News & Information

Current Status

With the April and September 2019 releases to the RDA Toolkit beta site, the RDA text has been stabilized and the site has met project goals for accessibility and revision reporting. This wraps up 3R work on the English language version of the standard and the site. The focus of work has shifted to translations and the development of policy statements and application profiles. Translations are well under way with expectations that nine translations will be published in the next 15 months.

One of the most important goals of the RDA Toolkit Restructure and Redesign Project (commonly known as the 3R Project) was to bring the site into compliance with current accessibility standards. More specifically the goal was to reach a AA rating according the the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. After the stabilization of the standard in  April of this year, the beta site underwent a full evaluation by an independent consulting firm which returned a list of accessibility issues with the beta site.

Join us on Monday, August 19th for a 90 minute workshop on Teaching RDA After 3R with Brian Dobreski. Geared toward LIS instructors responsible for teaching RDA as well as practitioners who perform staff training, this webinar covers strategies for introducing students to the new RDA Toolkit. This webinar addresses how to teach students to use the new Toolkit, with an emphasis on how to navigate RDA and understand its setup, how to find what they need, and how they can take advantage of new functionality important to learners.

We have heard from some users that examples have been few and far between. Because the RDA text is still a work in progress on the beta site, it has been difficult to write examples. When the 3R Project is complete we expect there to be many more examples in the new Toolkit as compared to the original one. Also the new Toolkit will feature new types of examples, including examples for recording methods, relationship examples, and examples in context. The attached list will guide users to instructions with a variety of examples.

On April 29th a new release was published to the RDA Toolkit beta site. The release introduces new features and functionality as well as some relocating of RDA content. For a full explanation of notable changes to the RDA text see Notes on the April 29, 2020 RDA Toolkit Release.

We have added a new series of videos on the RDA Toolkit YouTube channel called RDA Concepts. These are brief videos intended as an introduction to some key concepts in RDA. Both new and experienced RDA users may find these videos helpful as they explain concepts using the RDA Toolkit Beta Site.

With many catalogers and metadata specialists working remotely these days, some may find that they have a bit more time on their hands and have an inkling to dive into a topic that has been put off for awhile. This might be an opportune time to dive into the 3R project and the beta RDA Toolkit. In December the beta site will become the official RDA site, and there's plenty of time to get up to speed on the changes to the RDA standard and new Toolkit functionality.

During this period where many, many folks are staying at home and either working remotely or just trying to be productive in some way, we have a few options to offer.

Extended Free Trials

Starting today, free trials of RDA Toolkit will run for 60 days instead of 30. If you signed up for a free trial in the last 30 days, you will still get the extra 30 days. If you had a free trial a long time ago, no worries. You can still sign up for a 60 day trial. 

The RDA Toolkit YouTube channel has a lot to offer to RDA Toolkit subscribers and the RDA curious. There are recordings of presentations, introductions to new RDA concepts, and training videos for the redesigned Toolkit. The latest addition to the channel is a series of videos that provide guidance and tips on conducting searches in the beta site.

During this period of concern about the COVID-19 virus, more and more people are working at home or at some other remote location while their institution is closed. Fortunately, RDA Toolkit is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection and a subscription. Now seems like a good time to remind our users how to access RDA Toolkit remotely.

Connecting to the Current RDA Toolkit (access.rdatoolkit.org)

The current RDA Toolkit can be accessed from anywhere with an Account ID and Password.