS (JSC) – BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORDS
Example of printed book
RDA elements
| RDA REF | RDA ELEMENT | DATA RECORDED |
| 2.3.2 | Title proper | The organization of information |
| 2.4.2 | Statement of responsibility relating to title proper | Arlene G. Taylor |
| 2.5.2 | Designation of edition | Second edition |
| 2.8.2 | Place of publication | Westport, Connecticut |
| 2.8.2 | Place of publication | London |
| 2.8.4 | Publisher’s name | Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group |
| 2.8.6 | Date of publication | 2004 |
| 2.12.2 | Title proper of series | Library and information science text series |
| 2.13 | Mode of issuance | single unit |
| 2.15 | Identifier for the manifestation | ISBN 1-56308-976-9 |
| 2.15 | Identifier for the manifestation | ISBN 1-56308-969-6 (paperback) |
| 3.2 | Media type | unmediated |
| 3.3 | Carrier type | volume |
| 3.4 | Extent of text | xxvii, 417 pages |
| 3.5 | Dimensions | 26 cm |
| 4.3 | Contact information | http://www.lu.com |
| 6.9 | Content type | text |
| 7.16 | Supplementary content | Includes bibliography and index |
| 17.8 | Work manifested1 | Taylor, Arlene G., 1941- . Organization of information |
| 19.2 | Creator | Taylor, Arlene G., 1941- |
| 18.5 | Relationship designator | author |
| 25.1 | Related work2 | Library and information science text series |
| 24.5 | Relationship designator | in series (work ) |
*SHADED ROWS INDICATE CORE ELEMENTS
Encoded in the MARC 21 format for bibliographic data, using ISBD punctuation MARC
| FIELD TAG | MARC FIELD | INDICATORS | DATA RECORDED |
| Leader/06 | Type of record | a | |
| Leader/07 | Bibliographic level | m | |
| Leader/18 | Descriptive cataloguing form | i | |
| Leader/19 | Multipart resource record level | # | |
| 007/00 | Physical description fixed field – Category of material | t | |
| 008/35-37 | Fixed-length data elements -Language | eng | |
| 020 | International Standard Book Number | ## | $a 1563089769 |
| 020 | International Standard Book Number | ## | $a 1563089696 (paperback) |
| 037 | Source of acquisition | ## | $b http://www.lu.com |
| 040 | Cataloguing source – description conventions | $e rda | |
| 100 | Main entry – Personal name | 1# | $a Taylor, Arlene G., $d 1941- $e author |
| 245 | Title statement | 14 | $a The organization of information / $c Arlene G. Taylor. |
| 250 | Edition statement | ## | $a Second edition. |
| 264 | Production, publication, distribution, manufacture and copyright notice. | #1 | $a Westport, Connecticut ; $a London : $b Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group, $c 2004. |
| 300 | Physical description | ## | $a xxvii, 417 pages ; $c 26 cm. |
| 336 | Content type | ## | $a text $b txt $2 rdacontent |
| 337 | Media type | ## | $a unmediated $b n $2 rdamedia |
| 338 | Carrier type | ## | $a volume $b nc $2 rdacarrier |
| 490 | Series statement | 1# | $a Library and information science text series |
| 504 | Bibliography, etc. note | ## | $a Includes bibliography and index. |
| 830 | Series added entry – Uniform | #0 | $a Library and information science text series. |
7. Conclusion:
RDA developers have moved far away from AACR2. RDA is not just a straight forward new version of AACR2. Hence it is not AACR3. The principles, implementation methodology and purposes of RDA are more aligned towards information technology world (viz., Relational /object-oriented database, www, resource discovery etc.).
Since RDA is a new standard, cataloguers will need some training on it to implement in the library. Library Science schools will also have to update their syllabi for cataloguing education. Libraries should also prepare their existing staff members to cope with the new challenges through continuing education and other means.
RDA is being developed for the integrated library management system, not for the card catalogues. The developed countries have already abandoned card catalogues. But the card catalogue is very much a reality in the developing countries. In spite of the tremendous growth of ICT sector in these countries, it seems that card catalogue will continue to exist for some more decades. The effect of RDA on such environment is not clear.
8. Bibliographical References:
1.Carlyle, Allyson (2007). Understanding FRBR as a conceptual model : FRBR and the bibliographic universe. Bulletin of the American Society of Information Science and Technology, vol. 33, no.6. (Aug./Sept. 2007). Available at: http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Aug-07/Bulletin_AugSep07.pdf (accessed 16 Sept.2013)
2. Coyle, Karen & Hillman, Diane (2007). Resource Description and Access (RDA): cataloging rules for the 20th century. D-Lib Magazine, vol. 13, no. 1-2. Available at: http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january07/coyle/01coyle.html (accessed 16 Sept.2013).
3. Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records: Final Report, IFLA Study Group on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic
Records (München: K.G. Saur, 1998). Available at: www.ifla.org/VII/s13/frbr/frbr.pdf (accessed 16 Sept.2013).
4. Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD): A Conceptual Model, IFLA Working Group on the Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Records (FRSAR)
.Available at http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/classification-and-indexing/functional-requirements-for-subject-authority-data/frsad-final-report.pdf (accessed 16 Sept.2013).
5. Glennan, Kathy(2006). From AACR2 to RDA : an evolution. University of Maryland MLA, BCC Program Meeting, Feb. 26, 2006. Available at: www.musiclibraryassoc.org/BCC/Descriptive/RDA_Evolution.pdf (accessed on 29 May 2008)
6. Gorman, Michael. RDA : the coming cataloguing debacle. Available at: www.slc.bc.ca/rda1007.pdf (accessed 16 Sept.2013).
7. IFLA Meeting of Experts on an International Cataloguing Code . Statement of international cataloguing principles. Apr. 10, 2008 version. Available at: http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/cataloguing/icp/icp_2009-en.pdf (accessed 16 Sept.2013).
8. Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA. Frequently asked questions. Available at: http://www.rda-jsc.org/rdafaq.html (accessed 16 Sept.2013)
9. Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA. Prospectus. Available at: http://www.rda-jsc.org/rdaprospectus.html (accessed 16 Sept.2013)
10. Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA. RDA — Resource Description and Access : objectives and principles Available at: http://www.rda-jsc.org/docs/5rda-objectivesrev3.pdf (accessed 16 Sept.2013).
11. Kiorgaard, D. and Kartus, E. (2005). A rose by any other name: from AACR2 to resource description and access : paper presented at the 13th Victorian Association for Library Automation Biennial Conference, Melbourne, 8-10 February, available at: www.valaconf.org/vala2006/papers2006/83_Kartus_Final.pdf (accessed 15 Jan. 2008)
12. Oliver, C. (2010). Introducing RDA: A guide to the basics. Chicago : American Library Association