自十八世紀以來，圖書館在人類資訊的掌握上做了很多努力與貢獻。但由於資訊 科技發展迅速、資訊出版日益多元，使傳統的資訊組織與分析之理論及方法備受挑戰。本 文首先檢討人類掌握資訊的理想何在、圖書館界過去的成就有那些、其中存在著那些問題 、目前的發展方向與新遭遇的挑戰是什麼，然後描繪出二十一世紀的新風貌，並建議我們 在此角色的扮演上應改變的方向。

　　　　　Since the 18th century, the librarieans have made much efforts and contributions in handling the informatin of humankind. However, the rapid development of information technology and the diversity of modern information publication challenge the traditional theories and methods of librarianship. This article reviews our old dreams to handle information and the achievement of librarians already made. We then survey the problems to be solved, the modern development trends and the new challenges. Finally, we describe the pitcture of the 21st century's catalog and make some suggestions for the direction to change.