Resource Description and Access (RDA) A New Cataloging Standard for a Digital Future Jennifer Bowen NYLA Annual Meeting, Buffalo, NY October 26, 2005

2 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

3 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 Too book (print)-centered Part 1 chapter structure doesn’t work for digital materials Class of materials Outdated terminology A window of opportunity…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…

5 How did we get here? AACR

6 Supporting Organizational Structure

7 JSC, Editor, Project Manager

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

9 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

10 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)

11 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)

12 Virtual International Authority File (VIAF)

13 Strategic Plan for RDA an.html an.html

14 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)

15 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

16 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…

17 Specialist communities Anglo American Cataloguing Committee for Cartographic Materials Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIM) ISSN International Centre

18 Other metadata communities Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) via DC- libraries discussion list Needed feedback from other communities too!

19 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

20 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.

21 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.

22 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.)

23 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

25 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.)

26 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

27 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

28 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

29 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

30 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

31 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

32 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

33 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

34 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

35 Updated Terminology AACR2 terms Heading Main Entry Added Entry Uniform title RDA terms Access point Primary Access point Secondary Access point Citation: Access point… For a work For an expression For a manifestation

36 RDA Part III (Proposal) Authority control / Access point management General guidelines Authorized forms Persons, Families, Corporate bodies, Places Citations for works, etc. Variant forms

37 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

38 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

39 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

40 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

41 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

42 Appendices (Proposal) Capitalization Numerals Initial articles Abbreviations Presentation of descriptive and authority data Glossary Possibly hypertext links from text to glossary terms Index

43 RDA Timeline (Proposal) July 2005: Prospectus Oct April 2006: Completion of draft of Part I, and constituency review May-Sept. 2006: Completion of draft of Part II, and constituency review Oct Apr. 2007: Completion of draft of Part III, and constituency review May-Sept. 2007: Completion of General Introduction, Appendices, and Glossary 2008: Publication

44 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: Drafts of other parts will follow ca. every 6 months

45 AACR2 Final AACR2 update: 2005

46 Citations Data elements FRBR Authority control Access points Consistency Content standard Simplification Principles Summary

Thank you … Questions ???