This document provides an overview of RDA implementation: - RDA was developed as a replacement for AACR2 and incorporates FRBR principles. It has been implemented by the Library of Congress since 2013. - The transition to RDA involves changes to authority and bibliographic records, new MARC fields, and a shift in terminology and cataloging rules. Full implementation will take time as existing records are gradually enhanced. - Libraries are making local decisions about how and when to adopt RDA based on available resources and priorities. Careful planning is needed to train staff, test systems changes, and communicate the transition to users.

1. RDA “State of the Union”
John Baga, Monographic Cataloger
jbaga@library.msstate.edu
Bob Wolverton, Database Maintenance/Authority Control
Librarian
bwolverton@library.msstate.edu

2. • 2005: Began as AACR3
• 2005: Renamed Resource Description and
Access and integrated principles of FRBR
• 2008: Draft of RDA published
• 2010: RDA Toolkit published in June
• 2013: RDA officially implemented by LC

3. • Post March 31, 2013
– All new authority records must be established and
coded according to RDA
– National libraries are contributing only RDA
bibliographic records

4. • LC/PCC Implementation Phase 2
– March 27: 372,000 authority records have been
changed to incorporate abbreviation substitutions
like ca., fl., d., b., Dept., etc.
• April 8: Similar automated changes began for
associated headings in bibliographic records
– Other changes include:
• Bible headings, violoncello changed to cello, and
uniform titles with “Selections” changed to “Works.
Selections”

5. • OCLC Policy: still accepting AACR2 bibliographic
records, but
– Do not create duplicate records (one in RDA, another in
AACR2) for the same resource
– Never revert an RDA record to AACR2
• Do it locally if you wish
– Do not remove GMDs
• [sound recording], [videorecording], [electronic resource]
• Mix of AACR2 and RDA records will increase
• Hybrid records will exist (RDA and AACR2
elements on a single record)

6. • Cataloging community is drafting best
practices




7. • Post April 2013: Online access to AACR2 via
RDA Toolkit subscription
– Cataloger’s Desktop no longer provides access
without a subscription to the RDA Toolkit…
• RDA Toolkit is still being edited for readability
• Some examples are misleading and even wrong
“The more I get into it, the more it seems like kabbalah
or a plot outline from Tolkien, or at worst, the Internal
Revenue Code.”—Aaron Kuperman, Library of Congress.

8. • Has not effected user experience yet…?
– Many RDA fields are not yet indexed or displaying
in OPACs
– AACR2 records will outnumber RDA records in our
local catalogs for a while

9. Save the Date
• March 31, 2016: OCLC’s day 1 for removing
GMDs from all existing bibliographic records
• Post 2016: MARC Replacement via LC’s
Bibliographic Framework (BibFrame)

10. Bad News
• RDA will be a hassle initially
– Retraining is costly and time consuming
– RDA Toolkit is expensive and difficult to use
– More time spent on authority work and original
cataloging
– Inconsistency with legacy data
– Benefits of RDA will not be seen until more OPACs
support FRBR

11. Good News
• RDA is not so bad
– Mainly cosmetic changes
– Spelling out abbreviations should help patrons
– Enhances authority records with more information,
and reduces undifferentiated name headings
– FRBR should improve access and OPAC
functionality
– First stage in a progression towards linked data
• Interconnected data on the Semantic Web, i.e. the way
Wikipedia works

12. New MARC Fields for Authorities
• 046 – Special Coded Dates
• 370 – Associated Place
• 371 – Address
• 372 – Field of Activity
• 373 – Affiliation
• 374 – Occupation
• 375 – Gender
• 376 – Family Information
• 377 – Associated Language
• 378 – Fuller Form of Personal Name
• 380 – Form of Work
• 678 – Biographical or Historical Data

13. Authority Records
• More relationships established
– 110 2# $a Rolling Stones
500 1# $i Group member: $a Mick Jagger
• Distinguishing attributes to authority records
– Fields of activity and occupations
• 372 Political science $2 lcsh
• 374 Journalists $2 lcsh
– Usage of qualifiers
• 100 1# Smith, John $c (Historian)

16. Authority Records Cont.
• Avoid a split file
– Any expression (name-title) record should be coded
RDA if it is based on an RDA name authority record
• LC Policy: When editing existing authority
records, NACO cataloger should evaluate and
recode it as RDA
• PCC Policy: Unless correcting a conflict, do not
change an existing heading by adding or
removing a fuller form of name

17. This is not RDA 101
• FRBR
• Theory
• All new MARC fields
• Every change in RDA

18. New Ways of Thinking
• Information taken from anywhere on the source
– Brackets only used for outside sources, e.g. websites
• Transcribe what you see on the piece
– Even abbreviations!
– Typos without [sic] or [i.e.]
• More cataloger’s judgment
– Many decisions are optional

19. • Latin abbreviations are gone
AACR2 RDA
S.l. (Sine loco) [Place of publication not identified]
s.n. (sine nomine) [publisher not identified]
[et al.] [and others]
ca. (circa) approximately
[sic]

20. AACR2 RDA
p. pages
v. volumes
1 v. (unpaged) unnumbered pages
col. ill. color illustrations
b&w black and white
Pub. Co. Publishing Company
Dept. Department
Jan. January
N.J. New Jersey
bk. book
2nd rev. ed. Second revised edition
[18--?] [between 1800 and 1899?]
cm cm
in. in.

21. Transcribe What You See
 245 10 CHANGING NORMS IN GLOBALIZATION
 245 10 $a Letters From an Athiest
246 1# $i Title should read: $a Letters from an atheist
 245 10 $a ArChiTecTs GoNe WiLd!
LC is sticking with AACR2 capitalization rules
One librarian’s concern: “The title is the first thing a
user looks at in the catalog and when they start seeing
some in all caps, some with spelling mistakes, etc., this
really does make us look bad.”

22. New Terminology
AACR2 RDA
Chief source of information Preferred source
Heading Access point
Controlled heading Authorized Access Point (AAP)
Main entry Preferred access point
Author Creator
Editor/translator Contributor
Area of description Element
??? Attributes
??? Entities
??? Manifestations

23. New MARC Fields (33X)
• 336 – Content Type
• 337 – Media Type
• 338 – Carrier Type
Book
336 ## $a text $2 rdacontent
337 ## $a unmediated $2 rdamedia
338 ## $a volume $2 rdacarrier
DVD (AACR2) DVD (RDA)
$h [videorecording] 336 ## $a two-dimensional moving image $b tdi $2
rdacontent
337 ## $a video $b v $2 rdamedia
338 ## $a videodisc $b vd $2 rdacarrier

24. New MARC Fields Cont.
• 344 – Sound characteristics
• 346 – Video characteristics
• 347 – Digital file characteristics
Digital file characteristics
347 ## $a video file $b Blu-Ray $2 rda
347 ## $a text file $b PDF $2 rda
Sound characteristics
344 ## $a digital $g stereo $2 rda
344 ## $a digital $g surround $h Dolby Digital 5.1 $2 rda
Video characteristics
346 ## $a VHS $b NTSC $2 rda

25. New MARC Fields for Music
• 382 – Medium of performance
• 383 – Numeric Designation of a Musical Work
• 384 – Key
Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata
100 1# $a Beethoven, Ludwig van, $d 1770-1827. $t Sonatas,
$m piano, $n no. 14, op. 27, no. 2, $r C# minor
382 ## $a piano
383 ## $a no. 14, $b op. 27, no. 2
384 ## $a C# minor

26. Production, Publication, Distributor,
Manufacturer, Copyright Date
• 264 replaces the 260
– Used for all new original RDA records
– 260 in RDA records may be changed to 264
– 260/264 may co-exist in AACR2 and RDA records
Publication, Distributor, and Copyright Date
264 #1 $a Syracuse, New York : $b [publisher not identified], $c 2010.
264 #2 $a [Place of distribution not identified] : $b Elect Distributors, $c 2012.
264 #4 $c ©2009

27. Published Materials
Publication 264 #1 $a Syracuse, New York : $b [publisher
not identified], $c 2010.
Distributor 264 #2 $a [Place of distribution not
identified] : $b Elect Distributors, $c 2012.
Manufacture 264 #3 $a Starkville, Miss. : $b Redwood, $c
[date of manufacture not identified]
Copyright
date
264 #4 $c ©2009
Unpublished Materials
Production 264 #0 $a [Starkville, Mississippi?] : $b
[producer not identified], $c [1980?]

28. 264 “Cascading Vortex of Horror”
Chain of 264s when publisher not identified
264 #1 $a Jackson, Miss. : $b [publisher not identified], $c [date of publication not
identified]
264 #2 $a [Place of distribution not identified] : $b [distributor not identified], $c
[date of distribution not identified]
264 #3 $a [Place of manufacture not identified] : $b [name of manufacturer not
identified], $c [date of manufacture not identified]
264 #4 $c ℗2002

29. Other MARC Changes
• 250 is repeatable:
• Some “Extent” terms have changed:
• 7XX $i – Relationship designation
AACR2 RDA
300 ## $a 1 sound disc 300 ## $a 1 audio disc
300 ## $a 1 CD-ROM 300 ## $a 1 computer disc
Edition Statement
250 ## First edition.
250 ## Special edition.
Relationship designation
700 1# $i Parody of (work) $a Carroll, Lewis, $d 1832-1898. $t Alice’s adventures in Wonderland
700 1# $i Translation of: $a Mitchell, Margaret, $d 1900-1949. $t Gone with the wind
• 502 has subfields:
Thesis Note
502 ## $b Ph.D $c Yale University $d 2013.

30. Interesting…
• Fictitious characters may now have name
headings and be authors
– 100 #0 $a Darth Vader (Fictitious character)

31. Relationship Designators
• Known as relator codes in AACR2, e.g. $e ill.
• RDA puts more emphasis on utilizing these
– But they are optional
• The “role” a person or corporate body plays
Relationship Designators
710 2# $a Miramax Home Entertainment (Firm), $e production company.
700 1# $a Gorey, Edward, $d 1925-2000, $e illustrator.
700 1# $a Eastwood, Clint, $d 1930- $e film producer, $e film director, $e actor.

32. Identifying an RDA Record
• 040 $e rda
• 336/337/338
• Absence of abbreviations and Latin terms
• Desc coded as i

33. Follow cm with a period only if
490 follows immediately after.
“One wonders if RDA would have
been adversely affected if
someone sequestered the entire
Joint Steering Committee on the
day they came up with this
rule?”—Aaron Kuperman,
Library of Congress

34. Converting Records: LC/PCC
LC Policy: Do not apply RDA “rules”, like
choice of entry, to AACR2 records unless
recoding the record as RDA
– Do not touch existing 130, 240, 7XX
PCC Policy: Any AACR2 records you
upgrade should be recoded to RDA

35. Converting Records: OCLC
• OCLC Policy: AACR2 monographic records can
be converted to RDA only if the cataloger has
the original resource in hand
• OCLC will perform a global “hybridization” of
AACR2 records to include RDA elements e.g.
spelled out abbreviations, 33X, etc.

36. Enhancing
• In the meantime, you may enhance AACR2 records to
include the following:
– Add more names to the statement of responsibility and as
access points
– Convert 260 to 264, or add additional 264 if needed
– Change Latin abbreviations to their RDA equivalent, e.g.
“S.l.” to [Place of publication not identified]
– Spell out non-transcribed abbreviations, e.g. illustrations
– Add 33X fields
– Add relationship designators, e.g. $e author
• Refer to PCC’s Guidelines for Enhancing & Editing non-
RDA Monograph Records

37. Stay tuned for the
RDA Implementation Panel!

38. RDA Implementation
John Baga, Monographic Cataloger
jbaga@library.msstate.edu
Bob Wolverton, Database Maintenance/Authority Control
Librarian
bwolverton@library.msstate.edu

39. Do I have to use RDA?
• Almost all new records created
by LC are RDA
• LC’s National Authority File is
integrating RDA
– OCLC will not accept new AACR2
authority records
• OCLC still accepts AACR2
bibliographic records

40. Implementation Strategies
• Create an RDA implementation plan now
– Can you actually afford it?
– When will you start cataloging with RDA?
Decide on your Day 1.
– Will you do any retrospective cataloging?
– What is important to your patrons and
stakeholders?
• GMD?
– Who needs to be trained?

41. Systems
• Can your ILS handle RDA records?
• Talk with your systems administrator or ILS
vendor
• Do the new MARC fields display?
• What fields should you index?
• Create a test server for your ILS and OPAC

42. OPAC
• Retain GMD?
– How will the 33X co-exist with GMDs?
• Do the 336/337/338 fields display in your catalog?
– Which 33X to display is being debated by the community
– Display in brief or full record views?
• What other libraries think about the 33X:
– Do not make sense to the user
– Some are indexing these
– Some are hiding them from public display
– Others suggest indexing/displaying 336 and 338, but not
the 337

43. 337 Media Type

46. Copy Cataloging
• Accept RDA copy as-is?
– If accepting RDA records, train copy catalogers to
make local edits correctly.
• Convert AACR2 records to RDA in your local
catalog?
– Change AACR2 headings to be RDA compliant?
– Add relationship designators?
– Delete 33X fields?
– Put GMDs back in?

47. General Cataloging
• Begin examining RDA’s Core Elements
(required data in bibliographic records)
• Plan your training
– What does it mean for your backlog?
– Set a timeline and goal
– Use the latest resources
– Where to begin?

48. Original Cataloging
• Create a policy about which optional RDA
elements will be used in your cataloging
– Will you simply follow the LC-PCC Policy
Statements (new version of LCRIs)?
• Assign relationship designators?
– 100 $a Smith, John. $e author
– 100 $a Wilson, Sam. $e composer

49. Implementation Tips
• Train your copy catalogers right now to understand RDA
changes
– Create a simple cheat sheet
– Copy Cataloging New Monographs: Fields to Check
• Draft a list of local policy decisions and documentation
• Inform your technical and public staff what they’ll notice
immediately:
– No GMD
– Fewer abbreviations
– 33X fields
– 7XX relationship designators
– Some changes to headings

50. Implementation Tips
• Coordinate and communicate with all
departments
• Show library staff sample records
• Get feedback from staff and administrators

51. RDA Implementation at MSU
• Subscribed to the RDA Toolkit in summer 2012
• Completed RDA NACO authority training in late 2012
– Training webinars took a week
– Submitted authority records at our own pace to LC/PCC
reviewers
– Granted independence in creating RDA authority records
November 2012
• Currently undergoing RDA NACO series training
– Training webinars took three hours
– Review process may take several weeks
• Bibliographic training planned for late 2013

52. RDA Implementation at MSU
• MSU catalogers closely follow RDA-L, PCC-L,
OCLC-CAT, and AUTOCAT
• Keep technical services staff informed
• Specify what new fields and MARC changes
should be addressed to systems
• Systems created a test server for our ILS and
OPAC so we can experiment with RDA records

53. RDA Implementation at MSU
• Some deliberations
– Implications for consortium libraries
– Keep the GMD or not?
• Training copy catalogers
• Formal presentation to public services staff
and soliciting their feedback
• Our ILS (Sirsi) will load an RDA update in the
Fall

54. Suggested Implementation Plan
1) Train your copy catalogers to recognize RDA records
2) Make sure your ILS can handle RDA fields
3) Create test records in your system
4) Decide on what RDA fields should display
5) Review LC and PCC RDA documentation
6) Make local policy decisions
7) Train original catalogers to use RDA Toolkit
8) Complete the NACO training webinars (only if you wish to contribute
authority records)
9) Complete LC’s RDA bibliographic training webinars
10) Meet with your staff regularly
11) Make a presentation to your library about RDA
12) Monitor PCC website (or PCC-L) and OCLC-CAT for latest updates
13) Endure Enjoy RDA

55. Training Resources
• Terminology
– AACR2 Terminology vs. RDA Terminology
– Glossary of RDA and FRBR Terminology
• Implementation
– PCC’s Post RDA Implementation Guidelines and
Standards
– Building an RDA Implementation Strategy for your
Library (University of Chicago)
• Cataloging
– RDA Record Examples
– Changes From AACR2 to RDA

56. Webinars
• Bibliographic – LC RDA Training
• Authority - NACO RDA Bridge Training
• Series – NACO RDA Series Bridge Training
• Various formats – ALCTS Webinars
• Serials – CONSER training

57. New Publications
• Look for these at your nearest bookstore

58. Free Online Resources
• FRBR
– What is FRBR? A Conceptual Model for the Bibliographic Universe - http://www.loc.gov/cds/downloads/FRBR.PDF
• AACR2 Compared with RDA
– AACR2 Terminology vs. RDA Terminology - http://sdrv.ms/ZZxSLY
– AACR2 to RDA for audiovisual catalogers - http://ula.org/sites/ula.org/files/2011conference/pam%20powerpoint4-additions.pptm
– Changes from AACR2 to RDA - http://faculty.washington.edu/aschiff/
– RDA Changes from AACR2 in MARC Tag Order - http://special-cataloguing.com/node/1397
• RDA Cataloging by Format
– Electronic Resources - http://connect.ala.org/files/Cataloging%20Electronic%20Resources%20with%20RDA.pdf
– Music scores/sound recordings - http://www.rda-jsc.org/docs/10_3_24_MLAannmtg_SignificantchangesforcataloguingmusicAACR2vsRDA.pdf
– Videorecordings - http://notsl.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/2012-spring-lisius-3per.pdf
• RDA Implementation
– Building an RDA Implementation Strategy for your Library (University of Chicago) -
http://www.academia.edu/2286284/Building_an_RDA_Implementation_Strategy_for_Your_Library
– RDA Training and Implementation at University of Waterloo - http://subjectguides.uwaterloo.ca/content.php?pid=415563&sid=3397160
– Implementation and Coding Practices at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - http://sdrv.ms/ZZy4dW
• RDA MARC Fields
– RDA in MARC Bibliographic Data - http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/mergedProjects/helptop1/helptop1/variable_data_fields/rda_in_marc_bibliographic_data.htm
– RDA in MARC: Summary of Additions - http://www.loc.gov/marc/RDAinMARC.html
– RDA Content-Media-Carrier Values for Various Types of Resources - http://sdrv.ms/ZZybGk
• RDA Test Libraries Resources
– University of Chicago - http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/staffweb/depts/cat/rda.html
– North Carolina State University - https://staff.lib.ncsu.edu/confluence/display/MNC/RDA
• RDA Webinars
– ALCTS - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1AAFB573158DC4A1
– PCC RDA Training - http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/courses/
• RDA Record Examples http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/RDA%20training%20materials/SCT%20RDA%20Records%20TG/index.html
– CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs - http://lib.stanford.edu/cd-roms-and-dvd-roms-and-other-tangible-computer-file-carriers-floppies-cartridges-drives-etc-catalo
– Videos - http://lib.stanford.edu/metadata-department/clone-video-cataloging-guidelines
• Official Documentation and LC/PCC/OCLC Policies
– LC’s RDA Website - http://www.loc.gov/aba/rda/
– RDA Core Elements - http://www.loc.gov/aba/rda/pdf/core_elements.pdf
– OCLC RDA Policy Statement - https://www.oclc.org/en-US/rda/new-policy.html
– PCC Guidelines for the 264 Field - www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/documents/264-Guidelines.doc
– PCC Post RDA Implementation Guidelines and Standards - http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/rda/PCC%20RDA%20guidelines/Post-RDA-Implementation-Guidelines.html
– RDA and PCC - http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/rda/RDA%20Resources.html
– PCC’s Guidelines for Enhancing & Editing non-RDA Monograph Records - http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/rda/PCC%20RDA%20guidelines/Post-RDA-Implementation-
Guidelines.html#Hybrid
– RDA Toolkit - http://www.rdatoolkit.org/training