Re: [RDA-L] New to list
No, you are definitely not alone. I consider myself pretty intelligent, and I've taken many workshops on FRBR, RDA, etc. Every time I think I figured it out, I've found something that doesn't fit what I thought I understood. Sigh. Maxine Sherman Cataloger Cuyahoga County Public Library Administrative Offices 2111 Snow Road / Parma, OH 44134-2728 p 216.749.9378 / f 216.749.9445 msher...@cuyahogalibrary.org www.cuyahogalibrary.org -Original Message- From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:rd...@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Jackie Johnson Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:00 AM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] New to list Hi all I am new to the list. I am just wondering whether anyone else is struggling as I am with RDA. I am finding the terminology rather impenetrable and the descriptions very convoluted. Would be good to know I am not the only one, or is it a sign of my age and my 32-year acquaintance with AACR2? Regards, Jackie Johnson Metadata Coordinator Library Services University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT 0121-414-2767 j.john...@bham.ac.uk
Re: [RDA-L] New to list
Thanks all for your replies and reactions. I don't feel half so bad now! I feel as the supervisor of my team I have to try and do my best, but it's an uphill struggle. I'm sure as I get further into it I'll be very grateful for this support group! Regards Jackie Jackie Johnson Metadata Coordinator Library Services University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT 0121-414-2767 j.john...@bham.ac.uk From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [rd...@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Jackie Johnson [j.john...@bham.ac.uk] Sent: 26 August 2010 12:59 To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] New to list Hi all I am new to the list. I am just wondering whether anyone else is struggling as I am with RDA. I am finding the terminology rather impenetrable and the descriptions very convoluted. Would be good to know I am not the only one, or is it a sign of my age and my 32-year acquaintance with AACR2? Regards, Jackie Johnson Metadata Coordinator Library Services University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT 0121-414-2767 j.john...@bham.ac.uk
Re: [RDA-L] New to list
Mark Ehlert wrote: As someone who's training others on RDA, I concur that parts of the new code are, if not impenetrable, certainly a tough row to hoe. Chapter 17 has been a real bear for me, for instance, though I think I finally managed to wrap my head most of it recently. The trouble is that you don't do cataloging just by applying a code of rules, but in a system that gives you forms to fill and options to decide and such. That's very much the environment catalogers live in and are used to. Their language consists of MARC tags and MARC field names, mostly. This will have to be adapted to RDA, or the other way - or it's not going to work. Even if much were to be accomplished along that line of reformulation or retraining, there's still the question of efficiency when you consider that the new code doesn't actually do many new things but more of the old and familiar ones, only in a more thoroughly conceptualized framework of thinking, coooked up by database engineers. B.Eversberg
Re: [RDA-L] New to list
On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 9:14 AM, Bernhard Eversberg e...@biblio.tu-bs.de wrote: Mark Ehlert wrote: As someone who's training others on RDA, I concur that parts of the new code are, if not impenetrable, certainly a tough row to hoe. Chapter 17 has been a real bear for me, for instance, though I think I finally managed to wrap my head most of it recently. The trouble is that you don't do cataloging just by applying a code of rules, but in a system that gives you forms to fill and options to decide and such. That's very much the environment catalogers live in and are used to. Their language consists of MARC tags and MARC field names, mostly. This will have to be adapted to RDA, or the other way - or it's not going to work. Very true. That is something that I mention in my training as well: some of the difficulties in translating RDA into MARC. -- Mark K. Ehlert Minitex Coordinator University of Minnesota Bibliographic Technical 15 Andersen Library Services (BATS) Unit 222 21st Avenue South Phone: 612-624-0805 Minneapolis, MN 55455-0439 http://www.minitex.umn.edu/
Re: [RDA-L] New to list
Hi Maxine! Long-time-no-chat. I concur with what you said; as well as everyone else's comments set forth in this thread! We've certainly discussed some of this in Cataloging Needs of Public Libraries at ALA. It it is true that we've been cataloging with AACR2 ... some of us since 1981. The concept of learning something new is not the issue, trying to apply the new concepts is another matter. It is not uncommon for me to sit at my desk, read and try to apply the rules, and say (or so I've been told I say), Huh?, [expletive], what?, [another expletive], and so forth. Best. R. -- Robert C.W. Hall, Jr. Technical Services Associate Librarian Concord Free Public Library, Concord, MA 01742 978-318-3343 -- FAX: 978-318-3344 -- http://www.concordlibrary.org/ bh...@minlib.net -- -Original Message- From: MSHERMAN msher...@cuyahogalibrary.org To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:52:18 -0400 Subject: Re: [RDA-L] New to list No, you are definitely not alone. I consider myself pretty intelligent, and I've taken many workshops on FRBR, RDA, etc. Every time I think I figured it out, I've found something that doesn't fit what I thought I understood. Sigh. Maxine Sherman Cataloger Cuyahoga County Public Library Administrative Offices 2111 Snow Road / Parma, OH 44134-2728 p 216.749.9378 / f 216.749.9445 msher...@cuyahogalibrary.org www.cuyahogalibrary.org [http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/] -Original Message- From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:rd...@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Jackie Johnson Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:00 AM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] New to list Hi all I am new to the list. I am just wondering whether anyone else is struggling as I am with RDA. I am finding the terminology rather impenetrable and the descriptions very convoluted. Would be good to know I am not the only one, or is it a sign of my age and my 32-year acquaintance with AACR2? Regards, Jackie Johnson Metadata Coordinator Library Services University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT 0121-414-2767 j.john...@bham.ac.uk
Re: [RDA-L] New to list
I was one of the reviewers of RDA when it was being written. Basically, the English is terrible. Very passive sounding. Long sentences. Distinctions that do not make a difference (Choice of entry and Recording of entry--why are they two different parts of the code and so far apart. I was told some time back that the whole thing would be rewritten. In more direct language (Like AACR2, perhaps?). But I don't know if they will have the time. Hope so. On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 4:59 AM, Jackie Johnson j.john...@bham.ac.ukwrote: Hi all I am new to the list. I am just wondering whether anyone else is struggling as I am with RDA. I am finding the terminology rather impenetrable and the descriptions very convoluted. Would be good to know I am not the only one, or is it a sign of my age and my 32-year acquaintance with AACR2? Regards, Jackie Johnson Metadata Coordinator Library Services University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT 0121-414-2767 j.john...@bham.ac.uk -- Gene Fieg Cataloger/Serials Librarian Claremont School of Theology gf...@cst.edu
