1. RDA: The New Era of Resource Description and Access
Richard Sapon-White, Instructor
Syllabus for Fulbright Grant at University of Warsaw
1 Description
On March 31, 2013, the Library of Congress will no longer create bibliographic or
authority records using the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules. Instead, the library and
many others in the U.S. and around the world will be transitioning to Resource
Description and Access (RDA). RDA is the first major change in cataloging rules in
many decades, predicted to make information search and retrieval in libraries, digital
repositories, and other information resources better and more user-friendly.
This course will begin by examining the foundations of RDA, starting with the
bibliographic framework provided by Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records
(FRBR) and Functional Requirements of Authority Data (FRAD). Most of the course
sessions, however, will be devoted to reading recent peer-reviewed journal articles on
RDA and its expected impact on library cataloging and metadata creation. Discussion of
the conceptual framework and the implementation process will be highlighted.
The course will be taught in American seminar style, i.e., with emphasis on student-led
discussions on articles in the current library literature. All students will be expected to
read the articles and be prepared to discuss them each week in class. Students will be
assessed on the quality of their oral presentations and discussion leadership as well as a
written research paper and in-class participation.
The language of instruction will be English.
2 Objectives
By the end of the course, students should have a thorough understanding of the
foundations, structure and function of RDA. Students’ choice of articles will determine
the specific topics covered in the course. Learning objectives may include, but are not
limited to:
a. understanding of FRBR and FRAD and their relationship to RDA
b. the ability to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of RDA
c. understanding the structure of RDA and the RDA Vocabularies
d. the ability to read primary library literature critically
e. improvement of oral and written presentation skills in English
3 Topical Outline

2. The first two sessions will include a brief review of the history of cataloging codes,
an overview of FRBR and FRAD, and the RDA development process. Topics
covered in the class beyond the first two sessions will depend on the research articles
chosen by students. Please see the supplementary texts and readings for potential
articles for discussion.
4 Course Work
Students will be expected to attend all class sessions, read assigned articles, and
participate in class discussions. After the first two class sessions conducted by the
instructor, students will be giving brief presentations and leading discussions for the
remainder of the semester. Emphasis will be placed on critically evaluating the
readings in class discussions as well as working on presentation and writing skills.
A written report on the topic of the presentation is due three weeks after the
presentation or by the last regular class session, whichever comes first. Late
submissions will be marked down. The report needs to be at least 5 pages long, 1.5-
line spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and cite three sources from the
professional library literature.
5 Grading
Presentation 40%
Written Report 40%
Class participation 20%
6 Required Texts (on reserve in the library)
Oliver, Chris. Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics. Chicago: American Library
Association, 2010.
Coyle, Karen. RDA Vocabularies for a Twenty-First Century Data Environment.
(Library Technology Reports, vol. 46, no. 2) Chicago: American Library
Association, 2010.
7 Supplementary Texts and Readings (will be supplied by the instructor)
Biella, Joan C., and Heidi G. Lerner. 2011. "The RDA Test and Hebraica
Cataloging: Applying RDA in One Cataloging Community." Cataloging &
Classification Quarterly 49, no. 7/8: 676-695.
Bloss, Marjorie E. 2011. "Testing RDA at Dominican University's Graduate
School of Library and Information Science: The Students’ Perspectives."
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 49, no. 7/8: 582-599

3. Bowen, Jennifer. 2008. “Metadata to Support Next-Generation Library Resource
Discovery: Lessons from the Extensible Catalog, Phase 1.” Information Technology
& Libraries 27, no. 2: 5-19.
Coyle, Karen, and Diane Hillmann. 2007. “Resource Description and Access (RDA):
Cataloging Rules for the 20th Century.” D-Lib Magazine 13, no. 1/2.
www.dlib.org/dlib/january07/coyle/01coyle.html.
Cronin, Christopher. 2011. "From Testing to Implementation: Managing
Full-Scale RDA Adoption at the University of Chicago." Cataloging &
Classification Quarterly 49, no. 7/8: 626-646.
Curran, Mary. 2009. "Serials in RDA: A Starter's Tour and Kit." Serials
Librarian 57, no. 4: 306-323.
Glennan, Kathryn P. 2012. “The Development Of Resource Description & Access
And Its Impact On Music Materials.” Notes. Vol. 68, Issue 3: 526-534.
Hawkins, Les. 2011. "Content Type, Media Type and Carrier Type: MARC 21
Fields Related to Resource Description and Access." Serials Review 37,
no. 3: 205-206.
McCutcheon, Sevim. 2011. "RDA Testing in Triplicate: Kent State
University's Experiences with RDA Testing." Cataloging & Classification
Quarterly 49, no. 7/8: 607-625.
Hider, Philip. 2009. “Library Resource Categories and their Possible Groupings.”
Australian Academic & Research Libraries. Vol. 40, Issue 2: 105-115.
IFLA Study Group on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records.
Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records: Final Report. Sept. 1997, as
amended and corrected. http://archive.ifla.org/VII/s13/frbr/frbr_2008.pdf.
Knowlton, Steven A. 2009. “How the Current Draft of RDA Addresses the
Cataloging of Reproductions, Facsimiles, and Microforms.” Library Resources &
Technical Services. Vol. 53 Issue 3: 159-165.
Miksa, Shawne D. 2009. “Resource Description and Access (RDA) and New
Research Potentials.” Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science &
Technology 35, no. 5: 47-51.
Patton, Glenn E., ed. Functional Requirements for Authority Data: A Conceptual
Model. (IFLA Series on Bibliographic Control 34). Munich: K.G. Saur, 2009.
RDA Toolkit. http://www.rdatoolkit.org/.

4. Seikel, Michele. 2009. "No More Romanizing: The Attempt to Be Less
Anglocentric in RDA." Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 47, no. 8:
741-748.
Shadle, Steve. 2006. “FRBR and Serials.” Serials Librarian 50, no. 1 & 2: 83-103.
Shieh, Jackie. 2011. "Participation in the U.S. RDA Test Program Helped
Transform Work Habits at George Washington University Libraries."
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 49, no. 7/8: 647-654.
Wacker, Melanie, Myung-Ja Han, and Judith Dartt. 2011. "Testing Resource
Description and Access (RDA) with Non-MARC Metadata Standards."
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 49, no. 7/8: 655-675.
Whittaker, Beth M. 2007. “DACS and RDA: Insights and Questions from the New
Archival Descriptive Standard.” Library Resources & Technical Services. Vol. 51
Issue 2: 98-105.
Young, Jennifer B., and Valerie Bross. 2011. "Results of the CRCC
Informal RDA Testing Task Force." Cataloging & Classification Quarterly
49, no. 7/8: 600-606.