Notes on Operations: GMD or No GMD: RDA Implementation for a Consortial Catalog

This paper explores the benefits of establishing item-specific terms for General Material Designations (GMDs) for library consortia implementing Resource Description and Access (RDA). While RDA includes a new approach towards the description and categorization of an item’s physical medium through the assignment of content, media, and carrier types (CMCs), thus replacing the GMD, libraries may still benefit from GMD retention in their online catalogs to help support user tasks and help contextualize CMC information. This paper presents the challenges that Mississippi State University Libraries experienced in leading RDA enrichment for the Mississippi Library Partnership (MLP) consortium. Additionally, it discusses parameters for libraries to consider when working with a vendor for RDA enrichment in a consortial environment.