A Comparative Study on Differences between Anglo - American Catalogue Rules (AACR II) and Resource Description and Access (RDA)

Abstract

Anglo - American Catalogue Rules II in 2008 and Resource Description and Access are basically used to cataloguing libraries. This study investigates differences between AACR II and RDA. Resource Description and Access is a new standard for description and access knowledge. AACR depends on ISBD standard and RDA was based on Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records(FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data(FRAD). According to this study, it can be identified differences of both cataloguing rules such as Parallel titles, statement of responsibility, publication information and dates, relationship designators, capitalization , treatment of typos or errors found on the resource, square brackets and fictitious entities and non-human entities can be creators or contributors. Fundamentals of AACR II and RDA are also different. Mainly, AACR II is a printed source, rules are created for both content and display and designed for card catalogues. RDA is an online source and web based one, rules are created only for the content and designed for a digital world. Therefore, Librarians have been focusing attention on RDA rules rather than AACR II in order to develop future virtual library concept with regarding to web based description and access to digitized knowledge and information.