The Road to BIBFRAME: The Evolution of the Idea of Bibliographic Transition into a Post-MARC Future

This article provides a representative overview of literature related to the idea of replacing MARC with a linked-data metadata structure, covering the period from 2002 through the 2012 release of the draft of the proposed bibliographic framework, BIBFRAME. Works proposing the replacement of MARC or exploring linked data in a library context are examined. In particular, key documents leading to the creation of the Library of Congress Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative are examined, along with some of the critical responses they received, to better understand the chain of ideas shaping BIBFRAME.