Implementation of resource description and access in the Gauteng Province, South Africa

Abstract

Resource description (cataloguing) and the organisation of knowledge (classification) have evolved over the past decade due to the shifting online landscape. Currently, there are more electronic resources than there were a decade ago. The utilisation of such resources has also escalated due to the continual advancements in information technology (IT). Consequently, the resource description environment has had to reevaluate its approach to resource description. A new resource description standard, termed Resource Description and Access (RDA) has been developed to accommodate these changes. This standard was intended to be implemented in South Africa in 2013. Nonetheless, the extent of progress in the implementation phase within libraries and other resource description contexts remains uncertain. This study sought to examine the current implementation status of RDA in Gauteng Province, South Africa. This study involved eight heads of cataloguing library departments and 15 cataloguers. They originated from four academic libraries and four public libraries. The results demonstrate that RDA has been partially executed in six out of the eight libraries. The implementation period spans from 2013 to 2016. The rationale for adopting RDA is that libraries aspire to integrate into the global cataloguing community. Individuals who had not yet implemented RDA attributed their decision to its complexity and insufficient IT infrastructure.  The RDA is disseminated through the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) interest group known as the Interest Group for Bibliographic Standards (IGBIS), the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), and various other organisations. The study advises libraries to fully implement RDA to ensure interoperability of bibliographic records and to allocate resources for this endeavour.