Official RDA and Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (RDA Edition)
a multifaceted approach to rare materials cataloguing
Keywords:
DCRMR, DCRM, RBMS Policy Statements, RDAAbstract
Descriptive cataloguing standards for rare materials have aligned with general-purpose library metadata standards, such as ISBD and AACR2, for decades. However, the characteristics of rare and antiquarian materials and the historical contexts in which they have been produced necessitate standards that extend, or even deviate from, generalist guidelines. Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (RDA Edition) (DCRMR) is a recent example of a rare materials cataloguing standard developed by and for its community of practitioners that remains in alignment with international cataloguing standards and principles. DCRMR supports a multifaceted approach to rare materials cataloguing in RDA, including a standalone, open-source manual for use in tandem with the RDA Toolkit and policy statements maintained by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) that offer guidance on rare materials cataloguing within the Toolkit itself.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jessica Grzegorski
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