RDAbased

RDA-based refers to cataloging and metadata creation that follows the Resource Description and Access (RDA) standard. Developed by the Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA and first published in 2010 as a successor to AACR2, RDA is designed to describe resources and provide access in a way that is flexible for current and emerging technologies. It is supported by major libraries and professional organizations and aims to align with contemporary concepts of bibliographic description, including the FRBR-LRM model.

The RDA-based approach emphasizes the FRBR Logical Resource Model, organizing description around Work, Expression, Manifestation, and Item. It uses a structured set of data elements to describe content, media, and carrier (the CMC group), and it prescribes preferred titles and authorized access points for persons, families, corporate bodies, works, and expressions. It also encourages explicit relationship designators to denote relationships among resources and agents. Practical elements covered include titles, statements of responsibility, publication information, physical description, language, and form of content. In addition, RDA supports identifiers and web resources to facilitate linking and retrieval.

Implementation and formats vary by institution, but RDA-based records are commonly encoded in MARC 21 using fields such as 336 (Content Type), 337 (Media Type), and 338 (Carrier Type), and may use 040 with a notation indicating RDA. RDA is designed to be technology-neutral and increasingly compatible with linked data approaches, with many libraries progressing toward BIBFRAME or other web-friendly representations.

Criticism of RDA-based cataloging has included its perceived complexity and the training required, as well as uneven adoption across jurisdictions. Proponents argue that it offers more precise access points and better alignment with modern discovery systems.