Project of Cataloging Notated Music According to Resources Description and Access Standard [RDA]: A case study of the music library at the central library of Helwan University

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Library and Information Science - faculty of Arts - Helwan University

2 Helwan University

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the policies and practices related to cataloging printed notated music according to the [RDA] standard, by presenting the planning and implementation stages of the project for cataloging the holdings of the Music Library at Helwan University. The study relied on the case study methodology to describe and analyze the reality of the music library and its various collections and resources, as well as using the checklist in order to collect data related to the financial capabilities available in the music library, and the focus groups to come up with the best practices followed in the implementation of the project. The study revealed the ingredients that must be available to complete the project of developing and cataloging the music library, as well as the readiness of the catalog to accommodate the cataloging of notated music according to the new standard. The study also came out with a set of recommendations, including the necessity of motivating the libraries participating in the Egyptian University Libraries Union catalog to apply the new standard to various resources of information in order to detect problems and try to solve them in the continuous updates of the catalog. The study also urged the dissemination of experiences related to similar projects cataloging resources of information of a special nature in order to benefit and share experiences related to the implementation mechanism of the projects and the policies followed.

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