This document provides an overview of a two-day training course on RDA for original catalogers. Day one will cover the background and history of RDA, FRBR concepts, authority records, and cataloging monographic materials using RDA. Day two will cover cataloging serials, audiovisual materials, online resources, and provider-neutral records using RDA, as well as relationships. The document outlines the course, provides context on the development and testing of RDA, and previews some of the key changes and concepts in RDA compared to AACR2.

1. RDA for Original Catalogers
Shana L. McDanold
Head, Metadata Services

2. Introductions and Acknowledgments
 Who am I and why am I teaching this?
 Attendees intro
 Slide content credits:
 Adam Schiff (University of Washington)
 Library of Congress
 Barbara Tillett, Judy Kuhagen, the staff of the Cataloging &
Acquisitions Cooperative and Instructional Programs Division
 Jacquie Samples (Duke U.)
 Kathy Glennan (U. of MD)
 Joint Steering Committee for the Development of RDA
 And many more who have contributed bits and pieces

3. Course outline
 Day 1
 RDA – where did it come from?
 FRBR – the core concepts
 Authorities aka Authorized Access Points
 Hybrid records
 Bibliographic records - print monographs (with practice)
 Day 2
 Bibliographic records – serials (with practice)
 Bibliographic records - A/V (with practice)
 Bibliographic records - online and Provider Neutral (with
practice)
 What’s next? Relationships!
 Wrap-up

4. Day 1
Background, General RDA, and Monographic Materials

5. Cataloging brief history
 Early cataloging codes
 No “one” set for US libraries
 1940s: ALA cataloging rules
 1961 IFLA’s Paris Principles
 Cutter’s Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalog
 1967: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR)
 2 versions!: North American text and a British text
 1969: ISBDs (consolidated in 2007)
 1978: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules Revised (AACR2)
 Revisions: 1988, 1998, 2002
 1960s: MARC developed (Henriette Avram)
 Work completed 1969
 US standard by 1971; international standard 1973
 Several “flavors” of MARC

6. So why RDA? And why now?
 AACR2 is based on a card environment, thus it is
limited by that 3x5 inch boundary
 RDA is designed for the web and online
communication, making use of how intertwined the
web is to share information
 From RDA 0.0 Purpose and Scope:
 “RDA provides a set of guidelines and instructions on
formulating data to support resource discovery.”
 “RDA provides a comprehensive set of guidelines and
instructions covering all types of content and media.”

7. So why RDA? And why now?
 RDA Objectives (RDA 0.4.2):
 Responsiveness to user needs
 Cost efficiency
 Flexibility
 Continuity
 RDA Principles (RDA 0.4.3)
 Differentiation
 Sufficiency
 Relationships
 Representation
 Accuracy
 Attribution
 Common usage or practice
 Uniformity

8. So why RDA? And why now?
 Specific RDA Goals
 Easy to use and interpret
 Applicable to an online, networked environment
 Provide effective bibliographic control for all types of
media
 Encourage use beyond library community
 Compatible with other similar standards
 Have a logical structure based on internationally
agreed-upon principles
 Separate content and carrier data, and separate
content from display
 Examples – numerous and appropriate

9. RDA – the birth story
 2005: Final update of AACR2 2002 ed.
 1997: International Conference on the Principles & Future
Development of AACR
 2002: AACR3 development begins
 2003-2007: meetings of the International Cataloguing Principles
(ICP)
 2005: AACR3 renamed RDA: Resource Description and Access
 2006, 2007: drafts of RDA chapters and appendices
 2008: first full draft of RDA
 2009: delivered to the publishers
 2010: first published in the RDA Toolkit
 2010/2011: testing, testing
 2012: re-writing by an editor, other tasks designated by U.S. Test
Coordinating Committee
 March 31, 2013: RDA implementation!

10. RDA – testing, testing
 Goal: assure the operational, technical, and
economic feasibility of RDA
 Who: U.S. RDA Test Coordinating Committee
 Test participants: Library of Congress, National
Agricultural Library, National Library of Medicine, 23
partner institutions
 Timeline:
 June-Sept. 2010: training
 Oct.-Dec. 2010: record creation
 Jan.-Mar. 2011: analyze results
 Apr.-June 2011: report and decision

11. RDA – testing, testing
 Questions answered by the test and the reports
 Does RDA meet the stated goals?
 What is user reaction to the records?
 What is the economic impact?
 How was the data being assessed and collected?
 Review and analysis of records
 Surveys
 Statistics on time
 Record use and impact in shared environment (OCLC,
SkyRiver) to ensure RDA/AACR2 compatibility

12. RDA – testing, testing
 CONCLUSION! Finally.
 Decision published June 13, 2011
 Overarching conclusion:
 “Contingent on the satisfactory progress/completion of the
tasks and action items below, the Coordinating
Committee recommends that RDA should be
implemented by LC,NAL, and NLM no sooner than
January 2013. The three national libraries should commit
resources to ensure progress is made on these activities
that will require significant effort from many in and beyond
the library community.”

13. FRBR family?
 Family:
 FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic
Records
 FRAD: Functional Requirements for Authority Data
 FRSAD: Functional Requirements for Subject Authority
Data
 Conceptual model used as the foundation for RDA
 FRBR: WEMI attributes/elements (resource)
 FRAD/FRSAD: entitles (persons, corporate bodies) and
subjects (concepts) associated with the resource
 Focus: user tasks and relationships

14. FRBR User Tasks
 Find
 to locate either a single entity or a set of entities as the result of
a search using an attribute or relationship of the entity
 Identify
 to confirm that the entity described corresponds to the entity
sought, or to distinguish between two or more entities with
similar characteristics
 Select
 to choose an entity that meets the user's requirements with
respect to content, physical format, etc., or to reject an entity as
being inappropriate to the user's needs
 Obtain
 to acquire an entity through purchase, loan, etc., or to
access an entity electronically through an online connection

15. FRBR Structure
 Group 1 (WEMI): products of intellectual of artistic
endeavor
 Work
 Expression
 Manifestation
 Item
 Group 2: entitles responsible for Group 1
production/creation
 Person
 Corporate Body
 Family
 Group 3: subjects for works (Group1)
 Concept
 Object
 Event
 Place

16. 16
Work
Expression
Manifestation
Item
is realized through
is embodied in
is exemplified by
Inherent Group 1
Relationships
FRBR Structure – Group 1

17. Original
Work - Same
Expression
Same Work –
New Expression
New WorkCataloging Rules
Cut-Off Point
DerivativeEquivalent Descriptive
Facsimile
Reprint
Exact
Reproduction
Copy
Microform
Reproduction
Variations
or Versions
Translation
Simultaneous
“Publication”
Edition
Revision
Slight
Modification
Expurgated
Edition
Illustrated
Edition
Abridged
Edition
Arrangement
Summary
Abstract
Digest
Change of Genre
Adaptation
Dramatization
Novelization
Screenplay
Libretto
Free
Translation
Same Style or
Thematic Content
Parody
Imitation
Review
Criticism
Annotated
Edition
Casebook
Evaluation
Commentary
Family of Works

18. FRBR Structure - Relationships
18
Work
Expression
Manifestation
Item
is owned by
is produced by
is realized by
is created by
Person
Corporate Body
Family
Relationships
Between Groups 1 and 2

19. FRBR exercise
 What are the identifying elements of the:
 Work
 Expression
 Manifestation
 Item
 Relationship(s)
 Other Group 1 entities?
 Group 2 (person, family, corporate body)?

20. An important distinction
 FRBR
 conceptual model
 RDA/AACR2:
 content standard
 ISBD
 display format/standard
 MARC/MARC21
 communication format
 other communication formats: ONIX, Dublin Core

21. RDA Toolkit
 Tabs
 RDA – text of RDA
 Tools
 RDA element set
 RDA mappings (MARC-RDA; MODS-RDA)
 RDA record examples
 Workflows – can be global (public) or local
 Maps – Metadata Application Profiles
 Entity Relationship Diagrams (FRBR, FRAD, etc.)
 Schemas – element sets
 Resources
 AACR2
 LC-PCC PS (policy statements)
 Other (various links)

22. RDA Toolkit
 Updates
 “When there is a new release for RDA Toolkit, it is made
on the second Tuesday of the month. Releases typically
contain updates to content and metadata, enhancements
to RDA Toolkit functionality, and fixes to existing bugs.”
(RDA Toolkit blog)
 May 14, 2013
 Next: July 9, 2013
 Training
 RDA Toolkit Essentials - FREE

23. Authorities
 Based on attributes and relationships identified in
FRAD
 Person
 Family
 Corporate body
 Place
 Authorized/variant access points and elements will
for now continue to be documented in authority
records

24. Authority records - vocabulary changes
AACR2 RDA
Heading Authorized access point
See reference Variant access point
See also reference Authorized access point for related
entity

25. Authority records – new MARC fields
 046 : associated dates (Work, Expression, Person,
Family, Corporate Body)
 336 : content type (Work, Expression, Person, Family,
Corporate Body)
 370 : associated place (Work, Expression, Person,
Family, Corporate Body)
 371 : address (Person, Family, Corporate Body)
 372 : field of activity (Person, Family, Corporate Body)
 373 : affiliation (Person, Family, Corporate Body)
 374 : occupation (Person, Family, Corporate Body)
 375 : gender (Person)
 376 : family information (Family)
 377 : associated language (Person, Family, Corporate
Body entities)

26. Authority records – new MARC fields
 380 : form of work (Work)
 381 : other distinguishing characteristic of work or
expression (Work, Expression)
 368 : additional corporate body attributes
 378 : fuller form of personal name
 382 : medium of performance (Work)
 383 : numeric designation of a musical work (Work)
 384 : key (Work)

27. Key changes for Authorities
 Authorized access point is based on *usage* or
preferred name
 Date of birth/death are required (if known)
 Spell out born, died, approximately, use – (hyphen) for
open dates
 Include titles or terms associated with surnames
 Such as Junior (Jr.), Senior, etc.
 Separate guidelines for royalty, nobility, religious persons

28. Key changes for Authorities
 Families
 Fictitious persons and real non-human entities can
now be authors
 Treatment of pseudonyms – separate identities
 If pseudonym is preferred and real name is not used,
establish under pseudonym; otherwise establish each
identity separately

29. Key changes for Authorities
 Undifferentiated names – avoid creating
 Options:
 Dates
 Qualifiers
 Titles/designations
 Profession/field of activity
 And more!
 Conferences, Congresses, other events with dates
 Include frequency in the name
 Include number, date, and location

30. Key changes for Authorities
 Uniform titles
 Language: Polyglot no longer used
 Separate authorized access points for each language of
translation
 Works always present
 Selections.  Works. Selections.
 Bible: removal of O.T. and N.T.
 Bible. O.T. Genesis  Bible. Genesis. AND Bible. Old
Testament. (for the whole)
 Koran  Qur’an

31. RDA authority record example(s)
 Identification:
 040 |e rda
 008/10 (Rules) = z (other)

32. Bibliographic records
 RDA is fundamentally different in it's approach to
describing materials/resources/things
 Focus on content *first* and carrier/format second
 RDA cultivates relationships
 “Guidelines and instructions” rather than rules
 Cataloger’s judgment – one size does not fit all
 MARC record contains a mix of Group 1 WEMI
attributes as well as Group 2 and Group 3 entities.

33. Bib records – vocabulary changes
AACR2 RDA
Heading Authorized access point
Author, composer, artist, etc. Creator
Main entry Preferred title, and, if appropriate, authorized
access point for the creator
Uniform title Two RDA counterparts:
1. Preferred title + differentiating information
2. Conventional collective title like “works”
Physical description Carrier description
General material designator
(GMD)
Three elements:
1. Content type
2. Media type
3. Carrier type
Chief source Preferred source(s)

34. Bib records – new MARC fields
 336 – content type
 337 – media type
 338 – carrier type
 344 – sound characteristics
 345 – projection characteristics of moving image
 346 – video characteristics
 347 – digital file characteristics
 264 – production, publication, distribution,
manufacture, and copyright notice
 New subfields for relationships
 New subfields to parse 502 Dissertation information

35. Bib records - vocabularies
 Registered and controlled
 Vocabularies are included in the Open Metadata Registry
 http://metadataregistry.org/
 The vocabulary lists for the content, media, and carrier
types, as well as the relationship terms, are considered
*closed* lists
 You MUST use a term from those lists
 There is a petition process to add new terms

36. Key changes: General
 Transcription – record what’s there!
 Source(s)
 Relationships for authorized access points
 *Required* for the creator
 Rule of three – gone!
 Be liberal in recording alternate titles
 Related works are no longer in a general note field,
but rather traced so they can be linked (prefer linking
fields 76x-78x (and some 70x-75x) to 5xx notes)
 GMD replaced by 336 (content type), 337 (media
type), 338 (carrier type)

37. Key changes: General
 Spelling out of abbreviations
 p.  pages
 ill.  illustrations
 cm is not an abbreviation, it is a symbol, like ©
 Latin terms no longer used
 [S.l. : s.n.]  [Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified]
 [et al.]  [and # others]
 [sic]  245 has title as appears on piece; 246 contains
corrected form of title
 Adjacent bracketed elements are bracketed
separately

38. Standard Records
 These records are FLOOR records – add additional
content as identified and needed
 they provide the essential elements to meet the FRBR User
Needs
 BIBCO Standard Record (BSR)
 The BIBCO Standard Record (BSR) metadata application
profile based on RDA includes elements applicable to archival
materials, audio recordings, cartographic resources, electronic
resources (if cataloged in the computer file format), graphic
materials, moving images, notated music, rare materials, and
textual monographs. The RDA BSR is arranged along a
baseline for RDA elements.
 CONSER Standard Record (CSR)
 The CONSER RDA cataloging checklist and core
elements document CONSER decisions reconciling AACR2
based CSR elements with RDA core elements for serials and
serves as the primary source for CONSER RDA descriptive
elements and practices.

39. RDA or AACR2?
 Hybrid records?
 What: A record that contains elements from more than one
content standard
 Why: add things that will enhance and contribute to the user
tasks
 What can I edit?
 You can safely add or edit any element that does NOT impact
the transcription based descriptive fields
 When do I re-describe?
 When you need to edit the descriptive fields that are based on
transcription (e.g. core elements)

40. Hybrid records
 Guidelines available on LC website
 RDA records:
http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/rda/PCC%20RDA%20guidelin
es/Serial-RDA.doc
 Pre-RDA records:
http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/rda/PCC%20RDA%20guidelin
es/Hybrid-Guidelines-Serials-Post-Impl.docx
 Remember:
 Goal: enhancing the record to improve user access (user
tasks: find, identify, select, and obtain)
 DO NO HARM: If it's not wrong, leave it alone
 Be nice: avoid editing just for style
40

41. RDA bib record example(s)
 Identification:
 040 |e rda
 LDR/18 (Desc) = i (ISBD), c (ISBD not included), blank
(non-ISBD)

42. PRACTICE
 Monographic print materials
 Pay particular attention to the 264 field dates and the 33x
fields

43. Image created by:
Jennifer Young
Northwestern University

44. Day 2
Special Formats and Linked Data

45. Key changes: Serials
 300 field is core for currently published, tangible non-print
formats
 Carrier type changes (338)
 RDA 3.1.6.1: Create a new description if there is a change in
the carrier type of a serial to online resource from another
computer carrier, or vice versa
 Transcription exceptions:
 Omit numbering from title proper or parallel title (use mark of omission
wherever in title)
 Some alternatives allow some conversions and some omissions for some
elements
 No more manifestation level differentiation
 [Reminder]: ISSN key title (222) is at manifestation level, NOT
work or expression title, so key title and authorized access
point for the work may not match
45

46. Key changes: Serials: new description
46

47. Key changes: Audio/Visual materials
 SOUND RECORDINGS
 2.2.2.1 – Preferred source general guidelines
 When choosing a preferred source of information, treat as part of
the resource itself: the storage medium (e.g., paper, tape, film); any
housing that is an integral part of the resource (e.g., a cassette, a
cartridge).
 When describing the resource as a whole using a comprehensive
description, treat accompanying material as part of the resource
itself.
 When preparing an analytical description of one or more
components of a resource, treat accompanying material as a
source outside the resource itself (i.e., as a related resource).
 Treat a container issued with the resource (e.g., a box in which a
game or kit is issued, a clamshell box containing compact discs in
individual jewel cases or cardboard sleeves) as part of the
resource itself. Treat a container that is not issued with the
resource (e.g., a box or case made by the owner) as a source
outside the resource itself.
 Always give phonogram date
 RDA 3.16 – Sound characteristic

48. Key changes: Audio/Visual materials
 SOUND RECORDINGS – New MARC fields
 344 – Sound characteristics
 347 – Digital file characteristics
 380 – Form of work
 381 – Other distinguishing characteristic
 382 – Medium of performance
 383 – Numeric designation of musical work
 384 – Key

49. Key changes: Audio/Visual materials
 VIDEO
 2.2.2.3: Preferred source – Moving images
 1st choice: use the title frame or frames, or title screen or
screens, as the preferred source of information
 BUT, if the title frames or title screens only list the titles of the
individual contents and another source forming part of the
resource has a formally-presented collective title, use as the
preferred source of information the first applicable source with a
formally-presented collective title.
 RDA 3.16 – Sound characteristic
 RDA 3.18 – Video characteristic

50. Key changes: Audio/Visual materials
 VIDEO – New MARC fields
 344 – Sound characteristics
 346 – Video characteristics
 347 – Digital file characteristics
 380 – Form of work

51. PRACTICE
 Serials and Audio/Visual materials

52. Key changes: Online
 Integrating Resources
 2.1.2.4 Basis for description:
 When preparing a comprehensive description for an integrating
resource (e.g., an updating Web site), choose a source of
information identifying the current iteration of the resource as a
whole.
 If there is no source of information identifying the current
iteration of the integrating resource as a whole, treat the
sources of information identifying its individual contents as a
collective source of information for the whole.
 Make a note identifying the latest iteration consulted in making
the description (goes in a 588 field)

53. Key changes: Integrating: new description
53

54. Provider Neutral and RDA
 What? How is that possible?
 Identification:
 040 |e rda |e pn
 The provider-neutral model (in contrast to RDA)
specifies that if the e-resource being cataloged is an
online reproduction of a tangible resource, usually
the Production, Publication, Distribution,
Manufacture and Copyright notice information will
come from the original tangible source record
 588 field – source of description is REQUIRED

55. PRACTICE
 Online materials
 Integrating resource
 Provider Neutral
 Book or serial – your choice

56. RDA or AACR2?

57. RDA or AACR2?

58. RDA or AACR2?

59. RDA or AACR2?

60. What’s next?
 BIBFRAME
 Linked Data and the Semantic Web
 Tools
 Bibframe.org
 RIMMF – RDA in Many Metadata Formats
 VTLS Sandbox (subscription) – “FRBRize” records
 Linkeddata.org
 Schema.org

61. QUESTIONS?
61

62. Image created by:
Jennifer Young
Northwestern University