The theoretical model on which the RAK rules were based on are the "Paris Principles" (PP), drawn up in 1961 at a conference of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Forms of headings in the original language of the medium to be cataloged and a priority of purely formal decision-making criteria, for example when a corporation is chosen as the main entry, are characteristic for RAK.
Since 2015, the RAK is being replaced by the international Resource Description and Access (RDA) set of rules.
They formed the long-awaited replacement of the outdated Preußische Instruktionen (PI) (English: Prussian instructions), introduced in 1899 and expanded by DIN 1505 in 1932.
Due to the different requirements, the alternative regulations were recorded in different sets of rules for scientific libraries (RAK-WB) and public libraries (RAK-ÖB), and further regulation works for special types of media were developed: The formal cataloging rules are specified in DIN 1505: