Dear colleagues
Changes to RDA were published this week, to implement the decisions of JSC last November. The BL Guide to RDA Name Authority Records has been updated to reflect these changes. It can be found here: RDA Toolkit -Tools --Workflows ---Global workflows ----BL Guide to RDA Name Authority Records The updated Guide has been reviewed by colleagues at LC/PCC, who were kind enough to take the time to plough through it and suggest additions and amendments, which have all been incorporated. The Guide is consistent with the LC-PCC-PS, DCM:Z1 and the Post-RDA Test Guidelines. Sections of the Guide are not numbered (to avoid confusion with RDA instruction numbers), but navigation is by hyperlinks starting at the Contents page. Links are provided throughout the Guide to the relevant RDA instructions, to the LC-PCC-PS, and to MARC 21. At the end of the Contents page is a section called 2013 Changes to RDA, that summarises the changes affecting name authority records, with links to the more detailed information within the Guide. >From our perspective I would like to draw attention to some of the changes that we first proposed (6JSC/BL/3 and 6JSC/BL/4): Title of the Person has a new sub-element "Other Term of Rank, Honour or Office" (9.4.1.9, 9.19.1.6), which includes terms indicating academic office, terms of respect for clergy, military ranks, and other terms of honour. It can be used to distinguish an authorised access point if dates of birth/death, periods of activity and occupations are not available. Other Designation Associated with the Person (9.6, 9.19.1.2) now includes terms for Persons Named in Sacred Scriptures or Apocryphal Books (9.6.1.6), the terms Fictitious character, Legendary character, etc. (9.6.1.7), and terms for the type, species or breed of Real Non-human Entities (9.6.1.8). Other Designation Associated with the Person also has a new sub-element "Other Designation" (9.6.1.9, 9.19.1.7). This element is intentionally broad, and is designed to help remove the few remaining cases where an authorised access point can not be made unique. It therefore encompasses almost any sensible designation, that does not fall within the scope of another element that can be used in an access point. It can be used to distinguish an authorised access point if dates of birth/death, periods of activity, occupations and other terms of rank, honour or office are not available. Other significant changes are covered in the Guide, notably the combination of the two lists of corporate and government bodies entered subordinately, which have been combined into a single set of instructions at 11.2.2.13-11.2.2.28 (6JSC/ALA/18). This revision of the Guide also contains a section on our practice for relationship designators in name authority records, which follows the "FAQ - LC/PCC RDA and AACR2 practice for creating NARs for persons who use pseudonyms" [1], and recommendations by the Task Group to Formulate or Recommend PCC/NACO RDA Policy on Authority Issues [2]. I hope this is useful. Regards Richard _________________________ Richard Moore Authority Control Team Manager The British Library Tel.: +44 (0)1937 546806 E-mail: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
