Contributing to ESTC

ESTC relies on the contributions of institutions around the world. A database of contributing libraries is available here: Contributing Libraries.

If your institution is listed in the database, please email estcaccounts@bl.uk for information about how to access your account.

If your institution is not listed in the database, please email estcaccounts@bl.uk with your institution’s preferred name, address and contact information and we will create an ESTC library ID and an account for your institution.

You can edit holdings information, report new items and comment on existing records.

Institutions can edit their existing holdings or add new holdings by matching their copies to ESTC records. In order to login to your contributor’s account, please click here.

To report an item without an existing ESTC record, please email estcreports@bl.uk. Please use the subject line NEW RECORD + [your library’s ESTC Library ID]. You can find your library ID here: Contributing Libraries. If possible, include the following information in your email and also send a picture of the title page and any other relevant pages, for instance half-titles or the final page:

• Library ID: Include the ESTC Library ID.
• Shelfmark: Provide a call number or shelfmark for each book. Some libraries do not include this information.
• Format: Provide the format of the item. Format refers to the imposition and folding of the paper of the book e.g. 1°, 1/2°, 2°, 4°, 8°, 12° etc. See Gaskell's A New Introduction to Bibliography (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972; or later editions) for detailed information.
• Pagination: Provide the complete number of pages, leaves, or columns in the book. Please indicate unpaginated pages/leaves by using square brackets. Examples: [2], 24, [2] p.; [2], xii, 43, [1] p.; [5], 8-12 p.; [2], 12 leaves.
• Signatures: Please report the signature collation according to the formula outlined in Gaskell.
• Half-title: Please indicate the presence of a half-title; transcribe exactly or send photocopy/digital photo if different from title proper.
• Plate(s): Check if there are engravings or illustrations that are on a separate leaf and NOT part of the pagination and the signatures. Please give the total number of numbered and unnumbered plates and explain the type of plates in ‘Other’ (e.g. metalcuts, woodcuts, maps, portraits, engraved title pages).
• Illustrations: Check if there are illustrations forming part of the signatures or included within the text. Please provide a description, if possible, i.e. metalcut, woodcut, map, portrait, diagrams, genealogical tables, etc. Ignore ornaments and title page vignettes.
• Frontis: Is there a frontispiece? Check whether this is a plate or an illustration; note if it is a portrait or an additional title page. If the frontis. is an illustration, please indicate on which leaf it occurs.
• Table: Check if there is a foldout or other material NOT part of a gathering
• Advertisements: Check if there are one or more leaves of printer’s or publisher’s advertisements before the title page or at the end of the work. Give location of advertisements and number of leaves
• Imperfections: Check if the book has pages or plates missing or is otherwise imperfect; explain if possible
• Other: Add useful supplementary information such as date of publication from another part of the text or colophon, the author attribution, errata slip information (give position), subject heading information; or details from any section above.

If you have spotted an error or you have additional information relating to a specific ESTC record, please, use the contact form that is accessible from the full ESTC record display or send an email to: estcfeedback@bl.uk