Cataloging Information Resources According to RDA and MARC 21: A Practical Training Guide

Abstract

The article reviews Cataloging Information Resources According to RDA and MARC 21: A Practical Training Guide by Mohammed bin Khamis bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, published by Dar Al-Ayyam for Publishing and Distribution in Amman, Jordan, in 532 pages. The review highlights the book’s value as a practical guide for library professionals, catalogers, classifiers, and students of library and information science in Arab countries, particularly those working in technical services departments. It discusses the rapid transformations in cataloging and the impact of Resource Description and Access (RDA) on the creation of bibliographic and authority data, with reference to its relationship to AACR2, FRBR, FRAD, and the IFLA Library Reference Model, as well as the continuing shift within MARC 21 environments and the emergence of BIBFRAME. The article explains that the book is designed as a training program intended to equip students, librarians, and catalogers with the skills needed to catalog information resources in their various forms while improving catalog quality and effectiveness. It presents the book’s structure in two main parts: the first explains cataloging procedures and practical applications, while the second provides around 105 training cases for constructing bibliographic records according to RDA and MARC 21. The book also includes four practical appendices linking RDA rules with MARC 21 fields and addressing aspects of Library of Congress Classification, especially Islamic jurisprudence and Arabic literature. The review also raises professional observations concerning the need for further Arabic training on RDA and MARC, issues in translating subject headings, updates to some Cutter numbers, and the potential value of a separate work on Library of Congress Classification in Arab academic libraries.