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The Library of Congress > Cataloging, Acquisitions > PCC > PCC Post RDA Test Guidelines

Last update: May 31, 2022

General Guidelines

The following PCC guidelines were developed in consultation with the Library of Congress Policy and Standards Division:

These guidelines apply to PCC catalogers using existing authority records in PCC bibliographic records, creating new authority records, and using existing authority records.  For the context of these guidelines, an "RDA acceptable" authority record is one that is coded as AACR2, but the heading would be constructed the same under RDA and applicable LC-PCC PSs.

AACR2 or earlier records that contain the 667 note indicating that the record must be reviewed and/or updated when used in an RDA context are NOT necessarily "RDA acceptable."

Updates to Existing Records

1. For authorized access points in bibliographic records, PCC catalogers will use authorized forms of names and titles established in existing RDA and "RDA acceptable" authority records. Some bibliographic records may contain a mix of authorized headings for different names or titles because the supporting authority records may be coded AACR2 or RDA.

2. If no RDA or "RDA acceptable" AACR2 authority record exists, NACO catalogers will create RDA authority records. The resulting RDA authorized access points will be used as needed on RDA and AACR2 bibliographic records.

3. If using an "RDA acceptable" heading in PCC cataloging, PCC catalogers are strongly encouraged to evaluate and recode the authority record to RDA whenever possible.  "Evaluate" means you should check the usage(s) of the entity as recorded in the 670 field(s) of the authority record and assess the correctness of the heading based on the usages recorded.  If an "RDA acceptable" authority record is being updated for another reason (for example, to add a 4XX variant, a 5XX linking entry, or to add new identifying characteristics), PCC catalogers are required to evaluate and recode the record to RDA. There is one exception to this required recoding, however: when a record is being updated only to change an existing 5XX field, in response to changing a 1XX in another record, evaluation and recoding of the record with the 5XX is strongly encouraged, but not required. See 5) and 6) below for more information.

4. "RDA acceptable" AACR2 1XX fields may be used as the base element in a new extended RDA authorized access point (such as a name-title or subordinate body record), or as an addition to an RDA authorized access point (such as a place or associated institution).  When using an AACR2 1XX heading as the base element in an extended RDA authorized access point, or as an addition to an RDA authorized access point, the AACR2 authority record must be re-coded to RDA.  Optionally, any other existing dependent records may also be re-coded to RDA. 

5. If the evaluation and re-coding of an existing authority record results in a change to the 1XX field, and that 1XX is also used as a 5XX field in another record, the 5XX field in the other record must be changed per NACO Normalization rules. When updating the record containing the 5XX field, the cataloger is strongly encouraged to evaluate the entire record and re-code it to RDA.

6. If the evaluation and re-coding of an existing authority record will result in a change to a 5XX field, the record in which the 5XX is established as a 1XX must get its 1XX field changed per NACO Normalization rules. When updating the record containing the 1XX field, the entire record must be evaluated and re-coded to RDA.

Note that the automated changes to the LC/NACO authority file for Phase 2 may have recoded an existing extended authority record to RDA (for example, when the abbreviation for "Dept." appeared in a subordinate body), but the base heading itself is still AACR2 because it was not a candidate for a Phase 2 change.  Catalogers are strongly encouraged to evaluate and recode the base heading, but there is no requirement to do so.

Conference Headings and Access Points

If an AACR2 authority record exists for an ongoing conference treated collectively (i.e., the heading for the conference does not include the number date or place of any one specific conference), and the heading is acceptable under RDA, PCC catalogers may create new RDA authorized access points for individual instances of the ongoing conference. These RDA authorized access points will include additions such as number, date, and place, according to RDA 11.13.1.8.1. Consult the LC-PCC PS for 11.13.1.8.1 for additional information on references and notes. An authority record for a collective ongoing conference should not be deleted, nor converted to represent a single instance of the ongoing conference.

Undifferentiated Personal Name Authority Records

If an existing authority record for a personal name is an undifferentiated name record and there is now a differentiating attribute available (such as a date of birth, a date of death, a fuller form of name, period of activity, profession or occupation, title of the person including terms of rank, honour, or office, or other designation associated with the person, etc.) for the person related to the resource being cataloged, create an RDA differentiated name authority record for that person, remove the appropriate 670 fields from the undifferentiated record, and report the necessary bibliographic file maintenance. PCC catalogers should not create new undifferentiated authority records, and should not add new entities to existing undifferentiated records. If only a single identity remains on an undifferentiated record (i.e., all other identities are being disambiguated and removed), consult DCM Z1 (008/32) for guidelines on how to replace that record with a new record.

“Undifferentiated” Conventional Collective Title Work and Expression Authority Records

New (October 2, 2020)

In the LC/NACO Authority File, many conventional collective title work and expression authority records for complete and partial compilations of resources by one agent are technically “undifferentiated” records, representing more than one compilation under the same authorized access point. These “undifferentiated” conventional collective title authority records in many cases have already been re-coded to RDA. NACO catalogers working with these “undifferentiated” conventional collective title authority records for compilations of resources by one agent, whether the authority record is coded RDA or AACR2, are encouraged to create differentiated work or expression authorized access points for one or more of the compilations represented by the conventional collective title. The Standing Committee on Standards (SCS) created a FAQ that describes these “undifferentiated” conventional collective title authority records.

The FAQ also gives guidance on optionally creating differentiated work or expression authorized access points for one or more of the compilations represented by the authority record, and guidance on adding 667 cataloger’s note information to these “undifferentiated” conventional collective title authority records with usage procedures, and information on reporting records for deletion.

Changes Taking Place in the LC/NACO Authority File

The LC/NACO Authority File has undergone numerous changes to accommodate RDA implementation. The changes are based on recommendations of the PCC Acceptable Headings Implementation Task Group. PCC catalogers should consult the document Summary of Programmatic Changes to the LC/NACO Authority File: What LC-PCC RDA Catalogers need to know as it contains critical information on working in the LC/NACO Authority File during the RDA transition.

Write to [email protected] or the [email protected] account if you have questions about existing headings.