News & Information

On Thursday, August 16, a small update was made to the RDA Toolkit beta site. In addition to fixed links, corrected typos and other minor changes to the text, the update also included several significant changes to the site display and functionality. Here some of the key changes.

The Copyright Holders of RDA are pleased to confirm that an agreement has been reached with Biblioteca Alexandrina for an Arabic translation of RDA. The translation will appear on RDA Toolkit following the conclusion of the 3R Project.

A new release of RDA Toolkit will be published on February 13, 2018. This will be the final release to the current Toolkit before the rollout of the 3R Project. Releases typically contain changes to content and metadata, enhancements to RDA Toolkit functionality, and fixes to existing bugs, however this release will include the debut of the Norwegian translations and some corrections to the Finnish translation. The details of the December release follow.

If you’re looking for an introduction to metadata and linked data, you may be interested in this upcoming eCourse.

Introduction to Metadata and Linked Data eCourse

6-week eCourse, begins Feb. 12

Computers increasingly collect, manage, and analyze data for scholarly research. Linked data and metadata give libraries the ability to support this eResearch, making them powerful tools. Many libraries are a tipping point in adoption of linked data, and librarians that don't learn about this topic are at risk of falling behind.

The hosting center that is home to RDA Toolkit and the RSC website is scheduled to be decommissioned. Because of this, RDA servers will need to move to a new facility, one just a short distance from their current home. This move is scheduled for the evening of Friday, January 5th, starting around 10 pm in the eastern United States. All the equipment will be packed up, put on a truck, moved to the new facility, and reinstalled into a pre-wired rack. The estimated downtime for the RDA Toolkit is approximately five hours.

A new release of RDA Toolkit will be published on December 12, 2017. This will be the penultimate release to the current Toolkit before the rollout of the 3R Project. In late January or February we will make a final release which will include only the addition of a Norwegian translation of RDA. Releases typically contain changes to content and metadata, enhancements to RDA Toolkit functionality, and fixes to existing bugs. The details of the December release follow.

One of the activities related to the recent RSC meeting at the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid was a community outreach event entitled "Preparing for the New Toolkit". The event was recorded and can be viewed at the BNE website. The presentations were given in English, but a Spanish translator  was also present.