Why have a national bibliography?
A national bibliography lists all publications from a specific country or nation. The objective is to record the intellectual output of a nation and to provide the public with access to it. It reflects the interests and unique characteristics of a country. National bibliographies are often managed by the National Bibliographic Agency within the national library of a state, usually with support from a legal deposit law.
The Belgian Bibliography consists of all
- publications published in Belgium
- publications by Belgian authors who are domiciled in Belgium published abroad
It exists since 1875 and is published online since 1998. Within KBR, the Bibliographic Information Agency is the unit responsible for preparing bibliographic records for each new publication issued in the country.
Everyone can access the Belgian Bibliography free of charge either through the lists in PDF format published every month or through a search in the online catalogue (OPAC), which is updated more frequently. The monthly lists are divided into different subject groups and thus provide a clear overview on particular topics. The OPAC offers opportunity to either search for specific terms in various fields or browse through different subjects.
The digitised printed issues can be found in our digital collection BelgicaPeriodicals. It is possible to do a full text search on those documents thanks to OCR technology.
Supplements
In addition to the monthly lists, a few specialised supplements are published in a cumulative manner, either annually or biennially. These supplements focus on specific types of materials, such as musical scores and periodicals. They ensure that specialised areas of interest are well documented and accessible in one document.
Digital media
Digital books have become a major player in the distribution of culture and knowledge. A growing number of Belgian authors are voluntarily depositing their works in the form of e-books with the Legal Deposit Office. Although the deposit of e-books is not yet mandatory, we feel it is important to reserve a place for them in the monthly publication of the Belgian Bibliography.
Further provided services
Additionally to the publication of the bibliography there are also a few other services offered:
- A dataset featuring books either originating from Belgium or authored by Belgian writers. Access to the collection is available here
- Data exports on demand, for example of a specific author, publisher or genre in the formats CSV, Excel or XML
- Data distribution via the OAI-PMH-protocol. The data in the OAI-server is formatted in Dublin Core-xml (OAI-DC). The latest data sets can be found here
- Integration of library records into external cataloguing systems with provided access through the Z39.50 protocol, using the base URL catalog.kbr.be and the port 9001. The data is available in MARC21-xml
For any questions or requests regarding our services, please reach out via e-mail at zrgnqngn@xoe.or
Who can benefit from the Belgian Bibliography?
While one of the primary goals is to document the publishing output of Belgium, the Belgian Bibliography offers significant benefits to several groups:
Research
It can be an essential resource for researchers, providing access to a wealth of information about Belgian publications. Scholars can use the bibliography to trace the development of literature in Belgium, explore trends in specific fields, and discover works relevant to their areas of study. It is particularly useful in disciplines like history, literature, cultural studies, and digital humanities, where access to comprehensive, organised data is crucial for in-depth analysis.
Libraries
Librarians can use the Belgian Bibliography to track newly published materials, expanding their collections while ensuring they remain up to date and representative of Belgium’s literary output. By analysing the bibliography, libraries can also identify gaps in their collections and make informed decisions about future acquisitions.
Book trade
Publishers can use the Belgian Bibliography to track new material and identify opportunities for new publications. By reviewing bibliographic data, they can assess the success of certain genres or themes, pinpoint emerging topics, and determine potential gaps in the market.
Booksellers can benefit from the bibliography in a similar way to acquisition librarians, using it as an aid to build their offer.
General public
The Belgian Bibliography can also be an excellent resource for the general public, offering enthusiasts and casual readers a chance to discover books and publications that match their personal interests.
Technology and data fields
In addition to traditional users, national bibliographies are also of great interest to professionals in fields such as software development, data management, digital libraries, and information systems. These experts can access raw bibliographic data for various applications, such as developing new cataloguing tools or conducting data analysis.
Brief history of the Belgian Bibliography at KBR
- 1837: founding of the Royal Library of Belgium by Royal Decree of 19 June 1837
- 1869: first endeavours to create a national bibliography for Belgium
- The first initiative to propose the idea of a national bibliography to the government was taken by a publisher from Brussels. The efforts were soon taken over by the Royal Library and negotiations were started with several publishers to create a collaboration.
- 1875: first publication of the Belgian Bibliography
- Besides a list of all works and articles published in Belgium there was also a feuilleton with news about the book trade and a section for announcements where publishers and bookshops could place advertisements for books.
- 1931: the bibliography becomes bilingual
- During approximately the first 50 years of the existence of the bibliography the bibliographic records were only done in French, and while publications in Dutch were included from the beginning the representation of them in the bibliography was less complete than on publications in French at times. This changed in the years following this modification.
- 1966: implementation of a legal deposit law
- Publishers (and authors in case of self-published books) were now legally obliged to send their works to the Royal Library shortly after publication (two copies for non-periodicals). There was a big surge in the books that were received by the Library after this law was created, resulting in a much more complete bibliography.
- 1997: last printed issue of the Belgian Bibliography
- In order to implement new technologies which improved the searchability for the users, as well as some increasing issues with printing the bibliography, the Library decided to switch to an online publication. Parallel to that was also a retrospective and current release on CD-ROM until 2008.
- 2018: bibliographic records are linked to the OPAC
- Since the April issue from 2018 every bibliographic record in the monthly lists has been provided with a link to the respective entry in the online catalogue for easier access.
Standards used for cataloguing works
Using international cataloging standards is crucial for ensuring consistency, accuracy, and interoperability in organizing and accessing information across libraries, institutions and stakeholders worldwide. These standards enable seamless data sharing and enhance discoverability for users by providing uniform descriptions and metadata. Adopting a common framework also fosters collaboration, supports multilingual and multicultural accessibility, and ensures the long-term preservation of information in an increasingly globalized and digital environment.
Standards used at KBR:
- Cataloguing of bibliographic and authority records in MARC21 format, following RDA (Resource Description and Access) standards
- Usage of Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH), the RAMEAU indexing system and more recently FAST subject headings
- Local classification scheme inspired by the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC)
- Prioritising the use of authority data in areas such as persons and organisations, as well as subjects and genre-forms
- Incorporation of international unique identifiers (ISBN, ISSN, ISNI)
- Integration of URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers)
Projects: advancement of bibliographic records and data exports
We are exploring ways to transition our records to comply with the IFLA Library Reference Model (IFLA-LRM). This involves incorporating work and expression-level entities into our cataloguing framework, positioning our data for future transformation into Linked Open Data.
Linked Open Data (LOD) is a set of best practices for structured data published online under an open license, with links to related data. This makes it easier to access, integrate and query across sources, enabling a connected web of information.
The move to LOD will enable richer, more interconnected datasets and greater usability in the digital knowledge ecosystem. An important step in that direction is the project MetaBelgica.
In addition, we are planning to offer customisable data exports. Users will be able to input search criteria through a user-friendly interface and download the results in their preferred format, such as CSV, Excel, or XML. Queries could for instance be made about specific authors, publishers, forms or genres.
Participation in work of IFLA
KBR actively participates in the work of the IFLA Bibliography Section which promotes the advancement of bibliographic services, the creation and maintenance of authoritative national bibliographies, and the global exchange of bibliographic data through collaboration, standardization, skill development, and the adoption of interoperable frameworks.
The IFLA Bibliography Section is tasked with the development, maintenance, and promotion of the statement on Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC), which enables international exchange of bibliographic metadata for the benefit of the national bibliographic agencies and the whole library field.
The Bibliography Section also maintains the National Bibliographic Register (NBR), collecting data from national bibliographies around the globe. By consolidating this data online, IFLA helps foster greater collaboration and transparency, which benefits both library professionals and users alike by making it easier to locate and use bibliographic resources across borders.
Contact
Do you have questions, suggestions or requests on the subject of the Belgian Bibliography or metadata at KBR? Feel free to contact us!