Universal bibliographic control in the digital ecosystem: opportunities and challenges

The idea of universal bibliographic control (UBC) has been of interest for centuries in the history of cataloguing and is based on the humanistic ideal of sharing recorded knowledge produced anywhere in the world. In the contemporary era, IFLA has played a central role, stimulating national bibliographic agencies and other institutions to promote standards and collaborations that go beyond the national sphere, leading to multicenter and even more cooperative bibliographic control. The tradition of cataloguing also grows and is enriched by the dialogue with different communities and users’ groups. The free reuse of data can take place in contexts very different from the original ones, multiplying for all the opportunities for universal access and the production of new knowledge: the UBC, therefore, looks at interoperability and flexibility in the dialogue with the various communities of stakeholders and with the cultural institutions.