Abstract:
Catalogers have been grappling with what constitutes “applicable and readily ascertainable” (RDA 0.6.1) in relation to the core element status associated with the “core” and “core if” elements in the Distribution and Manufacture Statements in RDA 2.9 and 2.10. RDA only provides explicit instructions to record “[XXX] not identified” under certain conditions in Production, Publication, Distribution, and Manufacture Statements (RDA 2.7 through 2.10), and these instructions present particular problems for the Distribution and Manufacture elements. In other parts of RDA, it is understood that unknown core elements may simply be omitted by virtue that they are not “applicable and readily ascertainable.”
The following proposal clarifies the instructions, providing an alternative instruction to omit recording “[XXX] not identified” when the distribution and/or manufacture information is truly unknown. This change has not been proposed for the publication elements, since they are considered core in all cases; and it has not been proposed for the place of production or producer elements, since they are not core under any circumstances. In addition, the instructions for recording an unknown place of publication, distribution and manufacture have been moved to separate sub-instructions (see the proposed move of the final paragraph from 2.8.2.6 to 2.8.2.6.5, for example).
