RDA record elements
- Emily Sanford (Unlicensed)
- MSU TechServices
Summary: A basic overview of RDA record elements and acceptable hybrid practices, for catalogers upgrading or deriving from AACR2 copy. When upgrading or deriving records for non-print formats, some considerations not listed here will apply (see Nonbook materials procedures for additional guidance).
Full RDA records
Remember that upgrading an AACR2 record essentially means re-cataloging the piece in the hand. Use this guide to revise the record and bring it into RDA compliance.
MARC field | Remove/replace | Add/check | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desc (fixed field) | a | i | indicates record was created under RDA rules |
| DtSt & dates (fixed fields) | t | only necessary if new record has both publication and copyright date otherwise, retain existing coding | |
| 040 | $b eng $e rda | $b eng may already be present | |
| 1XX | $e [relationship designator] | consult RDA Appendix I or J | |
| 245 | $h [GMD] | no longer valid in our catalog or OCLC | |
| [sic], [i.e.], [et al.] | remove Latin abbreviations; instead, title and statement of responsibility should be transcribed from exactly from source of information | ||
| 250 | edition statement | if present, ensure edition statement is transcribed exactly from source of information | |
| 260 | AACR2 publication statement | replace with 264 _1 | |
| 264 _1 | RDA publication statement | use instead of 260 | |
| [s.l.], [s.n.] | replace Latin abbreviations with [place of publication not identified], etc. | ||
| 264 _4 | $c ©yyyy | add copyright date if present | |
| 300 | vol, p., ill, etc. | volumes, pages, illustrations, etc. | replace Latin abbreviations with spelled out terms |
336 | content, media, and carrier | add appropriate RDA terms in these fields (an OCLC macro is available that will input the correct terms automatically) | |
| 490 | series information | if present, ensure series title is transcribed exactly from source of information | |
| 7XX | $e [relationship designator] | consult RDA Appendix I or J |
In some cases, square brackets that were needed under AACR2 may need to be removed in an RDA record. Generally speaking, most core, manifestation-level elements only need to be bracketed if the information is taken from a source outside the resource itself. See RDA 2.2.4 for more details
Hybrid records
AACR2/RDA hybrid records are less common now (as of 2018) than they were when RDA was first implemented in 2013. However, catalogers will still periodically work with hybrid records if they are the only copy available, or if they wish to add some RDA elements to an existing AACR2 copy record without performing a full upgrade.
Use this guide to determine what elements are acceptable in a hybrid record, per the PCC's guidelines.
| MARC field & content | Acceptable in hybrid record? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Desc (fixed field) = a |  | hybrid records remain under AACR2 rule coding |
| Desc (fixed field) = i |  | the i code is reserved for fully RDA-compliant records |
| 040 $e rda | | should only be present in fully RDA-compliant records |
| 1XX $e relationship designators | | |
| 245 [sic], [i.e.], etc. | | |
| 245 $h [GMD] | | no longer valid in our catalog or OCLC replace with 33X content, media, and carrier fields |
| 245 $c [et al.] | | |
| 245 $c more than 3 authors listed | | AACR2's "Rule of Three" instructed catalogers to omit author names past the first three listed, and use [et al.] RDA permits full transcription of all author names on the source of information, a practice which is also acceptable in hybrid records |
260 (alone) | | |
| 260 [s.l.], [s.n.], etc. | | |
| 260 + 264 _4 (copyright) | | |
| 264 _1 (alone) | | |
| 264 _1 + 264 _4 (copyright) | | |
| 260 + 264 _1 | | these two fields serve the same function – delete the 260 |
| 300 p., ill., etc. | | |
| 300 pages, illustrations, etc. | | |
| 336, 337, 338 | | all 3 must be present add appropriate RDA terms in these fields (an OCLC macro is available that will input the correct terms automatically) |
| 7XX $e relationship designators | | |
| 7XX $4 MARC relator codes | | these should always be changed to RDA relationship designators if possible, even in hybrid records |
- AACR2 and AACR2/RDA hybrid records can be accepted as copy, though catalogers should feel free to make upgrades as time permits.
- However, any new records derived from AACR2 copy must be fully RDA compliant.
- As always, refer to appropriate RDA guidelines in the RDA Toolkit and consult with appropriate TS managers or original catalogers when issues/questions arise.