RDA: Resource Description and Access

1. RDA: Resource Description and Access A Cataloguing Code for the Future -- Change or Evolution? Svensk Biblioteksförenings kommitté för katalogisering 13 November 2007 Judith A. Kuhagen, Library of Congress Washington, D.C.

2. Katalog 2.0 • Does your conference theme also mean • Cataloguing 2.0? Yes! • Cataloguer 2.0? Yes! • What isn’t changing: responsibility to meet users’ needs!

3. Reactions to change • “Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history.” ~ Joan Wallach Scott • But also: challenge, opportunity, improvement!

4. Future of cataloguers? • “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ~ Author unknown, commonly misattributed to Charles Darwin

5. “Emotions” of change • More threatening aspects of definitions: • to make [radically] different • to replace with another • especially if “change for the sake of change” • More reassuring aspects of definitions: • to undergo a modification of [for a new purpose] • to undergo transformation, transition

6. Change or evolution? • Question really is not appropriate as an “or” question because evolution is defined as • a process of change in a certain direction • the process of working out or developing

7. My answer? • RDA is both -- a change from the past and -- a transition into the future of Catalogue 2.0+ (and Cataloguing 2.0+/Cataloguer 2.0+)

8. Topics today • Why a new standard? • RDA goals • RDA standards, principles, and models • RDA structure and content • Proposals in “Access Point Control” draft • Preparing for RDA

9. New cataloging environment • Wide range of information carriers: wider depth & complexity of content • Metadata (bibliographic information) created by a wider range of personnel in and outside libraries • Some using new metadata schema (Dublin Core, etc.) • Descriptive data in digital form (ONIX, etc.) • Improved database structures

10. Standard for that environment • Align with conceptual models (FRBR, FRAD) to build well-formed metadata • Encourage use as a content standard for metadata schema • Encourage international applicability • Address current problems • Provide more consistency • Be principle-based (IME ICC) • To build cataloger’s judgment • Encourage application of FRBR/FRAD

11. Why not just keep revising AACR2? • AACR2 • 1978 • 1988 • 1998 • 2002

12. Background • 1997: International Conference on the Principles and Future Development of AACR, Toronto • Worldwide experts invited by the JSC • Reviewed principles • Content vs. display • Logical structure of the rules • Seriality • Internationalization

13. From AACR3 to RDA • April 2005 – decided to start afresh by rethinking and restructuring AACR3 • Came as a result of concerns that a revision of AACR2 would not accommodate digital resources • Adopted the name Resource Description and Access

14. International developments: IFLA • Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) • Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) • Updating of the 1961 “Paris Principles” • IFLA Meetings of Experts on an International Cataloguing Code

15. International developments: VIAF • Virtual International Authority File: • Linked system connecting existing authority files • Project: OCLC, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, Library of Congress, and now Bibliothèque de France • Not connected to RDA but such a project will allow easier use of RDA by non-English communities

16. VIAF OAI model

17. Other collaboration • RDA/ONIX framework for categorizing resources in all media for both libraries and the publishing industry • RDA/DC/IEEE/LOM/Semantic Web Data Modeling Meeting, London 2007 -- recommendations: • Make vocabularies for types of carrier, etc., available in SKOS or RDF schemas • Develop an RDA application profile for Dublin Core http://www.bl.uk/services/bibliographic/meeting.html

18. Implementationscenarios • Potential implementations of RDA: • Goal: Relational/object-oriented database structure! • Linked bibliographic and authority records • “Flat file” database structure (no links) http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/working2.html#ed-2

19. RDA goals

20. RDA will be … • A new standard for resource description and access • Designed for the digital environment • Developed as a web-based product (paper also available) • Description and access of all digital and analog resources • Resulting records usable in the digital environment (Internet, Web OPACs, etc.)

21. RDA will be … • A multinational content standard providing bibliographic description and access for the variety of media and formats collected by libraries today • Independent: • Of the encoding communication format (e.g., MARC 21, MODS, Dublin Core) • Of the display format (e.g., ISBD, OPAC labels)

22. Connection to ISBD • As a content standard, RDA does not use theInternational Standard Bibliographic Description order of data elements and prescribed punctuation • However, RDA description chapters based on foundation of ISBD elements as used in FRBR • Appendix for ISBD display of RDA records

23. “Audience” for RDA • Developed for use in English- language, “Western” environment • But intent to be more “neutral” so can also be used in other communities

24. Internationalization • Translations will substitute any specific terms in English • Changes in instructions to remove bias for English in choosing sources in the resource, forms of name, reference sources, etc. • Alternatives: language, script, numeric systems, calendars, etc. • More to be done in future: names in some languages, non-Western music, etc.

25. RDA will … • Support user tasks • Find, identify, select, obtain: FRBR • Find, identify, contextualize, justify: FRAD • Enable users* of library catalogues, etc., to find and use resources appropriate to their information needs * library staff, on-site users, remote users

26. Who develops and supports RDA?

27. JSC & Project Management Team Back: Tom Delsey, RDA editor; Hugh Taylor, CILIP; Barbara Tillett, LC; Alan Danskin, BL. Front: Deirdre Kiorgaard, ACOC and chair; John Attig, ALA; Marg Stewart, CCC; Nathalie Schulz, JSC secretary. Missing: Marjorie Bloss, Project Manager.

28. Creating RDA • Process of creating RDA • Editor prepares draft chapters • JSC reviews draft chapters • Editor revises draft chapters • JSC constituencies (and others -- including Swedish colleagues) review draft chapters • JSC considers comments and requests changes to text by the Editor

29. RDA structure and content

30. RDA 2006 structure • General introduction • Part A – Description and access • Part B – Access point control • Part C – Data about data • Appendices: • Capitalization, Abbreviations, Initial articles • Presentations of descriptive and authority data • Glossary & Index

31. RDA Nov. 2007 structure • General introduction • Attributes • Works and Expressions; Manifestations and Items • Persons, Families, Corporate Bodies • Concepts, Objects, Events, Places • Relationships • Works and Expressions; Manifestations and Items • Persons, Families, Corporate Bodies • Concepts, Objects, Events, Places • Appendices • Capitalization, Abbreviations, Initial articles • Presentation (ISBD display, etc.) • Controlled lists • Glossary • Index

32. Appendices A—Capitalization B—Abbreviations C—Initial articles D—Record syntaxes for descriptive data • ISBD, MARC 21 Bibliographic format displays E—Record syntaxes for access point control data • MARC 21 Authority format displays Appendices for controlled vocabulary lists • Role designations, relationship designations, types of carriers, types of content, etc.

33. New structure: Attributes Introduction General guidelines for resource description Resource identification - FRBR ”Identify” Carrier description - FRBR “Select” Content description - FRBR “Select” Acquisition and access information - FRBR “Obtain” [Former Part A content rearranged]

34. New structure: Relationships • Persons, families, corporate bodies associated with a resource • Relationships between FRBR Group 1 and Group 2 entities • Related resources • Relationships among FRBR Group 1 entities: Works, Expressions, Manifestations, Items FRBR “Find”

35. Names of entities: preferred, variant • General guidelines • Persons • Families • Corporate bodies • Places • Works, expressions, manifestations, and items • Additional instructions: Musical, legal, and religious works FRBR and FRAD “Find”

36. Data about data • Source of data • “Title from container” • “Description based on …” • Convention followed by agency for transliteration, etc.

37. AACR2 terms Heading Authorized heading Main Entry Added Entry Authority control Uniform title RDA terms Access point Preferred access point Access point/creator of work Access point Access point control Preferred title* New terminology *concept of naming the work: includes name of creator when applicable

38. New elements • Media, Carrier, and Content Types to replace GMDs • To be more comprehensive, e.g.: • File characteristics for digital materials • Video format characteristics • Custodial information for archival resources • Braille characteristics • URLs • Entity identifiers (person, corporate body, work) • Language of the person

39. Transcription • Importance of transcription of data to identify the resource varies • Rare books – very important! • Digital materials – not as important • “Take what you see” • Correction of inaccuracies elsewhere • Facilitating automated data capture

40. Organization within chapters • Elements and sub-elements • Similarities across all types of resources • “Required” or “optional” • Some additional instructions for certain types of resources or content • Some repetition of information due to development as a Web tool -- won’t be read in linear fashion

41. Customizing RDA • Instructions coded by type of content, mode of issuance, etc. • Can create a customized version of the Web-based RDA to see only the instructions you need or want to see • General + cartographic • General + serial etc.

42. Proposals in “Access Point Control” draft

43. Draft in Dec. 2007 • Announcement of draft & review • Posted on JSC site • Cover letter with explanations and specific topics to be considered • Draft of chapters • Comments due in March 2008

44. Access point control record • Context missing in AACR2: the access point control record itself • Some elements for both the access point itself and the access point control record (e.g., preferred name) • Some elements for the access point control record -- may be needed in access point to distinguish the entity (e.g., birthdate) • Some elements only for the access point control record (e.g., location of the corporate body)

45. Preview of proposals • No longer a “rule of 3” when naming the work (will be first-named creator) • Adding a chapter for Families • Clarifying separate identities for persons • Birth and death dates now separate elements (may still want to identify when displaying dates)

46. Proposals for naming works, etc. • Question for constituencies: Use original title or commonly-known title? • Current disagreement within IME ICC • No longer using “Selections” (doesn’t identify) • Won’t assign a preferred title to some aggregate works (doesn’t identify): for example, two works by one person • No longer using “Polyglot” (doesn’t identify) -- name separate expressions instead

47. Preparing for RDA …

48. Questions and answers • FAQ (“Frequently Asked Questions”) on adopting RDA and other topics available on the JSC Web site: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/rda.html

49. Decisions • Data elements • Required minimal number of mandatory elements (RDA 1.4) • Options for specific situations • Alternatives • Related to language, script, recording relationships, etc. • Encoding RDA elements • Display of RDA-based records

50. Coding RDA records • Most RDA elements can be incorporated into MARC 21 • Some changes/additions for MARC 21 (JSC working with MARBI), for example: • New “Descriptive rules” value for RDA • New data elements to replace GMDs • Controlled vocabularies (e.g., roles) • RDA and Dublin Core: mappings, further discussions