• The purpose of the national bibliography is to be an extensive record of the national published output.
  • The national bibliography is typically an aggregation of bibliographic records created by cataloguers to nationally and internationally agreed standards.
  • A national bibliography is objective in that it attempts complete registration of published documents (within defined parameters) notwithstanding their physical form, subjects, or quality

It is increasingly common for the national bibliography to exist as a database from which electronic or printed products are generated and to which direct electronic access may be offered to end users