International Institute of Bibliography

institution, Brussels, Belgium

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

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The International Institute of Bibliography (IIB), founded in 1895 in Brussels, Belgium, was an early international organization dedicated to a unified approach to bibliographic classification. Established by Belgian lawyers Paul Otlet and Henri Lafontaine, the IIB aimed to create an index of world literature on cards. In 1905, it published the Universal Decimal Classification, an expanded version of the Dewey Decimal Classification. The organization was renamed the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) in 1938 and continues to promote research in information science and documentation management.12

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Paul Otlet
…and La Fontaine established the International Institute of Bibliography and announced plans to create a Universal Bibliographic Repertory that would serve as a global clearinghouse for bibliographical data. Despite considerable resistance from other European librarians, they pressed forward with their plans, creating a headquarters for the institute and obtaining recognition…
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…and La Fontaine established the International Institute of Bibliography and announced plans to create a Universal Bibliographic Repertory that would serve as a global clearinghouse for bibliographical data. Despite considerable resistance from other European librarians, they pressed forward with their plans, creating a headquarters for the institute and obtaining recognition…
Read More