{"id":472,"date":"2025-03-07T08:19:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T13:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/bibliography\/?p=472"},"modified":"2025-03-07T13:37:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T18:37:39","slug":"celebrating-150-years-of-the-belgian-bibliography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/bibliography\/2025\/03\/07\/celebrating-150-years-of-the-belgian-bibliography\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating 150 years of the Belgian Bibliography"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Maud Henry<\/em><\/p>\n

Achievements and innovations<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2025, the Belgian Bibliography<\/a> celebrates its 150th anniversary. First published in February 1875, it has evolved significantly, becoming an essential tool for documenting all publications in Belgium. This anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to not only reflect on its history but also to highlight exciting new services aimed at enhancing access and interactivity for users.<\/p>\n

Last year, KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) established a working group to enhance the services and information related to the Belgian Bibliography. This initiative came as a response to the observation that the Belgian Bibliography wasn\u2019t reaching its full potential. Despite its consistent production and the invaluable work of KBR colleagues, the bibliography was not maximizing its impact or accessibility, and there was a need to improve the services associated with it. The working group, composed of several departments and experts within KBR, was created to address these aspects. Its goal is to optimize the way the bibliography is accessed and used, while improving its documentation to better align with modern digital practices. This collaborative effort aims to unlock the full potential of the Bibliography, ensuring that it can provide greater value to researchers, academics, and the public by offering a more accessible, user-friendly, and impactful resource.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A pop-up exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary<\/strong><\/p>\n

To celebrate its anniversary, an exhibition titled “The Belgian Bibliography: 150 Years of Preserving Belgian Publishing<\/em><\/a>“<\/em> has been organized to explore the history, evolution, and significance of this invaluable national resource. The exhibition traces the journey of the Belgian Bibliography, from its earliest printed editions to the digital formats of today, providing a unique insight into the processes and efforts behind its creation. It also emphasizes the continued importance of the Belgian Bibliography in supporting research and ensuring the long-term accessibility of Belgium\u2019s intellectual and cultural heritage. A section of the exhibition is dedicated to showcasing a selection of documents from various genres, spanning the last 150 years, highlighting the diverse range of works that the bibliography has helped to preserve.<\/p>\n

The exhibition will be open from January 17, 2025, to March 28, 2025, Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, in the General Reading Room at KBR. Admission is free, and the exhibition is open to both reading room users and the general public, with no reader’s card required.<\/p>\n

\"poster\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A history of transformations<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea of creating a Belgian national bibliography emerged in 1869 when a Brussels publisher, H. Merzbach, proposed the idea to the Belgian government. The Royal Library soon took over the project and started negotiations with various publishers to establish a collaboration. This effort culminated in the publication of the Bibliographie de Belgique<\/em> in 1875 by H. Manceaux, and became the official record of all Belgian publications, including books, periodicals, engravings, maps, and other works. The publisher was obliged to obtain, at his own expense, a copy of all the publications mentioned in this compilation. All works, without distinction, were to be handed over to the Royal Library of Belgium immediately after they had been used for the compilation. Later, the publication changed publishers several times, finally being published discontinuously by the Royal Library from 1931 to the present day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the first 50 years, the bibliography was published solely in French. While publications in Dutch were included from the start, their representation in the bibliography was often less complete. This imbalance was addressed in 1931, when the bibliography became bilingual, with records in both French and Dutch. This change allowed for a more comprehensive representation of all Belgian publications, regardless of language.<\/p>\n

A major development came in 1966 with the introduction of the legal deposit law, which required Belgian publishers and Belgian authors living abroad to send copies of their works to KBR shortly after publication. This law significantly increased the number of books received by the library, leading to a much more complete and accurate bibliography.<\/p>\n

In 1997, due to growing issues with printing and to improve user access, the last printed issue of the Belgian Bibliography was published. The library transitioned to an online publication format, providing users with better searchability. Parallel to the online version, a retrospective and current release of the bibliography was made available on CD-ROM until 2008.<\/p>\n

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Bibliography, KBR has launched additional services to complement our monthly lists, providing enhanced access and functionality for users.<\/p>\n

New Services Now Available: Expanding Access to Bibliographic Data<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. KBR has developed a major digitization project, converting historical printed editions of the Bibliography into digital searchable formats. This effort ensures that the entire collection, stretching back to the first publication in 1875, is available for exploration by anyone interested in Belgium’s literary heritage. The digital archives, accessible through BelgicaPeriodicals<\/a>, now allow users to search and browse through previous issues, making it easier than ever to discover the breadth of Belgium\u2019s publishing history.<\/li>\n
  2. Users can now request custom data exports tailored to their specific needs. Whether you’re interested in a particular author, publisher, or genre, we offer data in various formats, including CSV, Excel, and XML. This new service allows for a more flexible approach to data access, empowering users to obtain the exact information they require in the most suitable format.<\/li>\n
  3. For those who need to integrate our data into their own systems, we are now offering data distribution through the OAI-PMH protocol. The data is available in Dublin Core XML (OAI-DC) format, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of tools and platforms. The latest data sets can be found here<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  4. 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 and soon in UNIMARC.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Difficulties and Challenges in the Project<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “The shoemaker’s children are always the last to be shod” \u2013 this expression could be perfectly suited to this context, as it reflects the challenges we faced in ensuring the completeness of the Belgian Bibliography\u2019s paper collection before digitizing it. To provide the most comprehensive collection possible, we have had to undertake an extensive inventory process. Several series of the Belgian Bibliography coexist in our collections, but none of them are complete. This creates a significant challenge, as it is difficult to ensure we have all the necessary volumes and supplementary materials.<\/p>\n

    Moreover, there is very little documentation or scholarly writing available on the bibliography and its transformations, especially from 1950 onwards. This lack of resources makes it even harder to verify that we possess all the parts and annexes of the bibliography. With no definitive guide or external reference to check against, we are left to carefully examine and cross-check the available volumes, all while facing the uncertainty of potential gaps in the collection (especially regarding potential supplements or special editions).<\/p>\n

    These difficulties highlight the complexity of the task at hand and the careful attention required to ensure that we are preserving and digitizing the most complete version of the Belgian Bibliography for future use.<\/p>\n

    \"old-books\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Looking to the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

    With improved access and search options now in place, and our services thoroughly documented, it is time to focus on expanding outreach and communication strategies to engage with the various types of users of the Bibliography. Additionally, we aim to stimulate research that leverages our extensive datasets.<\/p>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    A future transition to Linked Open Data would create new possibilities for users across disciplines, from academia to the book trade. 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    At the same time, the library\u2019s ongoing work to ensure comprehensive coverage of all types of Belgian publications, including digital formats, reflects a commitment to keeping the bibliography relevant in a rapidly evolving digital age. To date, the legal deposit law does not yet include digital publications. This is a long process, but we are actively working toward its inclusion. In order to avoid the “digital black hole” and respond to new technological developments, the law has been amended and the royal decree is under preparation.<\/p>\n

    The 150th anniversary is not just a celebration of the past but a gateway to a future of enhanced accessibility and interconnectivity. Through these enhancements, the Bibliography would be better positioned to fulfill its mission and offer even greater value to its users, both within Belgium and internationally.<\/p>\n

    Do you have questions, suggestions or requests on the subject of the Belgian Bibliography or metadata at KBR? Feel free to contact us!<\/p>\n

    E-mails:\u00a0belbib@kbr.be<\/a> or <\/span>metadata@kbr.be<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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