Purpose: This paper seeks to look into Gabriel--the Worldwide web server for those European national libraries represented in the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL), providing a single point of access on the internet for the retrieval of information about their functions, services and collections. Above all, it serves as a gateway to their online services. Three national libraries emerged as natural partners in setting up a pilot project on behalf of the CENL membership as a whole. Design/methodology/approach: Following the success of the Portico prototype, a development project was launched with the aim of creating a well-founded service and building up coverage of British Library services and collections by adding home pages for directorates and departments. Findings: The service has been developed through an international project involving the national libraries of the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Finland and Germany. Originality/value: Gabriel has the potential of becoming a model for collaboration in the networking field across a wide geographical area and among diverse institutions.