> [Forwarding, belatedly -- my fault, this Dec. 6 message on behalf of the > US RDA Test Coordinating Committee; please excuse duplication.] > > > The US RDA Test Coordinating Committee is aware of the concerns being > raised by some in the community regarding the US RDA testing procedures. > The test is nearly three quarters finished, and is scheduled to end on > Dec. 31, 2010. It is anticipated that very few new records will be > created in the next few weeks as many libraries will stop original record > creation once they reach the required goal of 25 original records from > their usual work, and others will slow down production as the holidays > approach. To do a valid test analysis it is imperative that consistent > procedures be followed throughout the test period. No changes will be > made to the current testing protocols. > > This US RDA testing was specifically designed to determine if the US > community should adopt RDA, and the US RDA Test Coordinating Committee and > the test design had no preconceived ideas or agenda either for or against > RDA. The test partners consist of a variety of types and sizes of > libraries. If we are to truly test the new rules, we must include testing > authority record creation as well as bibliographic record creation. While > we recognized that there would be some temporary effects on name headings > in shared databases like OCLC, the test was designed to cause minimal > disruption to the cataloging community as a whole. This meant that > testers were instructed not to change the 1XX field of any existing AACR2 > headings in authority records, but to record the RDA form of the heading > in a 7XX field. > > This approach will allow the Coordinating Committee to analyze how many > RDA headings are likely to be different from AACR2 headings and what that > impact is in terms of cost and benefit to the users. While testers were > deliberately asked to take a very literal/strict interpretation of the RDA > rules when determining a full RDA form of a heading, we recognize that > most AACR2 forms are compatible with RDA without adding all possible > qualifying information to the heading. We also recognize that wholesale > changes to existing headings are undesirable. Analyzing the authority > records with 7XX fields will assist the Coordinating Committee in making > recommendations to the PCC and the US community as to when existing > headings will need updating if RDA were to be adopted. > > After December 31, the Library of Congress, National Agricultural Library, > and National Library of Medicine will not be creating new RDA > bibliographic or authority records until a decision on implementation is > made. The joint implementation decision is scheduled to be made no later > than June 2011. > > Specifically addressing the questions raised by Ms. Tomaras in her message > to the Coordinating Committee on December 3: > > 1. The Coordinating Committee believes that RDA records should contain > RDA headings. As stated above, the test policies will not be altered. > Given the total number of records in a shared database like OCLC and the > proportionally small number of test records being created, the > Coordinating Committee believes the temporary negative effects of the test > on headings will be minimal and are justified. > > PCC decisions about use of headings and coding of records are made by the > PCC, not by the US RDA Test Coordinating Committee. The PCC has already > issued its statement about practices to follow after the test period ends. > The US RDA Test Coordinating Committee was not involved in these > decisions. While the US RDA Test Coordinating Committee may make > recommendations to the PCC, the PCC is an independent body that may or may > not accept the US RDA Test Coordinating Committee's recommendations. > > 2. The purpose of the 7XX fields in authority records is two-fold. It > allows the US RDA Test Coordinating Committee to identify authority > records and analyze how catalogers are interpreting the RDA rules on > establishment of access points. It is also a potential way of flipping > headings if RDA were to be adopted (or flipping RDA headings to AACR2 if > RDA were not adopted, for those RDA headings with AACR2 7XXs in authority > records). Who will make the final determination as to which headings do > and do not get flipped has not yet been determined. The US RDA Test > Coordinating Committee recognizes the financial pressures that all > libraries face, and the impact on costs to all agencies is one of the > considerations the Committee will take into account in recommending > whether or not to adopt RDA. > > 3. If RDA is not adopted, the presence of the 7XX field will allow OCLC > or authority vendors to search for that form of a heading in RDA > bibliographic records in databases created during the test and return > those headings to the 1XX forms. The OCLC policy preserves the AACR2 form > for existing authority records as the authorized form in authority > records. The PCC policy for records created by PCC members after the test > preserves the AACR2 form in bibliographic and authority records. Libraries > using US RDA test records in their local catalogs are free to change the > headings locally at any time. > > > Reminder: > An online survey to provide information to the US RDA Test Coordinating > Committee from informal testers and others is available at: > http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q5968DB > RDA records created may be submitted to the Library of Congress. Contact > Dave Reser ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) > > Questions or comments about the US RDA test may be sent to the US RDA Test > Coordinating Committee via Susan Morris at the Library of Congress > ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) > Questions or comments about the content of RDA may be emailed to > [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > Questions about the RDA Toolkit may be directed to ALA Editions at > http://access.rdatoolkit.org/ > > Additional information about the US RDA test is available at the US RDA > Test Coordinating Committee's website: > http://www.loc.gov/bibliographic-future/rda/ > A FAQ and further explanation of the test process is available here: > http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/RDAtest/admindoc9.doc > >