No need to apologise Nicky, they are perfectly sensible questions and 
that's exactly what we hoped this e-forum would be for!

I think there are *more* options and alternatives in RDA than in AACR2. 
That said, there's definitely always been a lot of variation in 
interpretation/application of AACR2 itself, especially looking at historic 
practices between the US and UK (where I have firsthand experience) but 
also between different institutions in the UK. I suppose the worry about 
variation in RDA practice comes maybe from an increased awareness of the 
international nature of our cataloguing environment (with record sharing, 
OCLC etc) and possibly an (unrealistic?) expectation that RDA would be a 
move towards *more* standardisation rather than less?

Celine

On Apr 19 2011, Nicky Ransom wrote:

> Thanks to Alan, Celine and Anne for answering my question and clarifying 
> what was said at the briefing last week. I had suspected I had 
> misunderstood somewhere along the line.
>
> In response to Hugh's email, I confess that my question about differences 
> in implementation of RDA comes from a position of not yet having a 
> detailed understanding of RDA, having not had the chance to look at the 
> Toolkit yet. I hope I'm not creating confusion with my rather naïve 
> questions and comments, but I am trying to get my head round it all and 
> where better place than in this forum full of expert knowledge!
>
> I guess I'm trying to find out if the optional elements in RDA are 
> greater than those in AACR2, and if so, will this have an impact on the 
> differences in records between institutions and if this will matter at 
> the end of the day?
>
>Nicky
>
>Nicky Ransom
>Data Quality Manager & Cataloguer
>The Library
> 
>University for the Creative Arts
>Falkner Road
>Farnham
>Surrey GU9 7DS
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: CIG E-Forum 
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Hugh Taylor Sent: 19 
> April 2011 14:09 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: National 
> Libraries implementation
>
>Nicky Ransom said - in whole or part - on 19/04/2011 13:31:
>> Would it really be workable for national libraries of different 
>> countries to implement RDA in different ways?
>
>I think I'd like to respond in the form of a question (or two): why is 
>implementing RDA in different ways any different from (or more troubling 
>than) implementing AACR2 in different ways (as happens now, and has done 
>since the beginning of AACR2 - and well before that, of course...)? Is 
>there something specific to RDA that means our attitude to "differences" 
>in its application needs to be much more restrictive than it has been 
>previously?
>
>And if so, should that attitude apply only to national libraries' data 
>creation? Is it reasonable to expect one thing from them and another 
>from the rest of us?
>
>Something to take our minds off the glorious weather outside (well, 
>outside my window, at least!).
>
>Hugh
>--
>Hugh Taylor
>Head, Collection Development and Description
>Cambridge University Library
>West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, England
>
>email: [log in to unmask]   fax: +44 (0)1223 333160
>phone: +44 (0)1223 333069 (with voicemail) or
>phone: +44 (0)1223 333000 (ask for pager 036)
>

-- 
Céline Carty
English Cataloguing
Cambridge University Library
Cambridge CB3 9DR