Resource Description and Access (RDA): Cataloguing Standard for the Digital Era

Abstract

The Resource Description and Access (RDA) standard is a new cataloguing standard created for digital environments. It is based on the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules(AACR) foundations and will eventually replace the existing Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd Edition (AACR2). The Resource Description and Access (RDA) provides a comprehensive set of principles and instructions on resource description and access for all contents and media. It is based on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) to connect the user's retrieval job and access to an online library catalogue and biographic database.RDA bibliographic entries are more useful in an online setting because they allow cataloguers to group similar records to display diverse expressions of the same work. Patrons could discover that the information sources they seek are available in different forms in the library. This paper investigated RDA as a new cataloguing standard, its meaning of RDA, its Characteristics of RDA, the Need for new cataloguing rules as well as its structure. Keywords: Resource Description and Access (RDA); Cataloguing; cataloguing standards; digital era; characteristics of RDA and Structure of RDA