Anyone looking for a well written, concise and interesting introduction to RDA will be delighted to learn that that University Library has recently acquired Amy Hart’s The RDA Primer: A Guide for the Occasional Cataloger. This useful guide provides a brief yet informative overview of the history of RDA and a description of what separates the new code from AACR2. It’s littered with examples, screen shorts and tables which help provide even the most infrequent cataloguer with an understanding of how RDA works.
Unlike other books on the subject, The RDA Primer is written in a fluid and easily digestible language. Hart manages to mix the important and practical information required with an interesting and exciting perspective on RDA and its impact. She even goes so far as to introduce RDA as a ‘Machiavellian Intrigue’ with a revolutionary feel to it.
As the title suggests, The RDA Primer is designed for anyone not wanting to read a more in-depth guide to using RDA (some of which reach 900 pages long!). At a time when FRBR, FRAD and RDA are combined to create an increasingly complex cataloguing code, it is reassuring to find a book which provides busy librarians with the information they need.
For further information on RDA, check out the University Library’s Librarianship Collection for a full range of useful resources.
UL Library Science Collection 