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Nya metadata i bibliotekens vaRDAg är ett projekt som har drivits av Umeå universitetsbibliotek i samarbete med Lunds universitets bibliotek, Kungliga biblioteket och Riksarkivet. Syftet med projektet är att utvärdera applicering av RDA på arkivmaterial. Inom projektets ramar har arkivmaterial från forskningsarkiv i Lund och Umeå katalogiserats utifrån RDA med fokus på personarkiv. Inom projektet har olika modeller för applicering av RDA på arkivmaterial utarbetats och dessa modeller har exemplifierats med olika typer av arkiv och arkivmaterial. Projektet kan ses som ett pilotprojekt för hur RDA kan appliceras på arkivmaterial och hur FRBR kan relateras till arkiv.

RDA (Resource Description & Access) is a new cataloging standard that has been implemented in libraries in several countries over the world. It is based on the conceptual model FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographical Records) and its rules have been influenced by archival descriptive rules. Thus RDA provides an opportunity for collaboration between archives and libraries. Umeå University Library is currently running the project RDA – An Opportunity for Archive and Library Collaboration, with support from Lund University Library, the National Library of Sweden and the National Archives. The aim of this project is to explore how RDA can be applied on archival materials and how FRBR entities can be related to aforementioned materials. RIMMF (RDA in Many Metadata Formats) is a cataloging training tool and has been used to visualize RDA and FRBR. RDA Toolkit has been used as a support tool in the cataloging process. Different models for applying RDA on archival materials have been developed in the project. The models have separate advantages and disadvantages, for example when it comes to creating searchability and to link archival materials with published materials. Using RDA brings possibilities to create linked data useful for archives, libraries and other interested parties. RDA has the potential to work as a standard for describing both archival and bibliographic materials.

Personal archives can contain many hidden treasures, but how can these be made more visible? A recent Swedish project at Umeå University Library used RDA to create linked data connecting archive and library materials. This can for example help you follow the thoughts of author Sara Lidman from manuscripts in research archives to actual published books in libraries.

In 2003 the libraries of ten municipalities in the northern part of Sweden were each given 10 000 (SEK) by the BIN-project to purchase books on demand instead of making inter-library loans. This attempt was called Köpa på efterfrågan (Purchasing on demand). The purpose of this master thesis is to evalutate Köpa på efterfrågan. The results of the evaluation show that the books purchased on demand were quite popular. Almost all the purchased books were non-fictional with most books being bought within the field of medicin. There is also a correspondence between the education held in the participating municipality and which subject the purchased books belonged to. The libraries have all made rather similar purchases regarding subject, with the exception of Robertsfors. The most expensive subject was medicin, both per book and overall. The libraries have mostly bought their books on Internet bookstores due to their low cost and swift delivery. Purchasing on demand entails more benefits than inter-library lending, as it is less expensive, and a book, once bought, is available on the shelf for others to borrow it, although the increase of the library’s collection demands more thorough media-planning.