RDA as an international standard

RDA as an International Standard

Joanna Pszenicyn

Topics

Transliteration / transcription

Numerals

Dates

Units of measurement

Use of abbreviations

Capitalization

Summary

English

Roman alphabet

“Language and script preferred by the agency creating the data”

AACR2: General introduction

“The rules contain some instances in which a decision is made on the basis of language and in which English is preferred. Users of the rules who do not use English as their working language should replace the specified preference for English by a preference for their working language. Authorized translations will do the same.”

Titles

AACR2:

Predominant language (if there is only one)

Original language (if the work is in more than one language)

Language that occurs first (in the resource content)

RDA:

In the language and script of the “main written, spoken, or sung content of the resource”

Names

AACR2:

well-established English-language form of the name

romanize

RDA:

First name only: use form “well established in reference sources” or transliterate

Surname + first name: transliterate

LoC vs WorldCat

Numerals

AACR2

Generally use arabic numerals (in the edition statement, date of publication, series numberings...)

Special cases for roman numerals (headings for persons (rulers) and some corporate bodies; pages in phys. descript.)

Oriental numerals: substitute for arabic

(attention for date spans in scripts written right-to-left)

RDA:

Generally “in the form in which they appear on the information source”

Optionally “in the form preferred by the agency”

(as a substitute or in addition)

Ordinal numbers

AACR2: RDA:

From an English-language source:

1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

In other languages:

1re, 2ème, 3ème (French)

1o / 1a, 2o / 2a, 3o / 3a (Italian)

Universal form:

1., 2., 3., etc.

Dates of publication

AACR2:

Give a year “in Western-style arabic numerals”

RDA:

Generally “in the form in which they appear on the information source”

Optionally “in the form preferred by the agency”

(as a substitute or in addition)

Dates of birth/death

AACR2:

Give dates in terms of the Christian era

Add B. C. where appropriate

Give dates from 1582 on in terms of the Gregrian calendar

RDA:

+ Gregorian/Julian date

Use abbreviations A.D. & B.C.

Dates – decades, centuries

AACR2:

13th/ 14th cent.

Range of years: [between 1906 and 1912]

Abbreviations:

b. – born, d. – dead,

fl. – flourished,

ca. – circa

RDA:

Century: [1800s]

Decade: [1970s]

Probable range of decades:

[between 1840s and 1860s?]

Units of measurement

AACR2:

Dimensions:

metric units

RDA:

As in the source

Dimensions: metric units (or preferred by the agency)

Playing speeds: metric or fps

(but analog tapes in inch ps)

Abbreviations

AACR2: RDA:

List of abbreviations in Latin alphabet, Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew

AACR2

Place of publication:

“If no place or probable place can be given, give s.l. (sine loco), or its equivalent in a nonroman script.”

Abbreviations?

"Where possible, Anglo-American bias in instructions has been eliminated, and RDA mandates the use of the language and script preferred by the agency creating the record.

Abbreviations are replaced by spelt-out words or phrases that may also be more accurate: ‘s.l.’ is replaced by statements such as ‘place not recorded’ or ‘place not known’."

Chapman 2008

Abbreviations?

"Where possible, Anglo-American bias in instructions has been eliminated, and RDA mandates the use of the language and script preferred by the agency creating the record.

Abbreviations are replaced by spelt-out words or phrases that may also be more accurate: ‘s.l.’ is replaced by statements such as ‘place not recorded’ or ‘place not known’."

Chapman 2008

Capitalization

Names of deities:

Allah .. Zeus

Religions/denominations:

Anglicanism .. Zoroastrianism

Scriptures:

Holy Bible

Capitalization

Names of deities:

Allah .. Zeus

Religions/denominations:

Anglicanism .. Zoroastrianism

Scriptures:

Holy Bible

Capitalization

A.19B. Names of Satan

A.19B1. Capitalize a word specifically describing Satan:

the Devil; His Satanic Majesty; Lucifer

but

a devil; devilled eggs; the devil's advocate

Sources

1. Ann Chapman (2008). RDA: A Cataloguing Code for the 21st Century, Update Magazine, Sept. 2008

2.Michele Seikel (2009). No More Romanizing: The Attempt to Be Less Anglocentric in RDA. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 47, p. 741-748.

3. AACR2, 2nd ed., 1988 revision

4. RDA Constituency Draft

Thank You.

j.pszenicyn

[@student.uw.edu.pl]