To be included into the portal, all collections need a collection description. A collection description is a metadata record providing a description of the content of a collection in a structured way. The metadata should be in XML format and be compliant with The European Library Application Profiles for Collection Descriptions.

NEW:To access the Collection Descriptions Editor via the Handbook interface to view/modify collections or add new collections, follow these steps:

When a partner edits a collection description, a message is sent to their account coordinator. Once the collection description has been evaluated, in order to check if the record contains all the correct information, the updated collection description will be approved. It will then be published onto The European Library and an confirmation email will be sent to the partner.

In order to submit a new collection description, national libraries need to input their data into the Collection Description Editor. Partners need to activate the button "add a new collection". Some fields are mandatory: See .

National Libraries may need to adjust their Collection Description once they have been published because some modifications have been made to the collections (e.g. URL modification, data update, etc…). In order to modify an existing collection description, national libraries need to edit the relevant collection description in the Collection Description Editor.

If Partners have any difficulties accessing the Collection Descriptions Editor, please do not hesitate in contacting us, sending any screenshots of error messages if possible.