About the MGDs
The Resource Description & Access (RDA) Metadata Guidance Documentation (MGDs) will be used in conjunction with the Official RDA Toolkit and the accompanying LC-PCC Policy Statements when the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) determines an implementation date for the adoption of the Official RDA Toolkit. The MGDs are posted now to familiarize users with the content, format, and structure of the documentation.
Any screen shots, quotations, or paraphrasing of RDA instructions and practices in this document appear with the permission of the Copyright Holders of RDA (American Library Association, Canadian Federation of Library Associations, and CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals). Any reuse of RDA Toolkit materials not otherwise permissible under U.S. copyright law requires written permission from the Copyright Holders.
In fulfilling its obligations as the secretariat to the PCC, the Library of Congress has overseen the production of the Metadata Guidance Documents (MGDs), which are housed on the LC website. LC’s role in the production of the MGDs should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the Official RDA Toolkit.
Please note: The MGDs should not be used in PCC cataloging until an implementation date for the adoption of the Official RDA Toolkit has been determined.
PCC Will Have a Rolling Implementation of Official RDA from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2027 (June 13, 2023 announcement) (PDF, 193 KB)
Introduction to the MGDs
- MG: Introduction (PDF, 269 KB)
Narrative MGDs
- MG: Access Point Syntax (PDF, 500 KB)
- MG: Aggregates (PDF, 414 KB)
- MG: Attributes: Agent (PDF, 277 KB)
- MG: Basic Cataloging Decisions (PDF, 429 KB)
- MG: Corporate Bodies (PDF, 349KB)
- MG: Expressions (PDF, 326 KB)
- MG: Families (PDF, 197 KB)
- MG: Fictitious and Non-Human Entities (PDF, 190 KB)
- MG: Persons (PDF, 461 KB)
- MG: Places (PDF, 749 KB)
- MG: Relationships: Agent-Agent (PDF, 307 KB)
- MG: Relationships: Agent-WEMI (PDF, 371 KB)
- MG: Relationships: WEMI-WEMI (PDF, 2.09 MB)
- MG: Reproductions-Photocopies (PDF, 277 KB)
- MG: Serial Work and Integrating Work Decisions (PDF, 356 KB)
- MG: Series-Subseries (PDF, 153 KB)
- MG: Timespan (PDF, 376 KB)
- MG: Transcription-Punctuation (PDF, 729 KB)
- MG: Vocabulary Encoding Schemes (PDF, 339 KB)
- MG: Works (PDF, 671 KB)
String Encoding Scheme MGDs
- MG: SES: Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Terms in specific languages (PDF, 708 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for corporate body (PDF, 889 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for expression (PDF, 272 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for family (PDF, 236 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for musical work (PDF, 360 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for person (PDF, 499 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for place (PDF, 579 KB)
- MG: SES: Access point for work (PDF, 471 KB)
- MG: SES: Edition statement (PDF, 271 KB)
- MG: SES: Notes (PDF, 386 KB)
- MG: SES: Publication, Production, Distribution, and Manifestation Statements (PDF, 315 KB)
- MG: SES: Scale (PDF, 271 KB)
- MG: SES: Series statement and subelements (PDF, 248 KB)
- MG: SES: Title of manifestation and Statement of responsibility (PDF, 386 KB)
- MG: SES: Variant access point for corporate body (PDF, 600 KB)
MGD Index
- MGD Index (PDF, 218 KB)
RDA Entity MGDs
Works -- Expressions -- Manifestations -- Items -- Corporate Bodies -- Families -- Persons -- Places -- Timespan -- Relationship Labels -- Descriptive Relationships -- Subject Relationships -- Series-Subseries -- MGD Index -- MGD Home Page
Last Updated: 05/22/2026
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