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MARC 21 formats are standards for the representation and communication of bibliographic information. It's machine-readable and generally easy to transfer between systems.
Resource Description & Access (RDA) is a "package of data elements, guidelines, and instructions for creating library and cultural heritage resource metadata that are well-formed according to international models for user-focused linked data applications." MARC 21 format is commonly used to encode RDA data.
Basically, with the advancement of technology and more information being accessible on the internet, catalogers needed to rethink practices when it came to describing resources. So, RDA was introduced as a replacement to AACR2 in 2010. It's based on international standards, designed with the user in mind, compatible with existing records, and flexible. See the RDA Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Important Changes
Not every library needs to change their MARC records to meet all RDA standards. But here are a few changes you should be aware of if you use Alexandria.
Series
Series information has moved from the 490 tag to the 830 tag. Alexandria uses the 830 tag for series searches in Researcher, so it's important for your series information to be in that tag.
To make sure all of your series information is in the right place, run the Fix Series utility. You can also run this utility anytime you import new MARC records and notice series information is in the 490 tag.
Publisher has moved from 260 to 264.
Publisher information has moved from the 260 tag to the 264 tag.