The Origins of the IFLA Study on Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records

The IFLA FRBR Study has had a profound impact on international bibliographic control practices since its formal acceptance by IFLA in 1997. The article provides a brief history of the IFLA Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) Study that was undertaken by a study group appointed by the IFLA Standing Committee of the Section on Cataloguing and the IFLA Division of Bibliographic Control. This history describes the relationship between the FRBR study and a pivotal seminar on bibliographic control held in August 1990 in Stockholm. The article then explores the study group membership, including its commentators and consultants; the project charge; the study process; and several key issues leading up to the publication of its final report. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]