The Heritage of the Printed Book (HPB) database, maintained by CERL, is a major resource for the study of early printed materials. It aggregates bibliographical records from libraries worldwide, enabling discovery, provenance research, and large-scale analysis of the hand-press period.

Both CERL members and non-members are warmly invited to contribute their catalogue records. HPB brings together records for items printed before 1850, with a primary focus on works printed in Europe in any language, or printed in a European language anywhere in the world.

Institutions may submit their holdings database, particularly if holdings are maintained in a separate dataset. CERL also welcomes collaboration with institutions using authority databases, as shared authority data can enhance the CERL Thesaurus.

Why contribute to the HPB?

Contributing to HPB increases the visibility and accessibility of your collections, positions your collection in the European heritage context and makes rare and historic materials discoverable to an international research community. The database supports scholarship across disciplines including history, literature, art history, bibliography, and cultural heritage studies.

Participation also strengthens data quality and interoperability. CERL actively encourages contributions that support authority control, provenance research, and cross-database linking. Records containing links to digitised materials, retrospective national bibliographies, and reference works are especially valuable, as they enable connections between datasets and enrich the research environment.

By contributing, institutions help build a comprehensive record of Europe’s printed heritage and support long-term preservation and access to bibliographic knowledge.

Preparing a file contribution for the HPB

Both CERL members and non-members are warmly invited to contribute catalogue records to the HPB.

The HPB brings together bibliographical records for items printed before 1850. Its primary focus is on:

  • Materials printed in Europe in any language
  • Materials printed in a European language anywhere in the world

If your holdings are maintained in a separate dataset, please send your holdings database together with the bibliographic records.

CERL is also interested in enhancing the CERL Thesaurus and encourages contributors using authority databases to get in touch about sharing authority data.

HPB welcomes records for:

  • Monographs
  • Serials
  • Printed graphic materials
  • Maps

Please exclude:

  • Facsimiles (printed, microfilm, or digital)
  • Manuscripts and archival materials
  • Audio-visual materials

Records for items published after 1850

  • MARC21 format is preferred.
  • UTF-8 character encoding should be used.

If your data is in another format or uses a different character encoding, please contact us to explore available conversion options.

CERL particularly welcomes records that include:

  • Links to digitised materials
  • References to Retrospective National Bibliographies
  • Links to other catalogues or reference works

These elements enable linking between datasets and significantly enrich the research environment.

FAQs

Both CERL members and non-members are welcome to contribute.

HPB includes records for printed materials before 1850, primarily European imprints or works in European languages.

Yes. Records linking to digitised copies and reference resources are highly valuable.

Yes. CERL is interested in authority files that can enhance the CERL Thesaurus.

Contact CERL to discuss conversion options.

We prefer to receive data via our FTP server. We will share the parameters with you when your dataset is ready for dispatch.

Datasets may be kept current by sending regular updates to your dataset.

For further information, please contact the CERL Executive Manager at Secretariat@cerl.org.