Table of Contents

RDA Label changes

Sometimes in RDA, the label for an element changes (even though the RDA element per se, in linked data terms, has not changed).

<!– For a digression on this latter topic, click here). –>

In version 248 of MARC Report, we have added a new cataloging checks that concerns itself exclusively with these label changes, which over time have grown to about 75 in number.

Up until now, relators that do not match a term in the RDA list would result in a message like:

Subf $e value is not RDA

Beginning with MARC Report 248, some of the terms that generated the message above will now generate a slightly different message.

For example, when MARC Report sees a heading like this–

700 1 $aDemy, Jacques,$edirector,$eauthor of screenplay. 

–the following brief message and note will be displayed:

700-01: Subf $e value is no longer used

700 subfield $e: author of screenplay. This relationship term is no longer used in RDA. 
Instead use: 'screenwriter' (An author of a screenplay, script, or scene.). 

This new brief message–value is no longer used–will appear whenever the program detects the older form of a label that has since been changed. In each case, an explanatory note will include information about:

  1. what the current label should be, and
  2. the latest definition of that label

A second example: if the label joint author were used, the following brief message and note would display:

700-01: Subf $e value is no longer used

700 subfield $e: joint author. This relationship term is no longer used in RDA. 
Instead use: 'author' (An agent responsible for creating a work that is primarily 
textual in content, regardless of media type or genre). 

Note that the error message (from the validation engine)

Subf $e value is not RDA

will still be used for any relator that is not in the list of RDA terms, and not in the list of RDA label changes.

Customizing

In the present version, there is no interface in the software to customize the file of RDA Label Changes, as we did not think there was any compelling reason to do so.

However, in keeping with the mantra of everything must be configurable, here is what you can do to customize this module.

First, find the text file named rda-label-changes.txt. It should be located in your 'Documents\MarcReport\lists' folder. (If its not there, grab a copy of it from the installation folder and copy it to your 'Documents\MarcReport\lists' folder).

Next, open it in a text editor.

As the columns are tab-delimited, you can also open it in Excel. Just remember to clean up afterwards, as Excel will add a lot of double-quotes to the file which are not needed.

There are 6 columns in this file. The one you need to use if you are disabling a message is the one called 'Flag', which is the first column.

Find the message that you want to disable, and replace the contents of the first column with an 'n' (lowercase).

Save the file to the location mentioned above. The next time you run MARC Report, the message that you changed should no longer appear.

However, its likely that you will now see the message

700-01: Subf $e value not RDA

when that label is used, because having disabled the more specific error that targets only the label change, the default validation now kicks in.

Dealing with the validation error is beyond the scope of this page, but again, it can be done, by following the instructions here.

List of label changes

Here is a list of RDA Label changes that we have compiled over the last few years. This list (the one on this wiki page) is likely to become out-of-date over time, so for up-to-date information, refer to the file named rda-label-changes.txt in your MarcReport\lists folder.

Old labelNew label
abstract (expression)abstracted as (expression)
abstract (work)abstracted as (work)
accompanying expression relationship withaccompanying expression relationship
accompanying item relationship withaccompanying item relationship
accompanying manifestation relationship withaccompanying manifestation relationship
accompanying work relationship withaccompanying work relationship
adapted as a screenplay (work)adapted as screenplay (work)
author of screenplayscreenwriter
basis for libretto (expression)adapted as libretto (expression)
basis for libretto (work)adapted as libretto (work)
choreography (expression)adapted as choreography (expression)
choreography (work)adapted as choreography (work)
choreography for (expression)choreographic adaptation of (expression)
choreography for (work)choreographic adaptation of (work)
collaboratorcontributor
component of a mergercomponent of merger
derivative expression relationship withderivative expression relationship
derivative work relationship withderivative work relationship
*descriptive expression relationship withdescription of (expression) ; described in (expression)
*descriptive item relationship withsubject of (item)
*descriptive manifestation relationship withsubject of (manifestation)
*descriptive work relationship withdescription of (work) ; described in (work)
digest (expression)digested as (expression)
digest (work)digested as (work)
digital transferdigital transfer (manifestation)
editor of compilationeditor
electronic reproductionelectronic reproduction (manifestation)
equivalent (manifestation)equivalent (manifestation)
equivalent item relationship withequivalent item relationship
equivalent manifestation relationship withequivalent manifestation relationship
facsimilefacsimile (manifestation)
group membermember
group member ofcorporate body
incumbentofficer
joint authorauthor
musical arrangementarranged as
musical arrangement ofarrangement of
musical setting (expression)set to music as (expression)
musical setting (work)set to music as (work)
musical variations (expression)modified by variation as (expression)
musical variations (work)modified by variation as (work)
musical variations based on (expression)variations based on (expression)
musical variations based on (work)variations based on (work)
novelization (expression)adapted as novel (expression)
novelization (work)adapted as novel (work)
officiated corporate bodyofficer of
other person, family, or corporate body associated with a manifestationother agent associated with a manifestation
other person, family, or corporate body associated with a workother agent associated with a work
other person, family, or corporate body associated with an itemother agent associated with an item
participant in a treatyparticipant in treaty
preservation facsimilepreservation facsimile (manifestation)
producer of an unpublished resourceproducer of unpublished manifestation
referential work relationship withreferential work relationship
related expressionrelated expression (expression)
related itemrelated item of manifestation
related itemrelated item (item) ; related item of manifestation
related item of itemrelated item
related item of manifestationrelated item (manifestation)
related manifestationrelated manifestation (manifestation)
related workrelated work (work)
reprinted asreprinted as (manifestation)
reproduced asreproduced as (manifestation)
restorationistrestorationist (item)
sequential expression relationship withsequential expression relationship
sequential work relationship withsequential work relationship
summary (expression)summarized as (expression)
summary (work)summarized as (work)
teacherinstructor
verse adaptation (expression)adapted in verse as (expression)
verse adaptation (work)adapted in verse as (work)
vocalistsinger
whole-part expression relationship withwhole-part expression relationship
whole-part item relationship withwhole-part item relationship
whole-part manifestation relationship withwhole-part manifestation relationship
whole-part work relationship withwhole-part work relationship

There are four labels in the list marked with an asterisk. These are a bit of a special case as they actually represent deprecated RDA elements which have been superseded by new elements. But, for our purposes (cataloging in MARC), the end result is simply that the label has changed.