This paper raises questions about many bibliographic standards developed over the past 20 years, and challenges librarians to consider how standards might evolve. A brief overview is given of the aims of Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC) and to some assumptions common to much standardization work in recent years inspired by the concept of UBC. Current economic and technological developments influencing library standards are discussed together with their relevance to both industrialized and developing countries. Technical developments include retrospective conversion, online public access catalogs (OPACs) and compact disks (CD-ROMs). It is argued that the technological gap between industrialized and underdeveloped countries is growing, and possible ways of overcoming this are considered, including the strengthening of national information policies, professional training, and automation on an appropriate scale. Suggestions are made as to how the various producers of bibliographic standards should react. Possibilities for specific projects in the area of bibliographic control are listed, and suggestions are made for closer cooperation among national and regional associations of information professionals. It is noted that new developments in bibliographic control can also help the less developed countries to gain access, through their own libraries, to elements of their own cultural heritage contained in libraries abroad. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is in a position to help maintain and develop technical standards, and to mediate between professional information workers from different cultures. (Author/MAB)