GPO moves towards RDA adoption

The USGPO has created a Resource Description and Access implementation team to ensure a smooth transition from AACR2 to RDA.  GPO cataloging staff are continuing their training efforts, and are now working on sample record creation, the identification of local practices, and formal Program for Cooperative Cataloging review.  Full implementation is expected in April 2013.  The timeline is now available on the RDA project page

2012 E-Reader Privacy Chart

Cohn, Cindy, and Parker Higgins. "Who's Tracking Your Reading Habits? An E-book Buyer's Guide to Privacy, 2012 Edition" Deeplinks (Nov. 29, 2012). At: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/e-reader-privacy-chart-2012-update.

This report examines how the popular e-book platforms are tracking and monitoring e-book user activities and with whom they may share the data. E-book platforms covered include: Google Books, Amazon Kindle, Barnes&Noble Nook, Kobo, Sony, Overdrive, Indiebound, Internet Archive, and Adobe Content Server.

Program for Cooperative Cataloging announces RDA training for BIBCO libraries

BIBCO institutions will be interested to know that the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) has developed a training plan for RDA descriptive cataloging in the context of the PCC BIBCO Standard Record for textual monographs. BIBCO catalogers are urged to work through Modules 1-4 of the online RDA training available from LC at http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/RDA%20training%20materials/LC%20RDA%20Training/LC%20RDA%20course%20table.html. Once catalogers have completed the online modules, BIBCO institutions should register for a series of four live webinars being offered by the PCC Secretariat. The webinars  are question-and-answer sessions with experienced RDA catalogers, based on questions submitted in advance by the trainees. The webinars begin in early December and the PCC Secretariat intends to offer them on a monthly basis during 2013 as needed by the BIBCO community. Following completion of the training, BIBCO institutions will undergo review of their RDA cataloging by an RDA-trained PCC cataloger. RDA NACO training and record review are prerequisites for BIBCO training.

News about romanization tables!

Catalogablog reports that the Belorusian and Arabic romanization tables have recently been revised. Both tables (along with all LC romanization tables) are available on the LC webpage, ALA-LC Romanization Tables.

IS RDA the only way?

The ultimate goal of the Cooperative Cataloging Rules Wiki is a bit on the radical side. It does not declare that no changes are needed, but rather that the changes needed are much deeper and far more profound than the superficial changes suggested by RDA. In addition, these changes can come from the cataloging community as a whole, instead of being decided by a few libraries in the most important libraries and trickling down to everyone else. The entire Web2.0 movement allows these sorts of grass-level initiatives now and all kinds of new tools can be built.

James Weinheimer, in his blog First Thus, takes the stance that 1) it is going to be very expensive for every library to implement RDA 2) RDA is based on FRBR, which is of unproven usefulness for library patrons, if not for catalogers and 3) RDA doesn't actually do very much other than muck around with 300 fields and spell out a few words which were formerly abbreviated.

I think he's right and he's wrong. The point of RDA, as I understand it, is to free up the data catalogers have been collecting forever so that it can be grabbed by other users and, likewise, to make it easier for catalogers to grab data collected by others to plop into our catalogs.

I do think that his idea that RDA does not go far enough is interesting. I also think his point that catalogers can do it for themselves actually is the point of RDA.
In any case, interesting to think about.