Creating a Catalogue

How to use NeoCollect's shared catalogue features to collaborate with others and create comprehensivce catalogues.
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As you saw in the Overview video, NeoCollect helps you manage and showcase your collections, connect with other serious collectors and share your expertise. 

The videos on Entering Collection Information and Describing an Item explained the template for entering information about a particular item, and provided a few ideas to consider when describing an item. 

The Organizing Your Collection video explained how the collections and items that you enter into NeoCollect are organized, and can be moved around so they are easy for you to locate, enjoy and share. 

Once you have created one or more NeoCollect collections and entered several items, you can create a new shared catalog and invite others to collaborate with you, each contributing items and information which can eventually be shared more broadly on NeoCollect, and even be published in physical book form through our publishing partners. 

To create a new catalogue, start by typing the name of the catalog in the Title box, and a brief summary in the Description box. 

Next, select a representative image for the catalogue by clicking on the Select an Image link and choosing one of the images from an item in your collection.  This is the image which will be displayed on the tile that represents the catalog in NeoCollect. 

While most catalogs will eventually be shared with others, you may for now want to leave the default private setting, until the catalog is complete (or nearly so) and ready to be shared with others. 

Then, click the Create Shared Catalog Button.  If you’ve a mistake or wish to change the title, description, representative image, or privacy setting, simply click the Modify Catalog Setting button, make the necessary changes and then click Save. 

To add the first item to the catalog, click the Add an Item button and choose an appropriate item from your collection. The record of this item in your collection remains in that collection, unaltered, but a copy of that item record is placed into the new catalog.  The copy will not contain any of your private personal item details from the fifth tab of the item input form, but is otherwise a complete duplicate record which can then be edited, duplicated, removed from the catalog and receive appreciations and comments.  Keep in mind that since this catalog item record is a copy of the original item record in your collection, any changes you make to the new record in the catalog will not show up on the original record in your collection, or vice versa. 

You can continue editing this catalog and adding as many more items as you wish.  

As the creator and manager of this new catalogue, you can invite others to collaborate with you and decide what kinds of changes you will permit each collaborator to make, from just editing items already in the catalogue to adding, deleting and reordering items, to co-managing the entire catalogue with you, which includes the ability to invite other new contributors and modify their editorial permission settings.  

As you and your collaborators add more items from your collections and edit the catalog item records, you may wish to reorganize the catalog and perhaps even remove some of the items that no longer fit.  As the creator and manager, you have the permission necessary to make these changes, as would anyone else to whom you have given that same permission. 

Click the Organize Items link that is displayed near the top of catalogue editing page and move the items around just as you would move items within one of your collections.  You can move items around in your NeoCollect catalogue by left clicking your mouse on an item, holding down the button, dragging the item listing to another position and then dropping the item there by releasing the button. 

For individual items that need to be moved just one or two spaces, it may be more convenient to use the small green arrows that you see to the left of each item, as in one of your collections.  Just click on the green arrows to move an item up or down the list one position at a time.  Moving an item that’s contained in a catalogue repositions the item only in that catalogue.  The item remains in its existing positions in any other catalogues and your collection until you decide to move the item in them as well. 

As you and your collaborators develop the catalog, you may want to share it with others – even while it is still private – in order to get feedback and suggestions, or to encourage more people to join your team of collaborators.  First preview the catalog yourself and then click on the Share this Catalog button.  

Type in the email addresses for the intended recipients, customize the message as needed and click on the Send Invitations button. 

When you are ready to begin sharing your catalogue more publicly, go to the catalog settings, and change the privacy setting to Public.  Your catalog can now be shared more broadly and will be eligible to be featured on the NeoCollect home page and in the relevant NeoCollect communities. 

Please watch the other NeoCollect videos. 

And, of course, please e-mail or call us if you need help or more information.

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