Resource Description and Access (RDA) is the first new international cataloguing standard for nearly thirty years. This essential new textbook builds on John Bowman's highly regarded Essential Cataloguing to provide cataloguers with the skills needed for transition to RDA. It gives an introduction to Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), which provides the conceptual basis for RDA; discusses the differences between AACR2 and RDA; and shows the current state of play in MARC 21. The final chapter includes ten records displayed in AACR2 level 1, AACR2 level 2, RDA and MARC 21, making it easy to see the differences at a glance. There is also a fully-explained worked example based on RDA Appendix M. Written at a time of transition in international cataloguing, this book provides cataloguers and students with a background in general cataloguing principles, the current code (AACR2) and format (MARC 21) and the new standard (RDA). The contextual chapters provide library managers with an up-to-date overview of the development of RDA in order to equip them to make the transition.