Do we need to change? Do we want to change? : the future of bibliographic information systems

For the first time in their long history libraries are facing competition. There are many different information providers and users find information elsewhere. The clear advantages of the library catalogue, such as authority control, consistency and the wealth of information are obviously not utilised to their potential. A step further is therefore urgently needed. Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) provides a new paradigm which could not only enable more intuitive presentation of bibliographic information, but also open this information using Semantic Web tools and services and therefore promote exchange and reuse across domains. Several current research activities are presented. They all pave the way to better bibliographic information systems, which should be developed without further delay.