NEISD was recently selected as one of the 26 national partners to participate in the testing of the content and online functionality of Resource Description and Access (RDA).

RDA is the new standard on cataloging books, videos, electronic resources and more into library catalogs. It provides a comprehensive set of guidelines and instructions on resource description and access covering all types of content and media.

"North East will be required to catalog 25 specific items and 25 items of our own choosing to submit to the Library of Congress to demonstrate how the new standards affect record quality," said Richard Hasenyager, director of NEISD Library Services.

These will be uploaded to the Library of Congress and reviewed to look at how other organizations catalog the same materials using the new standard. The district will then provide feedback based on the ease of use of RDA Online.

"For our own needs, we will be recording the workflow attributes to determine the best way to implement the new standards when supported by our book vendors," said Hasenyager. "The district benefits from free training and use of the new RDA Online product for six months."

NEISD was selected to due to Hasenyager’s participation on various American Library Association committees and role in the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Advisory Council. The district was also selected because it has local standards in place that provide quality control.

The list of selected test partners follows:
North East Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas
Library of Congress
National Agricultural Library
National Library of Medicine
Backstage Library Works
Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Clark Art Institute Library
University of Chicago
College Center for Library Automation
Columbia University
Douglas County Libraries, Colorado
Emory University
GSLIS Group
Minnesota Historical Society
Morgan Library and Museum
Music Library Association/Online Audiovisual Catalogers, Inc.
North Carolina State University Libraries
University of North Dakota
Northeastern University
OCLC Metadata Contract Services
Ohio State University Libraries
State Library of Pennsylvania
Quality Books
Stanford University Libraries
George Washington University