Preparing Your Library for RDA

September 14–15, 2010
Presented by Mary Beth Weber and Christopher Cronin

Released in June 2010, Resource Description and Access (RDA) is the intended successor to the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2). While RDA is not being immediately adopted in the United States, it is being tested by the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Agriculture Library as part of the U.S. National Libraries RDA Test Plan.

During this time, what are libraries doing to prepare for the adoption of RDA? What impact will implementation have on staff training and systems? How will libraries manage the integration of RDA records with AACR2 records in their catalogs? How will libraries assess the value of the new cataloging code in terms of its ability to meet user needs and contribute to future systems development? This ALCTS e-Forum will provide an opportunity for the community at large to discuss a wide range of issues related to RDA and it overall implications for library operations.

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Mary Beth Weber has been head of Central Technical Services at Rutgers University Libraries since 2008.   She has served in a number of positions at Rutgers, including Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services for four years, and as the Special Formats Catalog Librarian and the Head of the Copy Cataloging Section.  Ms. Weber holds an MLS from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in English and Art History from Michigan State University.  She is the editor of the ALCTS Newsletter Online and serves as an ex-officio member of the ALCTS Board of Directors.  Weber has also served as chair of the ALCTS Audiovisual Committee, the Copy Cataloging Discussion Group, and the Computer Files Discussion Group.  She is the author of two books on cataloging nonbook resources and is currently co-authoring a soon to be published book titled, Describing Electronic, Digital, and Other Media Using AACR and RDA. 

Christopher Cronin has been Director of Metadata and Cataloging Services at the University of Chicago Library since 2008.  Prior to coming to Chicago, he was Assistant Professor and Head of Digital Resources Cataloging at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  Mr. Cronin has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, and an MIS from the University of Toronto. He is member the ALA Committee on Organization, and is active in the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), currently serving on the Subject Analysis Committee and as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of the ALCTS Heads of Cataloging Interest Group.  Mr. Cronin is the coordinator for the University of Chicago’s participation in the U.S. National Libraries RDA Testing.

What is an e-Forum?

An ALCTS e-forum provides an opportunity for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an email discussion list: register your email address with the list, and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an email discussion.  Most e-forums last two to three days. Registration is necessary to participate, but it's free.