This guide provides an introduction to the history, structure, rules, and future of the new cataloging code Resource Description and Access (RDA) that will be invaluable to general librarians and catalogers. This book traces the development of RDA, explaining why it was needed and how it was developed. The basics of the conceptual models for RDA are covered, showcasing the origins of the structure and vocabulary of RDA. It then compares AACR2 to RDA and looks at specific changes in the cataloging code. The author also addresses how this development may enable library data to be housed on the Semantic Web and provides practical advice that librarians and catalogers can act upon now to prepare for RDA. * Five-page bibliography cites works and provides links to source documents and reference works * Includes chapters on the conceptual models on which RDA is based. * A comprehensive index offers direct access to key terms and concepts of RDA * 18 graphs, figures, and screenshots illustrate concepts for FRBR and FRAD, RDA's structure and vocabulary, and linked data on the Semantic Web