The introduction of the cataloguing code RDA is both a significant step forward and an opportunity for new developments in cataloguing. Such occasions occur rarely: we saw them last with the introduction of AACR (1967) and AACR2 (1979), the precursors to RDA. This study explains this momentous change. It presents an in-depth critical examination of RDA and its preceding codes, and maps out possible future applications and developments of RDA.
