Testing Resource Description and Access (RDA) with Non-MARC Metadata Standards

Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign participated in the 2010 U.S. National Libraries Test of Resource Description & Access (RDA). As devised, the new cataloging code is format and schema independent. Because creating descriptive metadata records in non–MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) metadata standards is now a part of regular cataloging practice, the three institutions chose to test RDA with the standards, Metadata Object Description Standard (MODS), Encoded Archival Description (EAD), and Dublin Core. This article describes the set-ups and workflows of each institution, the issues encountered with record creation, and the conclusions drawn from the test.