I would say that, generally, RDA thinks it is more helpful to users to transcribe a statement of responsibility completely than to omit certain types of information.
However, I also think that RDA recognizes that in some situations it may not be helpful to users to transcribe a complete statement of responsibility, hence the reason for the optional omission. All this is to say, that if in your judgment you think it would be more helpful to users to omit portions of the statement of responsibility in certain situations, then do it. If you think it would be better not to omit information in other situations, then do that. Yes, I would agree that LC/PCC would rather you not omit information. But even in the LC-PCC PS for 2.4.1.4 gives you an out by saying "generally do not abridge a statement of responsibility." I take this to mean that you can employ the option in exceptional situations if you are a PCC library. So, to go back to your example, you have made the judgment that omitting portions of the s.o.r. is more helpful to users for *this particular situation*. But maybe you would want to include the full s.o.r in other situations. Seems fien to me. Damian Iseminger New England Conservatory From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Benjamin A Abrahamse Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 2:13 PM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] S-o-R/RDA 2.4.1.4 Do people really think "edited by J. Garland, Cambridge Carbonates UK, J.E. Neilson, University of Aberdeen, UK, S.E. Laubach, University of Texas at Austin, USA and K.J. Whidden, USGS, USA" is more helpful and unambiguous to users than, "edited by J. Garland, J.E. Neilson, S.E. Laubach, and K.J. Whidden"? To me at least the former looks like a mix of individuals and corporate bodies. And that is what 2.4.1.4 without the optional omission (which, unfortunately, LC and PCC don't seem to like) leads to. --Ben Benjamin Abrahamse Cataloging Coordinator Acquisitions, Metadata and Enterprise Systems MIT Libraries 617-253-7137
