Objective. This article aims at identifying the genesis of the studies the conceptual model Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), published in 1998 by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) with the proposal to develop new approach to the bibliographic record. Method. For this appealed to bibliographical research, primarily the sources of official information IFLA, in order to investigate the trajectory preceding the publication of the model and determine the intellectual debate on its elaboration. Results. It was found that the FRBR model was born with eminently practical purposes and generates a set of expectations about the reduction of cataloging costs, indicating a minimum level element in bibliographic records that meet the needs of the users associated with the various types of materials and contexts of use. Conclusions. The accumulation of scientific knowledge coupled with sustained and brought experiential dimension in the model, changes the paradigms of traditional cataloging, but model the final report does not present the foundations that support it.