Participants of the ALISE session agreed that in order to prepare library and information science (LIS) students to be successful cataloging practitioners in this changing landscape, they need a solid understanding of fundamental cataloging concepts, standards, and practices: their history, where they stand currently, and possibilities for the future. The articles in “Cataloging and Classification: Back to Basics” are meant to complement textbooks and lectures so students can go deeper in specific topics. New and well-seasoned library practitioners will also benefit from reading these articles as a way to refresh or fill gaps in their knowledge of cataloging and classification. This is not an exhaustive treatment of cataloging and classification basics; nonetheless, we believe this collection realizes the ambitious idea from the 2019 ALISE session to bring together articles written by experts on foundational cataloging and classification topics for the benefit of anyone who seeks to understand their importance and relevance in libraries.