The quest to evolve bibliographic control to an equal or greater standing within the current information environment is on-going. As information organizers we are working in a time where information and communication technology (ICT) has pushed our status quo to its limits and where innovation often needs the pressure of do or die in order to get started. The year 2010 was designated as the Year of Cataloging Research and we made progress on studying the challenges facing metadata and information organization practices. However, one year of research is merely a drop in the bucket, especially given the results of the Resource and Description and Access (RDA) National Test and the Library of Congress’ decision to investigate the possibility of transitioning the MARC21 format. This book addresses how information professionals can create a functional environment in which we move beyond just representing information resources and into an environment that both represents and connects at a deeper level. Most importantly, it offers insight on transitioning into new communities of practice and awareness by reassessing our purpose, re-charting our efforts, reasserting our expertise in the areas that information organizer have traditionally claimed but are losing due to stagnation and lack of vision. This book was published as a double special issue of the Journal of Library Metadata.

While this Report is presented to the Library of Congress, it situates recommendations to the Library in the broader context of the environment in which the Library does and could function. Thus, the Report discusses and makes recommendations not only to the Library, but also to other current and potential participants in this environment. The Report is also aimed at policy-makers and decision-makers who influence the scope of operation of and constraints imposed upon participating organizations. The Report is based on the key premise that the community is at a critical juncture in the evolution of bibliographic control and information access/provision. It is time to take stock of past practices, to look at today's trends, and to project a future path consistent with the goals of bibliographic control: to facilitate discovery, management, identification, and access of and to library materials and other information products. Libraries must work in the most efficient and cooperative manner to minimize where possible the costs of bibliographic control, but both the Library of Congress and library administrators generally must recognize that they need to identify and allocate (or, as appropriate, reallocate) sufficient funding if they are serious about attaining the goals of improved and expanded bibliographic control. The recommendations in this report fall into five general categories: (1) Increase the efficiency of bibliographic production for all libraries; (2) Transfer effort into higher-value activity; (3) Position our technology for the future; (4) Position our community for the future; and (5) Strengthen the library profession. (Contains 38 footnotes.).