RDA, Cooperation in the Cultural and Heritage Sector - First Approaches in the German-Speaking Countries

Austria, Germany and German-speaking Switzerland have implemented RDA for cataloguing. The transition has been prepared in an extensive cooperative project in the three countries over the past three years. The objective of the first step has been the implementation of RDA in libraries and library networks. As a next step, the experts have already started to consider the cataloguing of special materials such as rare books and have joined together to create new working groups. These already extend beyond the circle of libraries; representatives from other cultural institutions are also taking part. Existing cataloguing codes and standards in the archive and museum area will be aligned with RDA for the first time. Currently, RDA contains no or not enough rules for the cataloguing of special materials such as literary archives, rare books and manuscripts; however these are being introduced in the international review process. Working Groups for “Literary Archives and Autographs”, “Rare Books”, “Graphic Materials” and “Manuscripts” are or will be set up. Those working groups for special cataloguing build a bridge between the communities. The goal is not the full integration of the existing non-librarian rules in RDA. We aim for guidelines that are interoperable with RDA. The distinction between the descriptive and the access point part of the rules seems necessary here. The Gemeinsame Normdatei, GND, a cooperative authority file, controls the access points and already applies RDA. The conceptual work of the working groups concerns the entity work, the titles, the hierarchies and the RDA implementation scenarios. The cataloguing of unique objects demands a new definition of the entity work and the delimitation of the other WEMI-entities. The harmonization of standards for archives or museums with RDA requires that the librarian title concept be revised. In archival cataloguing models, the provenance of the items is important. The harmonization of the ISAD(G) provenance model (hierarchical description) with the RDA instructions to series/items is a desire. The development of RDA implementations scenarios for collections of museums and archives would be useful. The paper shows how the RDA project is organised in the German speaking countries. It presents the first experiences with RDA cataloguing. The paper reports on the working groups concerned with the cataloguing of special materials. It also provides an insight into how the cooperation with galleries, archives and museums is organised with respect to RDA.