National Library of Australia

Resource Description and Access logo
Resource Description and Access

The Joint Steering Committee for the Revision of AACR (JSC) is currently working on a replacement for AACR to be called RDA: Resource Description and Access and scheduled to be published in 2009. ACOC is a joint author of RDA. ACOC responses are compiled from the comments of ACOC members at Meetings, and from comments received from the ACOC Focus Group on RDA Proposals.

RDA will be an important buidling block in the creation of better catalogues and resource discovery systems. It will provide for the creation of metadata which meets users' needs for data content and also facilitates machine manipulation of that data for searching and display.

RDA focuses on the data elements needed to meet the user tasks specified in the FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) and FRAD (Functional Requirements for Authority Records) conceptual models. The use of FRBR concepts will allow the relationships between multiple versions of a resource to be presented to users in a meaningful way.

Drafts of RDA

Drafts of RDA are available on the JSC website where you will also find further information on RDA including a Prospectus, and FAQ

Implementation of RDA

A full draft of RDA and a prototype of the RDA Online product are scheduled for release in the last quarter of 2008. The final release of RDA is planned for mid-2009 with implementation in early 2010.

The British Library, Library and Archives Canada, the Library of Congress and the National Library of Australia have agreed on a coordinated implementation of RDA and have issued a statement confirming this.

The Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Agricultural Library have also issued a joint statement on RDA.

As more detailed plans are developed, information on how training and implementation will occur in Australia will be provided.

Training courses and seminars on RDA

A list of currently available Australian training courses and seminars on RDA can be viewed here.

FAQs for Australian libraries

FAQs on RDA providing information from an Australian library perspective can be viewed here.

Presentations and articles on RDA

Influence of FRBR on RDA
Barbara Tillett, Chief, Cataloging Policy & Support Office, Library of Congress
American Library Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, June 28, 2008

Getting ready for RDA: what you need to know
RDA Implementation Task Force, ALCTS/CCS
American Library Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, June 28, 2008

An introduction to FRAD
Glenn E. Patton
American Library Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, June 28, 2008

Resource Description and Access - presentation to South Australian libraries [slides]
Presentation notes [text]
Pam Gatenby, Assistant Director-General, Resource Sharing, National Library of Australia, May 2008

Resource Description and Access Background/Overview
Barbara Tillett, Chief, Cataloging Policy & Support Office, Library of Congress
May 14, 2008

Putting RDA: Resource Description and Access into context
Alan Danskin, Data Quality & Authority Control Manager, British Library, May 2008

Resource Description and Access - since we last met
Marjorie E. Bloss, RDA Project Manager RDA, April, 2008

FRBR - a refresher course
Marjorie E. Bloss, RDA Project Manager RDA, April, 2008

RDA: a new cataloguing standard for a digital future
John Attig, ALA Representative to the Joint Steering Committee
RDA Update Forum, ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 13, 2008

Resource Description and Access : RDA Activities Since June 2007
Marjorie E. Bloss, RDA Project Manager
RDA Update Forum, ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 13, 2008

Changing to RDA
Chris Oliver, Chair RDA Outreach Group
Feliciter Vol. 53 No. 5 (2007)