The Future of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules between AACR2 and RDA

Abstract

This article examines the future of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules in light of the transition from AACR2 to RDA, presenting this shift as a professional response to changes in libraries, information resources, and user needs. It begins by noting that technological development has transformed the concept of the library and the role of library professionals, making the catalog a central tool for organized and efficient access to information resources. The article defines cataloging and highlights its importance for bibliographic control, information retrieval, and collection organization. It then provides a brief historical overview of cataloging rules, from Panizzi, Jewett, and Cutter to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. The article explains the position of AACR2 as a widely used standard for describing information resources, then introduces RDA as a newer standard for resource description and access, based on the FRBR model and designed to strengthen the relationship between users, data, and resources. It discusses the reasons for moving toward RDA, particularly the limitations of AACR2 in dealing with new forms of publishing and emerging resource types. The article concludes that RDA offers a more flexible framework for bibliographic description and better integration with library catalogs and online data environments.