RDA: Resource Description and Access

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RDA Resource Description and Access

• Matthew Beacom
• New York Technical Services Librarians
• May 20, 2005
• Based on work by Dr. Barbara Tillett
• 2005

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As Rosanne Rosannadanna said, Never mind.

• Before April 2005 JSC meeting
• These Old Rules Rebuilding AACR for the 21st
  Century
• After April 2005 JSC meeting
• Resource Description and Access (RDA)
• Draft of AACR3 Part 1 -gt Feedback -gt a course
  correction -gt RDA

3
Outline of this talk

• The feedback and the review process
• Draft of Part 1, responses, course correction
• A new content standard for resource description
  and access RDA
• Adjustments to the process for draft, review, and
  production

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Review of AACR3 Part I Draft

• Structure and organization rework
• Closer connection to FRBR
• General instructions as well as supplementary and
  special instructions applying to specific types
  of content, media, or mode of issuance will be
  grouped together under the relevant element of
  the description.

5
Review of AACR3 Part I Draft

• Focus for the description / Sources of
  information - make this clearer
• LC proposal and Editor follow-up document
• Generalization response generally positive,
  some reservations
• GMDs agree change needed, no agreed on
  direction proposed
• Working Group on type/form of content and
  type/form of carrier

6
Review of AACR3 Part I Draft

• Unpublished form too book-centric
• LC rule revision for archival/mss. needs
• Self-describing and not self-describing
• Successively issued parts integrating - avoid
  separate chapters
• Editor will place following general rule with
  clear scope
• Not use Area 3 numbering for multipart
  monographs (return to use for serials only)

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Review of AACR3 Part I Draft

• Technical description - general rules separated
  from specific rules for each type of
  content/carrier criticism about the arrangement
• Editor will combine with clear scope for each
• Separate type/form of content and type/form of
  carrier from extent for more flexibility
• Simplification didnt go far enough
• LC proposal (example) for publication area

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Review of AACR3 Part I Draft

• Responding to comments
• JSC to review Discussion guide (compilation of
  comments)
• Where consensus Editor will incorporate into
  next draft
• Where no consensus JSC will work on proposals

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Review of AACR3 Part I Draft --process evaluation

• Process was difficult for all
• Access to draft problematic for many
• Time for review too short for all
• Compiling comments crushing
• Outreach (beyond JSC constituent groups) limited
• Back channels used to reach JSC
• Using criticism well is challenging

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Review of AACR3 Part I Draft process evaluation

• Process was successful
• CCDA alone produced voluminous and critical
  (insightful, thoughtful, etc.) comment
• Editorial team--CoP, JSC, and editorused
  feedback boldly and creatively to make
  significant course correction
• Editorial team revising content
• Editorial team revising process
• Thank you to everyone who participated!
• Please, stay engaged in the process.

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RDA is

• A new content standard for resource description
  and access designed for the digital environment
• Web-based product (also in print, 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 is

• A multinational content standard for providing
  bibliographic description and access
• Developed for use in English language
  communities it can also be used in other
  language communities
• Independent of the format (e.g. MARC21) used to
  communicate information

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Purpose of RDA

• Enable users of library catalogs, etc. to find
  and use resources appropriate to their
  information needs
• Support FRBR user tasks
• Find, identify, select, obtain
• Extend beyond FRBR user tasks
• Use resources
• Manage collections

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Vision for RDA

• Easy to use and interpret
• Operates in an online, Web-based environment
• Applies to all types of media analog and digital
  
• Compatible with other standards for resource
  description and retrieval
• Useful and used beyond the library community
• Useful and used worldwide (but derived from
  English language conventions and customs)
• Principle-based

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RDA structure (Proposed)

• General introduction
• Part I - Description
• Part II - Relationships
• Part III Authority control
• Appendices
• ISBD display, OPAC display, other displays
• Abbreviations, capitalization, numbers
• Glossary

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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
• Data elements/attributes for description of
  resources
• Purpose and scope (FRBR user tasks)
• Source for the attribute
• How to record the attribute
• Attribute as access point
• Controlled
• Uncontrolled

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RDA - Part I (Proposed) Types of Content

• Text
• Music
• Cartographic Resources
• Graphics
• Three-dimensional Resources
• Sound
• Moving Images
• Data, Software, and Interactive Content

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RDA - Part I (Proposed)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 1 (Proposed) What it might look like
Outline for Part I

• Introduction
• Chapter 0. General Instructions
• Chapter 1. Identification of the resource
• Chapter 2. Technical description
• Chapter 3. Content description
• Chapter 4. Related resources
• Chapter 5. Sourcing information
• Chapter 6. Item specific information
• Appendix A Presentation of descriptive data

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RDA Part 1 (Proposed) What it might look like

• Chapter 1. Identification of the resource
• 1.0 Purpose, scope, etc.
• 1.1 Title
• 1.2 Statement of responsibility
• 1.3 Edition
• 1.4 Numbering
• 1.5 Place of publication, distribution, etc.
• 1. etc.

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RDA Part 1 (Proposed) What it might look like

• 1.1 Title
• 1.1.0 Basic instructions for recording titles
• 1.1.1 Title proper
• 1.1.2 Parallel title
• 1.1.7 Notes pertaining to title

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RDA Part 1 (Proposed) What it might look like

• 1.1.1 Title proper
• 1.1.1.1 Definition
• 1.1.1.2 Sources of information
• Choosing the title proper
• 1.1.1.3 Titles in two or more languages
• Recording the title proper
• 1.1.1.9 Basic instructions for recording the
• Change in the title

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RDA Part II (Proposed)

• 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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RDA Part II (Proposed)

• Review AACR2 Ch. 21 special rules
• Musical
• Art
• Legal
• Religious
• Academic
• JSC proposals to eliminate, simplify, etc.

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Work/Expression Records

• Classics of literature vs. scientific studies
• Examples in the OCLC database
• Stephen King
• 102 works, 231 manifestations
• Shakespeares Hamlet
• 1 work, 2696 manifestations
• Rowling, J.K. (Harry Potter stories)
• 28 works, 300 manifestations

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RDA Part III (Proposed)

• Authority control

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Appendices (Proposed)

• ISBD and other display standards
• Abbreviations
• Capitalization
• Numbers
• Glossary
• Possibly hypertext links from text to glossary
  terms

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RDA Timeline (Proposed)

• July 2005 Prospectus distributed (an outline
  overview of RDA)
• Oct. 2005-April 2006 Completion of draft of Part
  I, and constituency stakeholder review
• May-Sept. 2006 Completion of draft of Part II,
  and constituency stakeholder review
• Oct. 2006-Apr. 2007 Completion of draft of Part
  III, and constituency stakeholder review
• May-Sept. 2007 Completion of General
  Introduction, Appendices, and Glossary
•  2008 Publication (July 2008)

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Adjusting the review process

• Access to drafts remains limited
• Constituent group review continues
• Reaching out to stakeholders, etc.
• Vendors, ILMS, etc.
• Other metadata groups, DCMI, VRA, etc.
• Library administrators, PCC, Big Heads, etc.
• Other rule makers, RAK, IFLA, etc.
• JSC Outreach Group how to use it?

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Next JSC meeting

• October 10-13, 2005 in London, England
• Build on Prospectus responses to it
• Work on draft of RDA part 1

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JSC Public Web Site

• http//www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/index.html

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Summary
Authority control
Citations
Access points
Data elements
Consistency
Simplification
FRBR
Principles
Content standard
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Thank you!

• Questions?