2013 Revision of RDA: Resource Description and Access now available in print edition

CHICAGO — The newest print accumulation of RDA: Resource Description and Access is now available. RDA: Resource Description and Access Print--2013 Revision (Includes July 2013 Updates) contains:

• A full accumulation of RDA —  the revision contains a full set of all current RDA instructions. It replaces the previous version of RDA Print rather than being an update packet to that version. RDA has gone through many changes since it was first published in 2010. Cataloging practice described by RDA has not changed dramatically due to the changes above, but nearly every page in RDA Print was impacted by the changes, making an RDA Print update packet impracticable.
• The most current RDA — the revision contains all changes to RDA up to and including the 2013 RDA Update approved by the Joint Steering Committee (JSC). There are two types of changes to RDA that routinely take place — Fast Track changes and RDA Updates.  The JSC periodically issues “Fast Track” changes to RDA to fix errors and to clarify meaning. These changes do not typically change cataloging practice as described by RDA. An RDA Update issued annually. In an Update process the JSC considers proposals to enhance and improve RDA as a current cataloging standard. An update can and often does change the cataloging process described in RDA. The 2013 Revision includes all Fast Track changes and RDA Updates since the 2010 publication of RDA and through July 2013.
• Reworded RDA —  the revision includes the reworded version of RDA instructions. To improve readability and comprehension of complex instructions, RDA has been edited and reworded since its original release. The rewording was carried out by the JSC, an RDA Copy Editor, and was reviewed by the U.S. RDA Test Coordinating Committee. 

This full-text print version of RDA offers a snapshot that serves as an offline access point to help solo and part-time catalogers evaluate RDA, as well as to support training and classroom use in any size institution. An index is included. The online RDA Toolkit includes PDFs, but purchasing the print version offers a convenient, time-saving option. The first regular RDA Print Update is planned for mid-2014 and annually thereafter. Sign up for information about free trials, special introductory offers, and product updates here.

The online RDA Toolkit (subscribe here) provides a one-stop resource for evaluating and implementing RDA and is the most effective way to interact with the new standard. It includes searchable and browseable RDA instructions; two views of RDA content, by table of contents and by element set; user-created and sharable Workflows and Mappings — tools to customize RDA to support your organization’s training, internal processes and local policies; Library of Congress-Program for Cooperative Cataloging Policy Statements (LC-PCC PS) and links to other relevant cataloging resources; and the full text of AACR2 with links to RDA.

All customers can subscribe to the online RDA Toolkit. Customers in the U.S. and Mexico should purchase RDA print items from ALA Editions. Customers in Canada should purchase RDA print items from Canadian Library Association. Customers outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico should purchase RDA print items from Facet Publishing.