[Apologies for cross-posting] Tena koutou katoa, Below is a message sent today by Deirdre Kiorgaard of the National Library of Australia to rdaaust, the Australian RDA discussion list. As you will see from the message, the publication of RDA has been delayed, with it now expected in June 2010. The good news is that pricing and purchasing information will be introduced at the time of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, 15-18 January 2010. Once RDA is published the testing period for the US National libraries will begin. This will take nine months, and comprises : 3 months of preparation and familiarisation for the US National libraries testing 3 months of testing by the US National libraries 3 months for the US National libraries to analyze the results of the testing and prepare an assessment report Nga mihi Kim Gutchlag Manager, Collection Description National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa Wellington, New Zealand DDI: +644 474 3085 Kim.gutchlag@natlib.govt.nz http://www.natlib.govt.nz TEXT OF MESSAGE TO RDAAUST RDA: Resource Description and Access will be published in June 2010. While we regret this delay in release of RDA, the transition from publication of AACR2 as a printed manual to release of RDA as a web based toolkit is a complex process with many interdependencies. The updated text of RDA incorporates recommendations from constituencies and other stakeholders approved at the JSC meeting earlier this year. The revised text has been successfully loaded into the RDA database. The product is currently undergoing thorough quality review and testing in preparation for release. We recognize that customers and prospective users of RDA need reliable and timely information for planning and budgeting. We are confident that this revised deadline is a realistic target for publication of RDA. Pricing and purchasing information will be introduced at the time of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, 15-18 January 2010. Mary Ghikas, Chair Committee of Principals Alan Danskin, Chair Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA Don Chatham, Chair Co-publishers