Catalogues are ubiquitous in astronomy.
A large number of catalogues have been produced in modern times and most are available in a computer-readable form. The FITS format is a well-established international standard for the interchange of astronomical data. The FITS tables extensions are becoming an increasingly popular format for distributing astronomical catalogues. Several CD-ROMs contain catalogues in this format. In particular the three volumes of Selected Astronomical Catalogs are an extremely useful collection of widely used catalogues.