Resource Description and Access (RDA) in Cataloger’s Desktop

Contact: Troy Linker


Publisher, Digital Reference


312-280-5101


tlinker@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


March 3, 2010

CHICAGO – The Library of Congress and the Co-Publishers for
RDA (Resource Description and Access) are announcing that
Cataloger’s Desktop subscribers will be able to access the
RDA Toolkit (due in June 2010) via
Cataloger’s Desktop.

Cataloger’s Desktop is the Library of Congress’s integrated, online documentation system for cataloging and metadata resources.
RDA Toolkit is a browser-based, online collection of cataloging-related documents and resources, including
RDA (Resource Description and Access). Used together and available 24-7,
Cataloger’s Desktop and
RDA will represent the current state of the art in cataloging and metadata documentation.

Once users subscribe to both
Desktop and
RDA Toolkit, they will also be able to access
RDA through
Desktop’s search and discovery interface. Hits (including hits in context) will display in
Desktop’s Search Results pane. When subscribers click on a hit in
RDA, they will be taken immediately to the content in the
RDA Toolkit. In addition:

• Once an
  RDA link is followed,
  Desktop users can access the full functionality of the
  RDA Toolkit (including workflows).
• Linking from
  RDA to
  LC Policy Statements (the successor to the
  LC Rule Interpretations) will be provided.
• The developers are working to make it feasible for subscribers to enter their
  RDA Toolkit login information in
  Desktop preferences to access both products seamlessly with a single login.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. The Library serves the public, scholars, Members of Congress and their staff—all of whom seek information, understanding and inspiration. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s award-winning Web site
www.loc.gov.

The
RDA Toolkit is published by the Co-Publishers for
RDA (the American Library Association, the Canadian Library Association, and Facet Publishing, the publishing arm of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals). The content of
RDA has been developed in a collaborative process led by the Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA (JSC). The
RDA project is overseen by the Committee of Principals representing the American Library Association, the Canadian Library Association, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the Library of Congress, Library and Archives Canada, the British Library, and the National Library of Australia. For more information about
RDA and the
RDA Toolkit visit
www.rdaonline.org.

Library of Congress contact: Peter Seligman, 202-707-1314,
psel@loc.gov


American Library Association contact:Â Troy Linker, 312-280-5101,
tlinker@ala.org