Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics

Citation

du Preez, M. (2011), "Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics", The Electronic Library, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 412-413. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471111141179

The Anglo‐American Cataloguing Rules,2^nd edition (AACR2) was developed for the print world and for card catalogues. However, changes in the cataloguing environment required a new standard to deal with the challenges set by digital media and distance access to information resources. RDA, Resource Description and Access, is the new standard due to replace AACR2. Though RDA has strong links to AACR2, it is very different. It is based on a theoretical framework, is designed for the digital environment, and has a broader scope than AACR2.

AACR2 consisted of practical instructions that were organised according to the source being catalogued as well as the International Standard Book Description (ISBD). RDA, on the other hand, is based on a theoretical framework that defines the shape, structure, and content of the new cataloguing standard. The transition to RDA therefore represents a shift in the understanding of the cataloguing process. The aim of Chris Oliver's Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics, is to advise cataloguers on how to make this transition. The book explains RDA as a set of practical instructions and contextualises its relationship with international standards, models and principles.

Cataloguers grapple with the theoretical frameworks (i.e. Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and Functional Records for Authority Data (FRAD)) upon which RDA is based. Oliver takes some time off to provide an overview of FRBR and FRAD, to show how these models shape the structure of RDA and influence the language used in RDA instructions, and explain why FRBR and FRAD are important to RDA.

RDA might be introducing significant changes, but it also has some very important links with AACR2. Both standards share the same governance structure, RDA was built on the foundations of AACR, many RDA instructions derive from AACR2, and, cataloguing records created according to RDA will be compatible with records created according to AACR2. These aspects are dealt with in Chapter 4. This is followed by an overview of actual RDA instructions and an introduction to those instructions that impact on and signal a change in cataloguing practices to familiarise cataloguers with RDA. Chapter 6 addresses aspects of implementation, focusing on three factors that play a role in supporting a smooth transition from AACR2 to RDA: the RDA Toolkit; encoding and display of RDA data; and, coordinated implementation.

In chapter 7, Oliver discusses the present and future advantages of changing to RDA. The book includes a good list of sources that could be used by cataloguers to enhance their understanding of RDA and the place RDA will occupy in the cataloguing environment. Throughout the volume, Oliver details how RDA positions cataloguers to take advantage of newly emerging database structures, how RDA data enables improved resource discovery, and how metadata can be made more accessible.

Introducing RDA is a valuable resource for all cataloguers and most definitely one no library planning to changeover from AACR2 to RDA should be without. It also is a valuable source for faculties faced with the teaching of the new cataloguing standard.