1. Committee Membership
ACORD is seeking to recruit 2-4 new members through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, with the hope that one new member may take on an Oceania RDA Committee (ORDAC) representative role. At the time of the meeting the draft EOI was ready for distribution and this has since been posted: Call for Expressions of Interest.
Renate Beilharz has resigned from the committee. ACORD acknowledged and thanked Renate for her significant contributions to the group, including her leadership in establishing the new Schools Cataloguing Community of Practice.
2. Cataloguers’ Catch-Up
The latest Cataloguers’ Catch-Up was held earlier this month and again was well attended with around 50 current and aspiring cataloguers joining the conversation. Stay tuned for confirmation of the next meeting in November.
3. Schools Cataloguing Community of Practice (SCCoP)
The Schools Cataloguing Community of Practice launched on Australian School Library Day. The first session presented by Cath Ferguson on reparative description attracted more than 50 attendees. The group identified BIBFRAME and what this will look like in a school cataloguing environment as a future topic of conversation. The following ACORD members will serve as co-convenors during the first year: Catherine Barnes, Cath Ferguson, and Edith Fullalove.
4. RDA Toolkit
The group discussed the RDA toolkit and the need to demystify its language for ease of use and encourage engagement with the standard. ORDAC are currently planning a webinar focused on the Official RDA Toolkit, aimed at demystifying the language, exploring navigating, and how to use the resources.
5. National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) RDA Project Updates
ACORD noted that official RDA is expected to be implemented in 2027. Sector consultation is underway, with NSLA establishing three working groups: Metadata Application Profiles (MAPs), Policy Statements, and Workflows. ACORD members, Melissa Parent and Glenn Wells, are leading the MAPs Working Group, with focus groups now testing draft MAPs.
6. Trove and TCS-CIG-VIC Meeting
The ACORD chair Nicole Hunt joined representatives from Trove and the Trove Collaborative Services Cataloguing Interest Group Victoria (TCS-CIG-VIC) to discuss recent Trove changes and communication channel concerns raised by TCS-CIG-VIC. Trove outlined new ways for partners to receive updates and provide feedback, including the Trove Partner Cataloguing email list and Trove Partner Support Contact Form.
7. Library of Congress Subject Headings and Resource Description Futures Working Group and Steering Committee
The newly established Library of Congress Subject Headings and Resource Description Futures Working Group will hold its first meeting in late September. Membership includes representatives from the National Library of Australia, State Library of NSW, Deakin University, CAVAL, and others. ACORD members Alissa McCulloch (Working Group) and Nicole Hunt (Steering Committee) will participate.
8. Rare Books Cataloguing and Trove Mapping Concerns
Following ALIA Rare Books Cataloguing Group and ACORD’s joint submission to Trove earlier this year, discussions are continuing around standards for describing rare materials in the Australian National Bibliographic Database (ANBD). Testing and consultation will take place before a final solution is adopted.