Highlighting the main differences between RDA and AACR2

2. AACR2 RDA Notes
heading authorized access point “heading” reflects outmoded ‘catalog-card-speak’
author, composer, artist, etc. creator
main entry
preferred title and, if appropriate, the authorized
access point for the creator
“main entry” reflects outmoded ‘catalog-card-speak’,
related to cards in a file cabinet
uniform title
Two RDA counterparts:
1. the preferred title and any differentiating
information;
2. a conventional collective title such as “Works”
see reference variant access point
see also reference authorized access point for related entity
physical description carrier description
GMD
three elements:
1. content type
2. media type
3. carrier type
GMD was an inconsistent presentation of different
categories of information
chief source preferred sources
This is not only a change in terminology; ‘sources’ have
been expanded from a single source to multiple sources

3.  It provides instructions on recording the content
of records
 It does not provide instruction on how a given
library system should display the bibliographic
information
 Nor does it provide instruction on encoding the
information.
 RDA is schema-neutral.

4.  RDA is less Anglo-centric than AACR2
 It focuses on user needs
 In addition, the library policy can make discretion
regarding the:
language of additions to access points
language of supplied data script and transliteration
calendar
numeric system

5.  RDA also covers the wider scope of resources
being acquired in libraries today.
 It provides for more elements for:
non-printed text resources
non-text resources
unpublished resources

6.  Has many controlled vocabularies
 Only a few of the vocabularies are closed (e.g.,
content type; media type; carrier type)
 Most of the vocabularies are open; you can
either supply your own term as needed, or
suggest a term be added to the vocabulary (or
do both).

7.  Libraries may decide to include some of these
controlled vocabulary terms in templates
 ILS vendors could provide them in drop-down
lists.
 The RDA vocabularies are now registered on
the Web. The existence of those machine-
readable controlled vocabularies will allow
more machine manipulation

8.  Demonstration of RDA toolkit
 Refer to work book
 Live demonstrations

13.  The instructions that were in AACR2 formed
the basis of the text for RDA, so you will find
that MANY of them haven’t changed much.
 They may have been reworded to make them
easier to understand, but they’re still there

14. •Still includes options and alternatives,
like AACR2 does, and many of these are
the same, though there’s more now.
• Some AACR2 options have become part
of the main instructions of RDA.

15. 1. Title and statement of responsibility
2. Edition
3. Material or type of publication specification
4. Publication
5. Physical description
6. Series
7. Notes
8. Standard number

16. •Still uses MARC records that we are used to
•There are some changes to MARC

18.  RULE OF THREE – NO MORE
 RDA allows the cataloguer to list all of the author’s listed
AACR2
 245 00 $a Principles of marketing / $c Philip Kotler... [et al.].
 700 1# $a Kotler, Philip.
RDA
 100 1# $a Kotler, Philip.------------ (core creator)
 245 10 $a Principles of marketing / $c Philip Kotler, Northwestern
University, Gary Armstrong, University of North Carolina, Peggy H.
Cunningham, Dalhousie University, Valerie Trifts, Dalhousie University.
 700 1# $a Armstrong, Gary.
 700 1# $a Cunningham, Peggy H.
 700 1# $a Trifts, Valerie.

19. No abbreviations
 Edition terms to be transcribed as they are on
the resource
 If abbreviated on the resource then they are
abbreviated in the catalogue data
 If spelled out on the resource, they will not be
abbreviated as they would have been in AACR2

20. AACR2 RDA
 250 $a 2nd ed. 250 $a Second edition
 Source of information reads: Source of information
reads:
 Second edition Second edition
 250 $a Version 4 250 $a Version IV
 Source of information reads: Source of information
reads:
 Version IV Version IV

21. Inaccuracies
 Inaccuracies transcribed as they are: do not correct
 In Field 246 – record the correct statement

22. Publication statement: when more than one
place
 In AACR2 record the first named place
 In RDA record all the places as they appear

23. AACR RDA
Source: Toronto -Buffalo -London
260 ## $a Toronto 260 ## $a Toronto ; $a Buffalo ;
$a London
Source: Kassel -Basel -London -New York -Prag
260 ## $a Kassel 260 ##$a Kassel ; $a Basel ;
$a London ; $a New York ;
$a Prag

24. Publication statement: more than one publisher
AACR2
260 ##$a Montréal : $b Infopresse, $c 2007.
RDA
260 ##$a Montréal : $b ÉditionsInfopresse;
$aParis : $b Pyramyd, $c 2007.

25. Publication statement: elements not identified
 “S.l.” becomes “place of publication not identified”
 “s.n.” becomes “publisher not identified”
AACR2
260 ##$a [S.l. : $b s.n.], $c 2009.
RDA
260 ##$a [Place of publication not identified]: $b [Publisher not
identified], $c 2009.

26.  GMD content is split into 3 new elements, at different levels: New
tags
› 336 Content type (expression level)
› 337 Media type
› 338 Carrier type
245 15 One Night in Venice ‡h [sound recording]  (Omit in
RDA)
 Some changes to SMDs (Specific Material Designators)
› 300 1 sound disc  (AACR2)
› 300 1 audio disc  (RDA)

27. AACR2
260 ##$a Québec : $b University of Laval
Press, $c c2009.
RDA
260 ##$a Québec : $b University of Laval
Press, $c [date of publication not identified],
©2009.

28. EXTENT – TEXT
Essentially the same as in AACR2
Main differences
 Description in terms of pages or leaves depending on
whether the resource is paginated or foliated
 No abbreviations(use pages, volumes)
 No bracketing for unnumbered pages (use unnumbered
pages)
 No ca. (use approximately)
 No i.e. (use that is)

29. AACR2 RDA
xvii, 323 p. xvii, 323 pages
[93] p. 93 unnumbered pages
ca. 600 p. approximately 600 pages
329 [i.e. 392] p. 329, that is, 392 pages
246 p., 32 p. of plates 246 pages, 32 pages of
plates

30. 336 - Content Type (‡2 rdacontent)
 “What is it?”
› cartographic dataset
› notated music
› performed music
› text
› two-dimensional moving image

32. Media carrier and format type
AACR2
› 300 1 sound disc (78 min., 51 sec.) : ‡b digital
; ‡c 4 3/4 in.
› 500 Compact disc.
RDA
› 300 1 audio disc (78 min., 51 sec.) : ‡b digital,
1.4 m/s, CD audio ; ‡c 12 cm.
› 336 performed music ‡2 rdacontent
› 337 audio ‡2 rdamedia
› 338 audio disc ‡2 rdacarrier
RDA vs. AACR2

33. Features of RDA
 How to tell when you have an RDA record
Look for “‡e rda” in the 040 field
336, 337 and 338 fields
Other more MARC fields added