Overview of the U.S. RDA Test
by Tina Shrader
Cataloging Section Head and CONSER Coordinator
National Agricultural Library
June 28, 2010
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Acknowledgments
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Some slides adapted from Barbara Tillett
Editing assistance from members of the
U.S. RDA Test Coordinating Committee
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Presentation Outline
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RDA development and background
U.S. national test background
U.S. national test methodology
Informal testing opportunities
Q&A
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What is RDA?
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The successor to AACR2
Closely aligned with FRBR, etc.
Designed for the digital world
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Intended for use as an online product
Description and access of all resources
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All types of content and media
Creating records that are usable beyond
traditional library systems (e.g. linked data on
the web)
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U.S. RDA Test
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Library of Congress
National Agricultural Library
National Library of Medicine
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U.S. RDA test
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Participants
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U.S. National Libraries
Academic, research, school, public,
special, and museum libraries
Archives
Consortia
Book jobbers
LIS educators and students
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U.S. RDA Test: Goals
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“… to assure the operational,
technical, and economic feasibility
of RDA.”
To ascertain how well RDA meets its
own stated goals as a rule set for
cataloging
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U.S. RDA Test: Goals
RDA’s goals as a rule set include:
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Rules should be easy to use and interpret
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Be applicable to an online environment
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Provide effective bibliographic control for all types of media
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Encourage use beyond the library community
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Be compatible with other similar standards
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Have a logical structure based on internationally agreed
principles
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Separate content and carrier data
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Examples – more of them, more appropriate
Based on slide from Ann Chapman, UKOLN
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U.S. RDA Test: Timeline
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June 2010 RDA Toolkit released
June-Aug.31 Free access to RDA
toolkit
June-Sept. 30 Training and practice
period for formal testers
Oct. 1-Dec. 31 U.S. test of RDA
Jan-Mar 2011 analysis of test
results and decisions by U.S.
national libraries
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U.S. RDA Test: Methodology
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Common Original Set
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10 texts
5 audio-visuals
5 serials
5 integrating resources
Omit subject cataloging
Common Copy Set
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5 items
Omit subject cataloging
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U.S. RDA Test: Methodology
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Extra Set
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Each partner institution will create a minimum
of 25 records in addition to the Common Sets
Special formats or types of material
Anticipate several thousand records from test
participants
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U.S. RDA Test:
Data Collection and Analysis
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Surveys to solicit
Feedback
 Feedback
 Feedback
 Feedback
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from
from
from
from
institutions
individual catalogers
users
informal testers
Record set analysis
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U.S. RDA Test Resources
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Background and Demo Webcasts
Training documentation
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RDA choices (core elements, alternatives/
options/etc.)
LC documents to identify choices
 LC decisions for the test – LC Policy Statements
(LCPS)
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RDA examples
RDA exercises
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Preparing for the Test
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Local policy decisions related to rule
application
MARC 21 format adjustments in
local ILS
Set up templates and macros for
standard data
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Informal Testing
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Create records in local databases
during RDA’s open access period
Create records in OCLC after Oct. 1
U.S. RDA Test Coordinating
Committee will provide a survey to
solicit information from informal
testers
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Results of the Test
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Analysis of surveys to begin Jan.
2011
Regardless of decision:
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Will help inform future adjustments to
RDA for the rest of the world
Will help improve the IFLA models and
principles upon which RDA is based
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Questions?
RDA content: [email protected]
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