Cataloging has always produced a catalog, while the creation of metadata has produced the metadata of given resources. However, in this digital age, the two are more connected than ever. A catalog is made up of metadata that can be searched, identified, structured, and selected. This then means the metadata creation process is adopted as a part of cataloguing.

Guerrini's book is a cultural and methodological introduction to the evolution of cataloging towards metadata creation process in the digital era. It is a journey through the founding principles and the objectives of the "information organization" service that libraries offer. The book aims to outline the new library context, highlighting continuities and innovations compared to traditional cataloging and intends to trace the path from traditional cataloging to the new metadata creation process.

Mauro Guerrini is Professor of Library Science, Cataloging, Metadata and Classification, and Dean of the Master on Cataloging in Archives, Library Science and Codicology at the University of Florence, Italy. He obtained the Diploma of Librarianship and the Diploma in the Conservation of Manuscripts at the School for Archivists and Librarians at the University of Rome La Sapienza, and later gained the Archivist's Certificate from the State Archive in Florence. Mauro is author of numerous publications on cataloguing, ethics, open access and the history of librarians, in particular Antonio Panizzi. He is member of the editorial board of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, AIB Studi, Biblioteche Oggi, and other journals, and Chair of the series Libraries and Librarians (Florence University Press); he is also Founder and Editor in Chief of JLIS.it: Italian Journal of Library and Information Science.