Article Summary for Lecture #14- Anhalt & Stewart

RDA Simplified

esource Description and Access, better known as RDA, was introduced to the cataloging world in 2005 as a simpler version of what was initially supposed to be AACR3 (Anglo-American Cataloging Rules 3). RDA was designed to help catalogers conquer the digital world and give a guideline for all cataloging all types of content and material. The reason RDA was made its very own set of rules is because the outcome of an RDA record ends up being so different from an AACR record.

The differences between AACR2 and RDA are quite clear. While AACR2 was introduced in 1978, during the era of card catalogs, it does not provide rules for cataloging newer digital content and emerging technologies. Also, AACR2 is a set of rules that dictates not only the content needed in a record, but how these records should be displayed and arranged. RDA is much more simple in that it only covers what content needs to be in the record. It is a lot less standardized that the AACR series and allows for greater freedom at individual institutions to best fit their needs. Another difference between AACR2 and RDA is that RDA encompasses FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) technology to make searching for materials through an online database much more inclusive. FRBR allows databases to link related works, expressions, manifestations, and items so that users can find the exact copy and version of what they are looking for.

RDA instructs that information in the description may be taken from anywhere in the original source, information is to be input exactly as it is worded in the source, and all names that appear in the statements from responsibility are to be transcribed as well. Traditionally, information from title pages was the only information used when creating bibliographic records, but as time has gone on and publishers have taken style and creative liberties, information found on title pages are not a reliable source to get all of the information needed when creating surrogate records anymore. RDA dictates that catalogers are no longer limited to the title page and any information found throughout the source is fair game. Another difference found is RDA is that originally, bibliographic records were contained corrected typos and fixed mistakes that may appear in the source with a denotation that the entry has been revised from the original work, but with RDA, we are to record everything as it appears in the source, mistakes and all.

Reference

Anhalt, J. & Stewart, R.A. (2012). RDA simplified. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 50(1):33-42.