About RDA

RDA: Resource Description and Access is the new standard for resource description and access designed for the digital world. Built on the foundations established by AACR2, RDA provides a comprehensive set of guidelines and instructions on resource description and access covering all types of content and media. The content of RDA has been developed in a collaborative process led by the RDA Steering Committee.

RDA was developed in line with a set of objectives and principles which are informed by the Statement of International Cataloguing Principles. Read RDA Objectives and Principles.

About RDA Toolkit

RDA Toolkit is an integrated, browser-based, online product that allows users to interact with a collection of cataloging-related documents and resources including RDA: Resource Description and Access. RDA Toolkit is published by the RDA Co-Publishers (see below).

About RDA Board

The RDA Board is responsible for all policies and programs relating to RDA, the publication of revisions and new editions, and the affairs of its subordinate bodies.

In this capacity, the Board oversees the publication of the RDA, reviews developments and progress of the RDA Steering Committee, reviews the state and application of the RDA Fund, determines future programs of work for the RDA Steering Committee, and determines all questions of constitution, terms of reference and conduct of the RDA Steering Committee and Trustees.

The RDA Board comprises the CEOs/Directors (or designates) of :

• American Library Association
• British Library
• Canadian Federation of Library Associations
• CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
• Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
• Library and Archives Canada
• Library of Congress
• National Library of Australia

About the RDA Steering Committee

The RDA Steering Committee (RSC) is authorized by the COP with the responsible for updating and maintaining the content of RDA. Detailed information about the RSC and their process is found on their website http://www.rda-rsc.org.

The constituent organizations represented on the RSC are:

• American Library Association
• Australian Committee on Cataloguing
• Canadian Committee on Cataloguing
• European RDA Interest Group(EURIG)
• Library of Congress

About the RDA Co-Publishers

RDA and RDA Toolkit are published by the RDA Co-Publishers:

• American Library Association
• Canadian Federation of Library Associations
• Facet Publishing, the publishing arm of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

RDA and RDA Toolkit Copyright Statement

©2010– American Library Association, Canadian Federation of Library Associations, and CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

You are free to copy, distribute, and otherwise share screen images of RDA Toolkit for educational purposes, including training, classroom or online teaching, presentations, review, evaluation, internal library use, and handouts for related activities. You may not use RDA Toolkit screen images for commercial gain, and may not alter, transform, or build upon them without written permission from the Co-Publishers.

Each use of an image from RDA Toolkit should be attributed as follows: "Screen image from the RDA Toolkit (www.rdatoolkit.org) used by permission of the Co-Publishers for RDA (American Library Association, Canadian Federation of Library Associations, and CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)".

RDA Toolkit License Agreement

The RDA Toolkit License Agreement is available for review as a PDF.