Resource Description and Access (RDA)

A New Cataloging Standard for a Digital Future

Jennifer BowenNYLA Annual Meeting, Buffalo, NYOctober 26, 2005Jbowen@library.rochester.edu

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Why a new standard? Simplify rules

Encourage use as a content standard for metadata schema

Encourage international applicability Provide more consistency Address current problems Principle-based

Build on cataloger’s judgment Encourage application of FRBR

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Why not just keep revising AACR2? Too book (print)-centered Part 1 chapter structure doesn’t

work for digital materials Class of materials

Outdated terminology A window of opportunity…

1978…When this car and AACR2 were new…

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How did we get here?

AACR2 1978 1988 1998 2002

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Supporting Organizational Structure

Committee of

Principals

AACR FundTrustees/Publishers

Joint SteeringCommittee

ALACC:DA

ACOC BL CCC CILIP LC

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JSC, Editor, Project Manager

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1997 International Conference on the Principles and Future Development of AACR Toronto, Canada JSC invited

worldwide experts

Issues leading to RDA

Principles Content vs. carrier Logical structure of

AACR Seriality Internationalization

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How did we get here? IFLA’s Functional

Requirements for Bibliographic Records

FRBR user tasks Find Identify Select Obtain

Collocation at the work/expression level

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How did we get here? December 2003 Update Paris

Principles IFLA Meeting of

Experts on an International Cataloguing Code (IME ICC Frankfurt draft Statement of Principles)

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How did we get here? Communication

Standards MARC

• UNIMARC• MARC 21• MODS/MADS• MARCXML

XML dtd’s Next

generation?

Metadata Standards Dublin Core MPEG 7 VRA EAD ISBD (also a

content/display standard)

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Virtual International Authority File (VIAF)

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Strategic Plan for RDA http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/stratpla

n.html

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Beginning with “AACR3”… Draft of Part 1 of “AACR3”

reviewed by JSC constituencies (Winter 2005)

Feedback prompted a change in direction!

Draft of Part 1 of RDA (Resource Description and Access) review period coming up (Dec.-March)

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From AACR3 to RDA: First draft of Pt. 1 review

What did we do? What did we learn?

Comments received

What decisions were made? A new direction Process for moving forward

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Constituency review of Part 1: Who participated?

JSC constituencies (ALA etc.) Within ALA: CC:DA

ALCTS/CCS Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access

Other International rule makers Other communities…

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Specialist communities

Anglo American Cataloguing Committee for Cartographic Materials

Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIM)

ISSN International Centre

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Other metadata communities

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) via DC-libraries discussion list

Needed feedback from other communities too!

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What did we hear? Need more radical change

Make the rules more metadata-friendly Simplify, simplify, simplify! Consider one element (e.g. “title”) all at

once instead of in multiple places Separate display conventions

(e.g. ISBD Punctuation) from the rules themselves

Need more connection to FRBR in Pt. 1

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What did we hear? Be cost-effective AACR2 and RDA records must be

compatible Minimize need for maintenance on

existing records Consider costs of retraining catalogers

and rewriting documentation Future training will be easier using

streamlined, modernized rules Resulting documentation can be

simpler, easier to maintain.

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What did we hear? Keep the best of AACR2

New code should still contain many AACR2 rules Keep what works, simplify where possible

Maintain, but modify, the connection between RDA and the ISBDs Refer to the ISBDs as possible display

standards (Appendix) Catalogers can still create ISBD-

compatible records using the new code.

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Identifying the major stakeholders

Catalogers as well as Library administrators Cataloging educators Public Service librarians System developers Metadata communities MARC format developers National and international programs

(PCC, ISSN, IFLA, etc.)

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Re-examining the big picture Economic considerations for

institutions that use the rules Digital developments and emerging

technologies Need to engage with other

communities outside the library world

Relationship between cataloging and metadata

Changing Direction:…from AACR3…

…to RDA: Resource Description and Access

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RDA will be A new standard for resource

description and access Designed for the digital environment

Web-based product (also loose-leaf) Description and access of all digital

resources (and analog) Resulting records usable in the digital

environment (Internet, Web OPACs, etc.)

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RDA will be Multinational content standard providing

bibliographic description and access for all media

Developed for use in English language communities; it can also be used in other language communities

Independent of the format (e.g., MARC 21) used to communicate information

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Purpose for RDA

Support FRBR user tasks Find, identify, select, obtain

Enable users of library catalogues, etc. to find and use resources appropriate to their information needs

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RDA Structure (Proposed) General introduction Part I – Resource description Part II - Relationships Part III – Authority control (Access point

control) Appendices

Capitalization, Numerals, Initial articles, Abbreviations

Presentation (ISBD display, OPAC display, etc.)

Glossary Index

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General Introduction (Proposed) Purpose and scope of the code Underlying objectives and

principles Related standards and guidelines

Keep brief but possibly with links to full text of the relevant principles and concept documents

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RDA – Part I (Proposed) • Introduction• General guidelines for resource

description• Identification of the resource• Technical description• Content description• Information on terms of availability• Item-specific information

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RDA – Part I (Proposed) Data elements/attributes for

description of resources Purpose and scope (FRBR user tasks) Source for the attribute How to record the attribute Notes pertaining to the attribute Attribute as access point

• Controlled• Uncontrolled

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RDA - Part I (Proposed)GMD/SMD vs. Type and Form of Carrier

Print and graphic media

Micrographic media Tactile media Three-dimensional

media Audio media Projected graphic,

film, video media Digital media

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RDA - Part I (Proposed) Type and Form of Content

Text Music Cartographic Resources Graphics Three-dimensional

Resources Sound Moving Images Data, Software, and

Interactive Content

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RDA – Part II (Proposal) Relationships

Works Expressions Manifestations Items Persons Corporate bodies Families

Citations Works Expressions Manifestations Items

Simplify choice of primary access point for citations of works

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Updated Terminology

AACR2 terms

Heading

Main Entry

Added Entry

Uniform title

RDA termsAccess pointPrimary Access pointSecondary Access

pointCitation: Access point…

For a workFor an expressionFor a manifestation

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RDA Part III (Proposal)

Authority control / Access point management General guidelines Authorized forms

• Persons, Families, Corporate bodies, Places• Citations for works, etc.

Variant forms

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Proposals for Part 3: Authority Control Clarify rules for Uniform Titles

Collocation, Identification/Differentiation Rename as “citations”

Integrates AACR2 Chapter 26 (References) into other chapters

Rules for Citations (uniform titles) for works expanded to include Expression-Level Citations

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FRBR Entities Group 1: Work, Expression,

Manifestation, Item Products of intellectual or artistic

endeavor: Group 2: Person, Corporate Body

Those responsible for intellectual or artistic content

Group 3: Concept, Object, Event, Place Serve as subjects of works

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FRBR Group 1 Entities

Work

Expression

Manifestation

Item

Goethe’s “Faust”

L. Filmore’s English translation of Faust

As published by W. Smith, 1847

The copy owned by my library

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Citations for Works and Expressions

Classics of literature vs. scientific studies Examples in the OCLC database

Stephen King• 102 works, 231 manifestations

Shakespeare’s Hamlet• 1 work, 2696 manifestations

Rowling, J.K. (Harry Potter stories)• 28 works, 300 manifestations

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RDA Structure (Proposed)

General introduction Part I – Resource description Part II - Relationships Part III – Authority control (Access point

control) Appendices

Capitalization, Numerals, Initial articles, Abbreviations

Presentation (ISBD display, OPAC display, etc.)

Glossary Index

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Appendices (Proposal) Capitalization Numerals Initial articles Abbreviations Presentation of descriptive and authority

data Glossary

Possibly hypertext links from text to glossary terms

Index

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RDA Timeline (Proposal) July 2005: Prospectus Oct. 2005-April 2006: Completion of draft

of Part I, and constituency review May-Sept. 2006: Completion of draft of

Part II, and constituency review Oct. 2006-Apr. 2007: Completion of draft

of Part III, and constituency review May-Sept. 2007: Completion of General

Introduction, Appendices, and Glossary  2008: Publication

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Where are we now? Coming very soon: RDA Part 1

December 2005-March 2006 constituency review

Public review??? Watch the JSC website and Autocat for

announcements:http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc

Drafts of other parts will follow ca. every 6 months

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AACR2

Final AACR2 update: 2005

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Citations

Data elements

FRBR

Authority control

Access points

Consistency

Content standard

Simplification

Principles

Summary

Thank you …

Questions???