Frequently Asked Questions

Understandably, many of you have asked
questions about the new standard for resource
 description and access, RDA: Resource
Description and Access. We have attempted to
capture a number of these questions and respond
to them in the following FAQ. Given that RDA is
a work in progress, we know there will be
additional questions as it is developed.
Consequently, we will add more questions to this
list as the months go on.

Table of contents
1. RDA Basics
1.1 What is RDA? 
1.2 What happened to AACR3?
1.3 Why did the name change to RDA - Resource
Description and Access?
1.4 Why is it necessary to issue a brand new
standard? (What's wrong with the old one?)

2. RDA Organization and Governance

2.1 Who is responsible for developing RDA?
2.2 To whom does the JSC report?
2.3 Are there others groups participating in the
development of RDA?
2.4 Who publishes RDA?
2.5 How does the JSC reach its decisions?

3. RDA Development
3.1 Is RDA envisioned as being used only by
libraries?
3.2 How does RDA relate to the Statement of
International Cataloguing Principles?
3.3 What is FRBR and what is its relationship to
RDA?

4. Details of RDA's Content

4.1 How will RDA be structured?
4.2 What does RDA include?
4.3 What does RDA not include?
4.4 Does RDA focus on the recording of data, the
presentation of data, or both?
4.5 Will ISBD punctuation be required in RDA?
4.6 Will there be a more comprehensive list of
GMDs (general material designation) and SMDs
(specific material designation) in RDA?
4.7 Will there be more flexibility in the inclusion
of specific elements in an RDA cataloguing
record; in other words, will there be “required”
and “not required” elements?
4.8 Many people have questioned the relevancy of
“main entry” especially in light of online systems.
How is RDA dealing with the concept of “main
entry”?
4.9 What happened to my favorite chapter on
_____ [fill in the blank: Music, Continuing
Resources, Cartographic materials, etc.]?
4.10 Will RDA have many examples?
4.11 How will multiple manifestations of the same
title be handled in RDA (the “multiple versions”
issue)?

5. Submitting Comments on RDA

5.1 What is the process for submitting comments
on or suggesting changes to RDA?

6. RDA's Effect on my Library

6.1 Will I have to make major changes to my
cataloguing records?
6.2 What will be the effect of RDA on my
integrated library system?
6.3 Will changes to catalogue displays be
required?

7. RDA Publication
7.1 When will RDA be issued for general use?
7.2 In what format(s) will RDA be issued?
7.3 What will RDA cost? 

8. RDA and MARC 21

8.1 Will RDA include instructions for MARC
coding along with the cataloguing instructions
8.2 How will RDA affect the way that records are
coded in MARC 21?

9. Adopting RDA
9.1 Will I need training when adopting RDA?
9.2 I currently use AACR2. Where can I expect to
see major differences in RDA?
9.3 What tools can we expect to have to help us
learn RDA? 
9.4 What about training for new staff and library
school students - people who are not familiar with
AACR2?
9.5 If ISBD will no longer be mandatory, will
RDA provide instructions for the order of
descriptive cataloguing data elements?
9.6 What sort of training will I need on RDA's
instructions on Access Point Control?
9.7 How will the online format of RDA assist in
training?
9.8 So what can we do to prepare for RDA?

10. Principles and Conceptual Models

10.1 Where can I find out about the principles and
conceptual models that form the foundation for
RDA?

11. Testing RDA New

11.1 I understand that there will be some testing of
RDA shortly after its first release. Can you explain
why this is being done?
11.2 What about the other national libraries
responsible for RDA content? Will they test RDA
similarly to the testing done in the United States?

12. RDA Testing by the three United States

National Libraries New
12.1 What is the purpose of the RDA testing?
12.2 Who will do the testing?
12.3 How will the U.S. National Libraries RDA
Test Steering Committee conduct their testing?
What methodologies will they use?
12.4 How long will the testing take place?
12.5 How will information about the testing be
disseminated?

1. RDA Basics
1.1 What is RDA?
RDA stands for “Resource Description and
Access” and is the working title of the new
standard that will be the successor to AACR2.

1.2 What happened to AACR3?

In April 2005, the Joint Steering Committee for
the Revision of AACR (JSC) and its parent
organization, the Committee of Principals (CoP)
determined from comments received on the
revision of part I of AACR3 that they needed to
change their approach. After reviewing a number
of alternatives, they decided that a new standard
designed for the digital environment was more
appropriate. Their vision included guidelines and
instructions that would cover description and
access for all digital and analog resources,
resulting in records that could be used in a variety
of digital environments (the Internet, Web
OPACs, etc.).

1.3 Why did the name change to RDA -

Resource Description and Access?
The name “RDA - Resource Description and
Access” reflects the changes both in format and
scope envisioned by the JSC and CoP at their
April 2005 meeting. RDA will be a new standard
for resource description and access designed for
the digital world. RDA will provide:
 A flexible framework for describing all
resources - analog and digital
 Data that is readily adaptable to new and
emerging database structures
 Data that is compatible with existing records
in online library catalogues.

1.4 Why is it necessary to issue a brand

new standard? (What's wrong with the
old one?)
AACR2 was first published in 1978. Although it
has been updated many times through the revision
process that was established by the JSC, it is
largely designed for an environment dominated by
the card catalog. TheInternational Conference
on the Principles and Future Development of
AACR that was held in Toronto in 1997 identified
substantive problems with AACR2. Although the
updates issued in the years following that
conference addressed some of these problems, it
became clear that a fundamental rethinking of the
code was required to respond fully to the
challenges and opportunities of the digital world.

2. RDA Organization and Governance

2.1 Who is responsible for developing

RDA?
The Joint Steering Committee for Development of
RDA (JSC), working with the RDA Editor, is
responsible for developing RDA. The JSC consists
of representatives from six major Anglo-American
cataloguing communities. These include the
American Library Association (ALA), the
Australian Committee on Cataloguing (ACOC),
the British Library (BL), the Canadian Committee
on Cataloguing (CCC), the Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals (CILIP),
and the Library of Congress (LC). The JSC and
RDA Editor are assisted by the JSC Secretary and
the RDA Project Manager. See the list of JSC
members.

2.2 To whom does the JSC report?

The JSC reports to the Committee of Principals
(CoP) - the directors or their representatives from
the Canadian, UK, and US professional library
associations, the British Library, Library and
Archives Canada, the Library of Congress, and the
National Library of Australia. Additional
information about the governance structure can be
found at http://www.aacr2.org/governance.html

2.3 Are there others groups participating

in the development of RDA?
Yes. Each member of the JSC has specific
constituencies with whom they work alongside
and whose perspectives and comments they
constantly monitor and share with other JSC
members. JSC has also established an Outreach
Group, charged with identifying and working with
others who have a stake in RDA outcomes (such
as library administrators, library school educators,
library management systems vendors, the
metadata community, other national and
international organizations, etc.).
Other groups are currently participating in the
preparation of RDA. They include the Appendices
Working Group (revising the appendices on
capitalization, abbreviations, and initial articles),
and two RDA Examples Groups (reviewing and
updating examples for inclusion in RDA).

2.4 Who publishes RDA?

The Co-Publishers, consisting of the three national
associations (The American Library Association,
the Canadian Library Association, and the
Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals) are responsible for issuing RDA.
The three associations serve as joint publishers for
RDA, both for the online product and any offline
products. Additional information can be found
athttp://www.aacr2.org/index.html

2.5 How does the JSC reach its decisions?

The process used by the JSC to reach decisions is
grounded in repeated and thorough consultation
with the constituent communities and other
stakeholders. When reaching final decisions about
RDA, members of the JSC have a framework of
understanding on the value of compromise and the
need to reach mutually satisfying agreements
within the JSC.
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3. RDA Development

3.1 Is RDA envisioned as being used only

by libraries?
RDA is built on the foundations established by
the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR).
It will provide a comprehensive set of guidelines
and instructions on resource description and
access covering all types of content and media.
The new standard is being developed for use
primarily in libraries, but consultations are being
undertaken with other communities (archives,
museums, publishers, educators, book dealers, ILS
vendors, etc.) in an effort to attain effective levels
of alignment between RDA and the metadata
standards used in those communities.

3.2 How does RDA relate to the

Statement of International Cataloguing
Principles?
RDA is being developed concurrently with the
work being undertaken by IFLA (the International
Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions) to revise the 1961 Paris Principles.
They are separate projects, but the work of each is
being carried out with an awareness of the work
being done by the other, related project. A formal
relationship exists between the JSC and IFLA and
this is supplemented by overlap in working group
memberships. Members of the JSC participated in
the first of the series of meetings by the
international cataloguing experts and have
continued to participate in the ongoing work on
the Statement of International Cataloguing
Principles.

3.3 What is FRBR and what is its

relationship to RDA?
The acronym “FRBR” stands for Functional
Requirements for Bibliographic Records. FRBR
was developed by an IFLA Study Group (1992-
1997), and IFLA continues to monitor the
application of FRBR and promotes its use.
FRBR includes a conceptual model of entities and
relationships and attributes; identifies specific user
tasks that bibliographic records are intended to
fulfill: find, identify, select, obtain; and
recommends a set of elements for inclusion in
national bibliographic records.
FRBR provides the conceptual foundation for
RDA. RDA will include the FRBR terminology
when appropriate (for example, use of the names
of bibliographic entities: “work”, “expression”,
“manifestation”, and “item”), will use the FRBR
attributes as the basis for specific data elements to
be included in bibliographic descriptions, will
address FRBR relationships, and will use the
FRBR user tasks (Find, Identify, Select, Obtain)
as the basis for defining a set of mandatory data
elements. RDA will also use FRAD (Functional
Requirements for Authority Data) as the basis for
instructions on authority control.
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4. Details of RDA's Content

4.1 How will RDA be structured?

At its October 2007 meeting, the JSC agreed on a
Information about updates and documentation
related to U.S. National Libraries' testing plan as
well as training materials and other related
information will be shared with formal test
partners and any others desiring such information
at the U.S. National Libraries' RDA test web
site:http://www.loc.gov/bibliographic-future/rd
a/
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http://www.rda-jsc.org/rdafaq.html
Last updated: 18 January 2010
Webmaster: JSC Secretary