Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics After 3R. 2nd ed. Chris Oliver. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2021. 216 p. $46.99 softcover (ISBN 978-0-8389-1908-8)

Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics After 3R is an updated version of the earlier edition, which covered Resource Description and Access (RDA) before the RDA Restructure Redesign (3R) project. Like the earlier edition, it does not provide detailed instructions for how to create bibliographic descriptions with the standard,1 and it also does not provide an in-depth analysis or critique of the standards. Instead, Introducing RDA is something like a guidebook for RDA and the Toolkit. It aims to provide context for the standard and presents the vocabulary and basic concepts that will make it possible users to take advantage of the new official RDA Toolkit. It focuses on presenting the views of the RDA governing bodies and provides many useful citations. The new edition was necessary as the 3R project fundamentally changed how users interact with and navigate RDA and the Toolkit. It also redefined which types of information and instructions are found within the standard, and which are adjacent to the standard, but still available in the Toolkit.

The new edition covers the history of RDA from Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2) through the revision and redesign of the standard and the toolkit. About half of the book focuses on the context for RDA, including the relationship with AACR2, the original RDA, and other international models and principles for bibliographic data. It provides little explanation about the influence of data models, standards, and technology outside of library traditions. As Oliver states in the preface, “this edition includes an overview of the major developments since the publication of RDA in 2010, focusing especially on developments that occurred during the 3R project: the impact of the 3R project itself, the results of aligning RDA with IFLA’s Library Reference Model (IFLA LRM), and the outcomes of internationalization” (vii). A useful addition would have been a thorough analysis and explanation of the influence of linked data technology and data modeling on the redesign.

The volume starts with a general overview, and then introduces RDA as a standard intended to serve the international community. This section covers its alignment with existing international data models and standards, its approach to translations and the RDA governance structure. Related to internationalization, the next chapter focuses on the data models that underlie RDA. The chapter introduces the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) family of data models. It then discusses the reasons for the creation of the IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM) and that model’s primary attributes. Importantly, Oliver explains how the evolution to LRM is reflected in the changes in RDA after the 3R. Finally, for the introductory context, Oliver demonstrates the evolution from AACR2 through original RDA, to post-3R RDA.

Demonstrations of the transition from AACR2 to RDA are included in the fourth chapter, which could be useful even for those well-acquainted with the history. Oliver compares the treatment of the same data under AACR2, original RDA and RDA after 3R. This serves as an interesting view of both how the language has changed over the course of the development of these standards and clarifying the similarities and differences in the actual treatment of the data. For those interested in learning the new vocabulary and seeing demonstrations of how to cite and talk about the content of RDA, this is a useful introduction and model.

The last three chapters provide more of a guide to the actual content of RDA. These include a general overview of a few new concepts in RDA, including entities like nomen, aggregates, and timespans. Next is a guide to navigating and using the new the Toolkit. This section provides useful definitions, and the different options for recording data. Additionally, this section provides explanations of policy statements and application profiles and their role in RDA. Unfortunately, this volume was published before the Library of Congress and Program for Cooperative Cataloging provided policy statements and application profiles in the Toolkit. Including those would have provided concrete examples of how policy statements and application profiles that are found in the Toolkit, but outside of RDA, are intended to work and how RDA continues to meet some of the primary functions of AACR2.

Like a guidebook, Introducing RDA, ideally is not used linearly. Some of the information is repeated in various chapters. Additionally, some topics are mentioned early in the text as if the reader should already understand them. These same topics are then fully explained later in the text. As a reader approaches a concept of which they have little understanding, it will be worthwhile to refer to the index to locate a more thorough discussion and explanation. Introducing RDA models the use of language and citations of the standard that will allow newcomers to the now official Toolkit to navigate it with confidence. It is a useful guide for those coming from the Anglo-American cataloging tradition seeking to acquaint themselves with post-3R RDA.—Jeanette Norris, , Yale University Library jeanette.norris@yale.edu, Yale University Library

References

1. Chris Oliver. Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics. (Chicago: American Library Association, 2010).