DCRM and RDA

BSC statement on DCRM and RDA

Updated October 16, 2023

The Bibliographic Standards Committee is neutral regarding RDA, neither encouraging nor discouraging agencies regarding implementation of RDA-acceptable DCRM records.

The Bibliographic Standards Committee is currently working on Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (RDA Edition) (DCRMR) and an accompanying set of policy statements to RDA.  (See DCRM RDA Revision section for more details.)  For now, agencies creating DCRM records should proceed as follows. The options under each format below are listed in order of the latest published guidelines to the earliest and not in order of preference.

The Bibliographic Standards Committee released Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (RDA Edition) (DCRMR) on February 2, 2022. The initial release includes instructions for descriptive cataloging of rare books only, that is, printed textual monographs receiving special treatment within a repository. Additional formats will be added as the RBMS RDA Editorial Group completes writing guidelines. DCRMR may be used for resources of any age or type of production. DCRMR is informed by long-standing practice in describing rare materials, as embodied in the DCRM suite of manuals. DCRMR is aligned with the descriptive standards of the Official RDA Toolkit, developed as part of the RDA Toolkit Restructure and Redesign (3R) Project. Do not use DCRMR if using earlier releases of the RDA Toolkit. Instead, apply provisions for rare materials found in the RDA BIBCO Standard Record.

Books

Apply one of the following:

  1. Catalog according to DCRMR for descriptive cataloging and the latest iteration of the RDA Toolkit for access points
    • DCRMR is aligned with the descriptive standards found in the Official RDA Toolkit developed as part of the RDA 3R Project. Agencies should not use DCRMR if using earlier releases of the RDA Toolkit.
    • The MARC record leader should be coded as following ISBD (coded i in LDR/18 or coded c if creating a minimally punctuated MARC record), with both ‡e rda and ‡e dcrmr (directly after the language of cataloging (‡b)) in the 040 field; or
  2. Create RDA records by applying the provisions for rare materials included in the RDA BIBCO Standard Record (BSR). This instruction applies also to agencies not producing BIBCO records.
    • Agencies using earlier releases of the RDA Toolkit that were not developed as part of the RDA 3R Project should apply the provisions for rare materials in the BSR. If used, the BSR for rare materials should be followed consistently throughout the entire description; it is not to be applied only to selected areas or elements.
    • The MARC record leader should be coded as following ISBD (coded i in LDR/18 or coded c if creating a minimally punctuated MARC record), with both ‡e rda and ‡e dcrmb (directly after the language of cataloging (‡b)) in the 040 field; or
  3. Continue to catalog according to DCRM(B) and AACR2 for descriptive cataloging, using RDA guidelines for access points

Cartographic

Apply one of the following:

  1. Create RDA records by applying the provisions for rare materials included in the RDA BIBCO Standard Record (BSR). This instruction applies also to agencies not producing BIBCO records.
    • If used, the BSR for rare materials should be followed consistently throughout the entire description; it is not to be applied only to selected areas or elements.
    • The MARC record leader should be coded as following ISBD (coded i in LDR/18), with both ‡e rda and ‡e dcrmc (directly after the language of cataloging (‡b)) in the 040 field; or

Continue to catalog according to DCRM(C) and AACR2 for descriptive cataloging, using RDA guidelines for access points

Graphics

Apply one of the following:

  1. Create RDA records by applying the provisions for rare materials included in the RDA BIBCO Standard Record (BSR). This instruction applies also to agencies not producing BIBCO records.
    • If used, the BSR for rare materials should be followed consistently throughout the entire description; it is not to be applied only to selected areas or elements.
    • The MARC record leader should be coded as following ISBD (coded i in LDR/18), with both ‡e rda and ‡e dcrmg (directly after the language of cataloging (‡b)) in the 040 field; or
  2. Continue to catalog according to DCRM(G) and AACR2 for descriptive cataloging, using RDA guidelines for access points

Manuscripts

Revisions to the RDA BIBCO Standard Record (BSR) are currently on hold until the completion of the RDA Toolkit Restructure and Redesign Project (3R Project). Until provisions for rare manuscripts can be incorporated into the BSR, continue to catalog according to DCRM(MSS) and AACR2 for descriptive cataloging, using RDA guidelines for access points.

In November 2019, the Bibliographic Standards Committee approved the AMREMM/DCRM(Mss) Review Group recommendation to develop combined guidelines for manuscripts (specifically, the material currently in scope of AMREMM and DCRM(Mss)) under the umbrella of DCRMR, in alignment with RDA and the IFLA Library Reference Model. The schedule for development of these guidelines is not yet determined. For the full report of the AMREMM/DCRM(Mss) Review Group, see Meeting Documents.

Music

Apply one of the following:

  1. Create RDA records by applying the provisions for rare materials included in the RDA BIBCO Standard Record (BSR). This instruction applies also to agencies not producing BIBCO records.
    • If used, the BSR for rare materials should be followed consistently throughout the entire description; it is not to be applied only to selected areas or elements.
    • The MARC record leader should be coded as following ISBD (coded i in LDR/18), with both ‡e rda and ‡e dcrmm (directly after the language of cataloging (‡b)) in the 040 field; or
  2. Continue to catalog according to DCRM(M) and AACR2 for descriptive cataloging, using RDA guidelines for access points

Serials

Apply one of the following:

  1. Create RDA records by applying the provisions for rare materials included in the RDA CONSER Standard Record (CSR). This instruction applies also to agencies not producing CONSER records.
    • If used, the CSR for rare materials should be followed consistently throughout the entire description; it is not to be applied only to selected areas or elements.
    • The MARC record leader should be coded as following ISBD (coded i in LDR/18), with both ‡e rda and ‡e dcrms (directly after the language of cataloging (‡b)) in the 040 field; or
  2. Continue to catalog according to DCRM(S) and AACR2 for descriptive cataloging, using RDA guidelines for access points

Relationship designators

Relationship designators allow the relationship between a person, family, or corporate body and a resource to be specified in a catalog record. In MARC bibliographic records they are most commonly used in 100, 110, 700, or 710 fields.

Relationship designators contained in RBMS Relationship Designators may be used in catalog records created according to any standard, including RDA, that permits use of relationship designators from a source external to the standard.

DCRM RDA Revision

Current status

Stabilized English text for the RDA 3R Project was released on April 30, 2019. At ALA Annual 2019, the RBMS Bibliographic Standards Committee had several discussions regarding what tools and guidance the rare materials cataloging community needs in order to catalog rare materials in conjunction with the new RDA. The conclusion of the discussions was that the depth of guidance that rare materials catalogers rely on in the current Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (DCRM) manuals cannot effectively be reproduced by policy statements in the Official RDA Toolkit alone and a change of approach was necessary. The RBMS Policy Statements Editorial Group was renamed the RBMS RDA Editorial Group and charged with developing guidance and tools for cataloging rare materials according to RDA as needed by the community.

The Editorial Group is revising the current DCRM manuals into a consolidated manual, Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (RDA Edition) (DCRMR). The first iteration of DCRMR, containing instructions for cataloging rare books only, was released on February 2, 2022. Instructions for cataloging rare graphics will be incorporated next into DCRMR. Although DCRMR is aligned with the RDA element sets, language in this revised manual is heavily based on the previous DCRM manuals. The new manual is available as a free online resource outside the Toolkit. Like the RDA Toolkit (and the 2002 revision of AACR2), DCRMR is considered an integrating resource, and updates will be incorporated as needed.

The Editorial Group will also create a set of policy statements for publication within the Toolkit. The policy statements will be short and concise and link to DCRMR for fuller instructions/guidance. (For example, apply this option; see DCRMR X.X for additional guidance.)

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