The New Version of Resource Description and Access (RDA): GPO’s Preparations and Impacts on the FDLP Community

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), Library Services and Content Management (LSCM) is preparing to adopt a new iteration of the cataloging standard Resource Description and Access (RDA).

RDA is used in metadata services for the FDLP and Cataloging and Indexing Program (C&I). Staff in LSCM’s Library Technical Services (LTS) use RDA and the RDA Toolkit on a daily basis to catalog U.S. Government information products and to create and maintain name authority records.

The new RDA features both a redesigned RDA Toolkit and implementation of the Library Reference Model (LRM). The RDA Toolkit Restructure and Redesign Project, also known as the 3R Project, released a beta version of the redesigned RDA Toolkit in 2018. The new RDA later became official when the Toolkit was elevated out of beta status on December 15, 2020.

The new RDA is now in use worldwide. However, it has not yet been adopted by the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), of which GPO is a member. Through September 2023, LTS is participating in the PCC’s Task Group to Test the Official RDA Toolkit. This task group has conducted a test to assess the usability of the redesigned LC-PCC Policy Statements and newly-created Metadata Guidance Documents. The task group’s report will aid the Library of Congress and PCC in creating training materials. LTS will utilize the completed documentation and training materials to make the switch to the new RDA along with PCC. Currently, the switch is expected to occur no earlier than May 2024.

The changes to RDA will impact LSCM’s cataloging workflows, training procedures, and the GPO Cataloging Guidelines.

To help prepare for the new RDA, LSCM has created the RDA/3R Project.

The Project’s goals include:

  • Gaining familiarity with LRM and the redesigned RDA Toolkit.
  • Identifying and documenting aspects of the restructured cataloging standard and redesigned Toolkit that differ from their current iterations.
  • Adapting cataloging workflows at GPO to conform to the restructured cataloging standard and utilize the redesigned Toolkit.
  • Exploring automated options for GPO’s cataloging workflows to the greatest extent possible.
  • Informing the FDLP community of impacts from implementing cataloging policy changes through FDLP News & Events alerts, regular updates to this web page, and informational webinars and webcasts.

Activities thus far include:

  • Attending or viewing external training sessions on the new RDA and LRM.
  • Creating internal training materials and conducting internal staff training sessions.
  • Monitoring announcements from the RDA developers.
  • Participating in the PCC test of the Official RDA Toolkit, in the roles of Tester, Evaluator, and Task Group Member.

GPO will share open-access training resources on this web page, for all who are interested in learning more about the new RDA.

Training Resources

Project Updates

March 2022- Present

LTS participates in the PCC’s Task Group to Test the Official RDA Toolkit.

March 2021-Present

LTS staff attend webinars exploring the functionality of the new Toolkit. Members of the project team update the annotated list of available RDA and LRM training resources..

June-December 2020

GPO catalogers attended a series of webinars produced by the American Library Association, RDA Lab Series.

April 2020

Informal internal training began, to continue through September 2020. GPO catalogers signed up to present short sessions on topics of interest or to create posters defining important new terminology.

February-March 2020

A cohort of GPO staff members attended the updated New Concepts series of webinars produced by the American Library Association (ALA).

February 2020

The project team’s complete annotated list of available RDA and LRM training resources was distributed to all GPO catalogers, for independent study.

January 2020

A cohort of GPO staff members attended the RDA Toolkit Pre-Conference Workshop at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

December 2019

A cohort of GPO staff members completed the Library Juice Academy online course: LRM: A New Foundation for RDA & the RDA Toolkit.

September-December 2019

RDA/3R Project team members updated GPO’s list of available RDA and LRM training resources (see the “Training Resources” section above). Team members assessed the resources to determine which would be most beneficial to GPO catalogers.

July-August 2019

RDA/3R Project team members attended two series of webinars produced by ALA, New Concepts and Special Topics. Project team members evaluated which webinars, or portions thereof, would be most beneficial to GPO catalogers.

June 2019

A cohort of GPO staff members attended the RDA Toolkit Redesign workshop at the ALA Annual Conference.

May-June 2019

RDA/3R Project team members compiled a list of available training resources on the new RDA and LRM (see “Training Resources” section above).

May 2019

GPO established the RDA/3R Project.