1 Overview of the U.S. RDA Test by Tina Shrader Cataloging Section Head and CONSER Coordinator National Agricultural Library June 28, 2010

2 Acknowledgments  Some slides adapted from Barbara Tillett  Editing assistance from members of the U.S. RDA Test Coordinating Committee

3 Presentation Outline  RDA development and background  U.S. national test background  U.S. national test methodology  Informal testing opportunities  Q & A

4 What is RDA?  The successor to AACR2  Closely aligned with FRBR, etc.  Designed for the digital world Intended for use as an online product Description and access of all resources All types of content and media Creating records that are usable beyond traditional library systems (e.g. linked data on the web)

5 U.S. RDA Test  Library of Congress  National Agricultural Library  National Library of Medicine

6 U.S. RDA test  Participants  U.S. National Libraries  Academic, research, school, public, special, and museum libraries  Archives  Consortia  Book jobbers  LIS educators and students

7 U.S. RDA Test: Goals  “… 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

8 U.S. RDA Test: Goals RDA’s goals as a rule set include:  Rules should be easy to use and interpret  Be applicable to an online environment  Provide effective bibliographic control for all types of media  Encourage use beyond the library community  Be compatible with other similar standards  Have a logical structure based on internationally agreed principles  Separate content and carrier data  Examples – more of them, more appropriate Based on slide from Ann Chapman, UKOLN

9 U.S. RDA Test: Timeline  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

10 U.S. RDA Test: Methodology  Common Original Set 10 texts 5 audio-visuals 5 serials 5 integrating resources Omit subject cataloging  Common Copy Set 5 items Omit subject cataloging

11 U.S. RDA Test: Methodology  Extra Set 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

12 U.S. RDA Test: Data Collection and Analysis  Surveys to solicit  Feedback from institutions  Feedback from individual catalogers  Feedback from users  Feedback from informal testers  Record set analysis

13 U.S. RDA Test Resources  Background and Demo Webcasts  Training documentation RDA choices (core elements, alternatives/ options/etc.)  LC documents to identify choices  LC decisions for the test – LC Policy Statements (LCPS) RDA examples RDA exercises

14 Preparing for the Test  Local policy decisions related to rule application  MARC 21 format adjustments in local ILS  Set up templates and macros for standard data

15 Informal Testing  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

16 Results of the Test  Analysis of surveys to begin Jan  Regardless of decision: 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

17 Questions ? RDA content: