RDA, which stands for Resource Description and Access, is the new international descriptive cataloguing standard that will replace AACR2 in 2009. It is a particularly exciting development for libraries as the new cataloguing code will help them pursue their web based resource sharing strategies by creating records that are more flexible in meeting users' needs and shareable with other metadata communities.
RDA builds on the strength of AACR2 but it has some features that make it more useful as a cataloguing code for the digital environment in which libraries now operate. A key feature is that it will provide for the creation of metadata that facilitates machine manipulation of that data for searching and display. It will enable the relationships between multiple versions of a resource to be clustered together and presented to users in a meaningful way.
A full draft of RDA and a prototype of the RDA Online product are scheduled for release in August 2008. The final release of RDA is planned for March 2009 with implementation in early 2010. The Australian Committee on Cataloguing (ACOC) and the National Library of Australia have major roles in the development of RDA.
The poster will provide information about the international committees responsible for developing RDA; key features of RDA and its implications for libraries and their catalogues; implementation and training plans for Australia, including implications for Libraries Australia; and advice on how to keep up with what's happening in Australia.