BIBFRAME is a new initiative led by the Library of Congress to explore the transition from the long established MARC 21 format via the creation of a new bibliographic data model and vocabulary optimised for use on the Web.  Although BIBFRAME will be designed to cater for library specific needs it will also support the needs of the wider information community and offer new opportunities for integration. The initiative will investigate a range of bibliographic data issues including:

  • Description & cataloguing rules
  • Creation via new means of data entry
  • Exchange protocols and methods
  • Accommodation of varying content models

A number of libraries have begun to experiment with BIBFRAME and while not yet in a final stable form, it has excited considerable interest and debate in the library community. The Library of Congress has created a list of frequently asked questions for BIBFRAME in order to address many of the common queries.