I presented ALA's Annual Conference in Anaheim (#ALA12) to the AVIAC meeting (URL to ALA Connect). My topic was RDA Toolkit and how it relates to Library System vendors and other software and service developers. I included some background on RDA: Resource Description and Access and RDA Toolkit. I described and demo RDA Toolkit's free MARC based linking service. I invited vendors to read our RDA Toolkit Development blog and to participate in our regular Virtual User Group meetings. Finally I will describe our current plans and seek input from vendors on developing and distributing an RDA - Application Profile as a free part of RDA Toolkit

1. AVIAC Meeting
Presented by
Troy Linker
Publisher, ALA Digital Reference
American Library Association

2. Agenda
• RDA & RDA Toolkit
• MARC Based Linking
• Development Blog & Virtual User Group
• RDA – Data Model

3. What is RDA?
RDA is the new international standard for
resource description and access designed for
the digital world.

4. What is RDA?
Built on the foundations established by AACR2,
RDA provides a comprehensive set of
guidelines and instructions on resource
description and access covering all types of
content and media.

5. What is RDA?
RDA was developed as a content standard, and
as such it contains guidelines for choosing and
recording data to include in bibliographic and
authority records.

6. What is RDA?
Unlike the content and display standard AACR2,
RDA does not include rules on how data
should be displayed or formatted.

7. What is RDA?
MARC 21 is an encoding standard and is one
possible schema for encoding RDA-based
records.

8. Who Maintains RDA?
The content of RDA has been developed in a
collaborative process led by the Joint Steering
Committee. The JSC is the same body that
maintained AACR2.

9. What is RDA Toolkit?
RDA Toolkit is an integrated, browser-based,
online product that allows users to interact
with a collection of cataloging-related
documents and resources including RDA.

10. RDA is not the only document in the RDA
Toolkit’s collection of cataloging-related
documents. RDA Toolkit also includes Library
of Congress Policy Statements, AACR2, RDA
Maps, and User contributed documents
(workflows, best practices, cheat sheets, local
documentation, etc.)

11. Agenda
• RDA & RDA Toolkit
• MARC Based Linking
• Development Blog & Virtual User Group
• RDA – Data Model

12. MARC Based Linking
RDA Toolkit’s free MARC linking service allows
users and vendors to create MARC-related
links to RDA Toolkit content.

13. RDA Toolkit Users
Creators of workflows, training materials or
other procedural materials can use this service
to embed direct links to specific RDA
instructions in their documents.

14. Linking Partners
Vendors can build links to RDA Toolkit into their
products and other cataloging tools for use by
clients who subscribe to RDA Toolkit.

18. MARC Based Linking
• Create links based on specific MARC
information to the relevant instruction(s) in
RDA: Element Set.
• Links are based on MARC-to-RDA Mappings in
RDA Toolkit.
• Link URLs contain only MARC information so
they will not need updating if MARC Mappings
change in RDA Toolkit.

19. MARC Variables
Users can link to relevant instruction(s) in RDA:
Element Set based on:
• Record Type – either Authority or a
Bibliographic record
• MARC Field - (e.g., “100”)
• Indicator - (e.g., “1st” or “2nd”)
• Subfield – (e.g., $c)

20. Link Syntax
The syntax to create a link to the relevant RDA
instructions for MARC Bibliographic 100 1# $C
http://access.rdatoolkit.org/?encode=marc&rec
=Bib&tag=100&indpos=1st&ind=1&subfld=c

24. Agenda
• RDA & RDA Toolkit
• MARC Based Linking
• Development Blog & Virtual User Group
• RDA – Data Model

25. Development Blog
• Release Notes
• Feature and Function Wish List
– Priorities / Use cases / Related Issues
– Estimated Release Date
– User Community Comments
– Development Type (bug, improvement,
enhancement)

28. Virtual User Group
A virtual forum to receive feedback from
everyday users that will help us to set our
priorities, to communicate our development
plans out to RDA Toolkit users, and to demo
recent changes.

29. Virtual User Group
• Format –webinar format but with smaller
groups and more bidirectional
communication.
• Audience – National Libraries and power users
in many countries. Open meeting, everyone is
invited.
• Agenda – demo recent release(s), describe
plans for next release(s), and brainstorm ideas
for future releases.

30. Virtual User Group
• Frequency – 3 to 4 times per year
• Time zone – offered in rotating time zones so
users outside the U.S. also have a chance to
participate live (typically one of three rotating
times: 9:30 AM CST, 3:30 PM CST, and 8:00 PM
CST)

31. Agenda
• RDA & RDA Toolkit
• MARC Based Linking
• Development Blog & Virtual User Group
• RDA – Data Model

32. RDA Data Model
To achieve broader international interoperability
and encoding neutrality RDA chose to
separate the RDA data model from data
encoding by creating RDA Elements and RDA
Vocabularies separate from any one data
encoding.

33. RDA Data Model
RDA differs from AACR2 where no specific data
model was expressed as part of AACR2 but in
parallel MARC was developed and maintained
to express both the data model and data
encoding for AACR2.

34. RDA – Data Model
• Available Now
– ERDs
– Registry
• Coming Soon
– Application Profile
– Schemas

36. Questions
• With the time left I will answer as many
questions as possible.

37. Thank You
We appreciate any feedback you can give us.
For more information please visit
www.rdatoolkit.org .