Bibliographic Control Resources and Stakeholders

Resources for a transitioning cataloging environment

Last updated June 10, 2024

This page started as a quick resource page for myself and anyone who wanted to stay informed of the development of Resource Description and Access (RDA) as it moved toward publication. That day has since come and passed and many changes to RDA have come and gone. Currently, we have two RDA's--the Original RDA and Official RDA, the latter for use in a Linked data environment. RDA/JSC and RDA Toolkit have announced plans for the removal of the Original RDA, stating:

...a hard date for the removal of the original RDA Toolkit website is needed. This determination was made against a backdrop of giving user communities plenty of time for planning in their transition to official RDA.

The Board plans to begin a countdown clock in May 2026 (specific date still to be determined), with the removal of the original Toolkit taking place a year later—May 2027.

This plan was presented to the RDA Steering Committee last week, and the RSC fully supported this decision. ( https://www.rdatoolkit.org/news/rda/countdown-clock-original-rda-toolkit-set-may-2026 )

At the same time, the Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office is deep into the development of the Bibliographic Framework (BIBFRAME). BIBFRAME is intended to replace MARC21 although exactly when that will happen is still to be determined. MARC-based records   

This list has morphed to include a broader array of resources revolving around RDA and the transitioning environment of cataloging, and metadata, including linked data, etc. This page is not intended to be a complete list of resources, and it is subject to change. Corrections and suggestions for additions are welcome.

In 2012 I had the pleasure of editing a special issue of the Journal of Library Metadata entitled "Functional Future of Bibliographic Control : transitioning into new communities of practice and awareness" (volume 12, issue 2-3, September 2012). Those interested can read my Introduction to the issue here. This issue was also published as a book by Routledge, 2014. ISBN 978-0-415-71602-4. (Please note, the book title is slightly different: "Functional Future for Bibliographic Control").

In May 2024, I joined the North American Resource Description and Access Committee (NARDAC) in my capacity as a cataloging educator. 

Stakeholders

• RDA Steering Committee      
• American Library Association (ALA)
  • Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures (CORE, formerly known as ALCTS)
    • Metadata and Cataloging Section 
    • Metadata and Cataloging Section Handbook
    • Technology Section
• Australian Committee on Cataloguing (ACOC)
  • ACOC page on RDA here
• The British Library
• Canadian Committee on Cataloguing (CCC)
• CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
  • Cataloguing and Indexing group
• The Library of Congress
  • Network Development and MARC Standards Office
    • Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative  
      • BIBFRAME
    • LC Linked Data Service
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
  • Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
  • Functional Requirements: The FRBR Family of Models
  • IFLA Library Reference Model 

Resources

RDA  (needs to be updated)

RDA Testing  (pre-2015)

• LC Documentation for RDA Test: Training Materials
• OCLC policy statement on RDA Cataloging in WorldCat for the U.S. testing period

MARC21 (Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office)

• RDA in MARC
• MARC 21 Format (LC site)
  • MARC 21 Format Overview
  • MARC Development (LC site)
    • MARC 21 Proposals (LC site)
    • MARC 21 Discussion papers (LC site)

IFLA Functional Requirements

• IFLA Library Reference Model NEW
• Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), PDF in English of the 1997 report, as amended and corrected through February 2009
• Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)--available as a pdf in English, 2008/2009 report, as amended and corrected through July 2013
• Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD), June 2010, available as PDF in English
• FRBR Bibliography--available from IFLA
• What is FRBR?--Tillett, B.
• FRBR: Things you should know, but were afraid to ask --Tillett, B., Library of Congress
• MARC and FRBR--Library of Congress

• FRBR Display Tool--Library of Congress

• OCLC research on FRBR--list of projects and publications

Linked Data NEW

• OCLC Linked Data Research--list of projects and publications
• Resource Description Framework
• Semantic Web Standards

General

• 2010 Year of Cataloging Research(main website)
• Beyond 2010 the Year of Cataloging Research (e-forum)  
• NEW LINK! Genius of Library Cataloging and Its Possible Future a lecture given by Dr. Fran Miksa at the GSLIS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, March 3, 2006 

Listservs

• AUTOCAT
• RDA-L
• EDUCAT
• NGC4Lib
• RDA Toolkit mailing list
• BIBFRAME mailing list

 

Just for Fun...

• An Alternate Model of Functionality( a SIGCON presentation at 2008 ASIST annual conference)