diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date-page/browse-by-date-page.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date-page/browse-by-date-page.component.ts
index 3158c3d7cc..d0b63a00f9 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date-page/browse-by-date-page.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date-page/browse-by-date-page.component.ts
@@ -12,12 +12,13 @@ import { ActivatedRoute, Params, Router } from '@angular/router';
 import { BrowseService } from '../../core/browse/browse.service';
 import { DSpaceObjectDataService } from '../../core/data/dspace-object-data.service';
 import { StartsWithType } from '../../shared/starts-with/starts-with-decorator';
-import { BrowseByType, rendersBrowseBy } from '../browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
+import { BrowseByDataType, rendersBrowseBy } from '../browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 import { environment } from '../../../environments/environment';
 import { PaginationService } from '../../core/pagination/pagination.service';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { PaginationComponentOptions } from '../../shared/pagination/pagination-component-options.model';
 import { SortDirection, SortOptions } from '../../core/cache/models/sort-options.model';
+import { BrowseDefinition } from '../../core/shared/browse-definition.model';
 
 @Component({
   selector: 'ds-browse-by-date-page',
@@ -29,13 +30,13 @@ import { SortDirection, SortOptions } from '../../core/cache/models/sort-options
  * A metadata definition (a.k.a. browse id) is a short term used to describe one or multiple metadata fields.
  * An example would be 'dateissued' for 'dc.date.issued'
  */
-@rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByType.Date)
+@rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByDataType.Date)
 export class BrowseByDatePageComponent extends BrowseByMetadataPageComponent {
 
   /**
    * The default metadata-field to use for determining the lower limit of the StartsWith dropdown options
    */
-  defaultMetadataField = 'dc.date.issued';
+  defaultBrowseDefinition = Object.assign(new BrowseDefinition(), {metadataKeys: ['dc.date.issued']});
 
   public constructor(protected route: ActivatedRoute,
                      protected browseService: BrowseService,
@@ -59,13 +60,13 @@ export class BrowseByDatePageComponent extends BrowseByMetadataPageComponent {
           return [Object.assign({}, routeParams, queryParams, data), currentPage, currentSort];
         })
       ).subscribe(([params, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
-        const metadataField = params.metadataField || this.defaultMetadataField;
+        const browseDefinition = params.browseDefinition || this.defaultBrowseDefinition;
         this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
         this.startsWith = +params.startsWith || params.startsWith;
         const searchOptions = browseParamsToOptions(params, currentPage, currentSort, this.browseId);
         this.updatePageWithItems(searchOptions, this.value);
         this.updateParent(params.scope);
-        this.updateStartsWithOptions(this.browseId, metadataField, params.scope);
+        this.updateStartsWithOptions(this.browseId, browseDefinition, params.scope);
       }));
   }
 
@@ -79,12 +80,12 @@ export class BrowseByDatePageComponent extends BrowseByMetadataPageComponent {
    * @param metadataField   The metadata field to fetch the earliest date from (expects a date field)
    * @param scope           The scope under which to fetch the earliest item for
    */
-  updateStartsWithOptions(definition: string, metadataField: string, scope?: string) {
+  updateStartsWithOptions(definition: string, browseDefinition: BrowseDefinition, scope?: string) {
     this.subs.push(
       this.browseService.getFirstItemFor(definition, scope).subscribe((firstItemRD: RemoteData<Item>) => {
         let lowerLimit = environment.browseBy.defaultLowerLimit;
         if (hasValue(firstItemRD.payload)) {
-          const date = firstItemRD.payload.firstMetadataValue(metadataField);
+          const date = firstItemRD.payload.firstMetadataValue(browseDefinition.metadataKeys);
           if (hasValue(date)) {
             const dateObj = new Date(date);
             // TODO: it appears that getFullYear (based on local time) is sometimes unreliable. Switching to UTC.
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.spec.ts
index 4592f47175..fc483d87e2 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.spec.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,25 @@
 import { first } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { BrowseByGuard } from './browse-by-guard';
 import { of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
+import { BrowseDefinitionDataService } from '../core/browse/browse-definition-data.service';
+import { createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$ } from '../shared/remote-data.utils';
+import { BrowseDefinition } from '../core/shared/browse-definition.model';
+import { BrowseByDataType } from './browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 
 describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
   describe('canActivate', () => {
     let guard: BrowseByGuard;
     let dsoService: any;
     let translateService: any;
+    let browseDefinitionService: any;
 
     const name = 'An interesting DSO';
     const title = 'Author';
     const field = 'Author';
     const id = 'author';
-    const metadataField = 'dc.contributor';
     const scope = '1234-65487-12354-1235';
     const value = 'Filter';
+    const browseDefinition = Object.assign(new BrowseDefinition(), { type: BrowseByDataType.Metadata, metadataKeys: ['dc.contributor'] });
 
     beforeEach(() => {
       dsoService = {
@@ -24,14 +29,19 @@ describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
       translateService = {
         instant: () => field
       };
-      guard = new BrowseByGuard(dsoService, translateService);
+
+      browseDefinitionService = {
+        findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(browseDefinition)
+      };
+
+      guard = new BrowseByGuard(dsoService, translateService, browseDefinitionService);
     });
 
     it('should return true, and sets up the data correctly, with a scope and value', () => {
       const scopedRoute = {
         data: {
           title: field,
-          metadataField,
+          browseDefinition,
         },
         params: {
           id,
@@ -48,7 +58,7 @@ describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
             const result = {
               title,
               id,
-              metadataField,
+              browseDefinition,
               collection: name,
               field,
               value: '"' + value + '"'
@@ -63,7 +73,7 @@ describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
       const scopedNoValueRoute = {
         data: {
           title: field,
-          metadataField,
+          browseDefinition,
         },
         params: {
           id,
@@ -80,7 +90,7 @@ describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
             const result = {
               title,
               id,
-              metadataField,
+              browseDefinition,
               collection: name,
               field,
               value: ''
@@ -95,7 +105,7 @@ describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
       const route = {
         data: {
           title: field,
-          metadataField,
+          browseDefinition,
         },
         params: {
           id,
@@ -111,7 +121,7 @@ describe('BrowseByGuard', () => {
             const result = {
               title,
               id,
-              metadataField,
+              browseDefinition,
               collection: '',
               field,
               value: '"' + value + '"'
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.ts
index 8ac77bbd64..0a46d59613 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-guard.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@ import { ActivatedRouteSnapshot, CanActivate, RouterStateSnapshot } from '@angul
 import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
 import { DSpaceObjectDataService } from '../core/data/dspace-object-data.service';
 import { hasNoValue, hasValue } from '../shared/empty.util';
-import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
-import { getFirstSucceededRemoteData } from '../core/shared/operators';
+import { map, switchMap } from 'rxjs/operators';
+import { getFirstSucceededRemoteData, getFirstSucceededRemoteDataPayload } from '../core/shared/operators';
 import { TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
-import { of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
+import { Observable, of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
 import { environment } from '../../environments/environment';
+import { BrowseDefinitionDataService } from '../core/browse/browse-definition-data.service';
+import { RemoteData } from '../core/data/remote-data';
+import { BrowseDefinition } from '../core/shared/browse-definition.model';
 
 @Injectable()
 /**
@@ -15,42 +18,46 @@ import { environment } from '../../environments/environment';
 export class BrowseByGuard implements CanActivate {
 
   constructor(protected dsoService: DSpaceObjectDataService,
-              protected translate: TranslateService) {
+              protected translate: TranslateService,
+              protected browseDefinitionService: BrowseDefinitionDataService) {
   }
 
   canActivate(route: ActivatedRouteSnapshot, state: RouterStateSnapshot) {
     const title = route.data.title;
     const id = route.params.id || route.queryParams.id || route.data.id;
-    let metadataField = route.data.metadataField;
-    if (hasNoValue(metadataField) && hasValue(id)) {
-      const config = environment.browseBy.types.find((conf) => conf.id === id);
-      if (hasValue(config) && hasValue(config.metadataField)) {
-        metadataField = config.metadataField;
-      }
+    let browseDefinition$: Observable<BrowseDefinition>;
+    if (hasNoValue(route.data.browseDefinition) && hasValue(id)) {
+      browseDefinition$ = this.browseDefinitionService.findById(id).pipe(getFirstSucceededRemoteDataPayload());
+    } else {
+      browseDefinition$ = observableOf(route.data.browseDefinition);
     }
     const scope = route.queryParams.scope;
     const value = route.queryParams.value;
     const metadataTranslated = this.translate.instant('browse.metadata.' + id);
-    if (hasValue(scope)) {
-      const dsoAndMetadata$ = this.dsoService.findById(scope).pipe(getFirstSucceededRemoteData());
-      return dsoAndMetadata$.pipe(
-        map((dsoRD) => {
-          const name = dsoRD.payload.name;
-          route.data = this.createData(title, id, metadataField, name, metadataTranslated, value, route);
-          return true;
-        })
-      );
-    } else {
-      route.data = this.createData(title, id, metadataField, '', metadataTranslated, value, route);
-      return observableOf(true);
-    }
+    return browseDefinition$.pipe(
+      switchMap((browseDefinition) => {
+        if (hasValue(scope)) {
+          const dsoAndMetadata$ = this.dsoService.findById(scope).pipe(getFirstSucceededRemoteData());
+          return dsoAndMetadata$.pipe(
+            map((dsoRD) => {
+              const name = dsoRD.payload.name;
+              route.data = this.createData(title, id, browseDefinition, name, metadataTranslated, value, route);
+              return true;
+            })
+          );
+        } else {
+          route.data = this.createData(title, id, browseDefinition, '', metadataTranslated, value, route);
+          return observableOf(true);
+        }
+      })
+    )
   }
 
-  private createData(title, id, metadataField, collection, field, value, route) {
+  private createData(title, id, browseDefinition, collection, field, value, route) {
     return Object.assign({}, route.data, {
       title: title,
       id: id,
-      metadataField: metadataField,
+      browseDefinition: browseDefinition,
       collection: collection,
       field: field,
       value: hasValue(value) ? `"${value}"` : ''
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata-page/browse-by-metadata-page.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata-page/browse-by-metadata-page.component.ts
index 3573ffb264..6655f98392 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata-page/browse-by-metadata-page.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata-page/browse-by-metadata-page.component.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { getFirstSucceededRemoteData } from '../../core/shared/operators';
 import { DSpaceObjectDataService } from '../../core/data/dspace-object-data.service';
 import { DSpaceObject } from '../../core/shared/dspace-object.model';
 import { StartsWithType } from '../../shared/starts-with/starts-with-decorator';
-import { BrowseByType, rendersBrowseBy } from '../browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
+import { BrowseByDataType, rendersBrowseBy } from '../browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 import { PaginationService } from '../../core/pagination/pagination.service';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
  * A metadata definition (a.k.a. browse id) is a short term used to describe one or multiple metadata fields.
  * An example would be 'author' for 'dc.contributor.*'
  */
-@rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByType.Metadata)
+@rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByDataType.Metadata)
 export class BrowseByMetadataPageComponent implements OnInit {
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.spec.ts
index f54efb9378..19a6277151 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.spec.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-import { BrowseByType, rendersBrowseBy } from './browse-by-decorator';
+import { BrowseByDataType, rendersBrowseBy } from './browse-by-decorator';
 
 describe('BrowseByDecorator', () => {
-  const titleDecorator = rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByType.Title);
-  const dateDecorator = rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByType.Date);
-  const metadataDecorator = rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByType.Metadata);
+  const titleDecorator = rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByDataType.Title);
+  const dateDecorator = rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByDataType.Date);
+  const metadataDecorator = rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByDataType.Metadata);
   it('should have a decorator for all types', () => {
     expect(titleDecorator.length).not.toEqual(0);
     expect(dateDecorator.length).not.toEqual(0);
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.ts
index efb4a4a9f4..1ebaa7face 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@ import { hasNoValue } from '../../shared/empty.util';
 import { InjectionToken } from '@angular/core';
 import { GenericConstructor } from '../../core/shared/generic-constructor';
 
-export enum BrowseByType {
+export enum BrowseByDataType {
   Title = 'title',
-  Metadata = 'metadata',
+  Metadata = 'text',
   Date = 'date'
 }
 
-export const DEFAULT_BROWSE_BY_TYPE = BrowseByType.Metadata;
+export const DEFAULT_BROWSE_BY_TYPE = BrowseByDataType.Metadata;
 
 export const BROWSE_BY_COMPONENT_FACTORY = new InjectionToken<(browseByType) => GenericConstructor<any>>('getComponentByBrowseByType', {
   providedIn: 'root',
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const map = new Map();
  * Decorator used for rendering Browse-By pages by type
  * @param browseByType  The type of page
  */
-export function rendersBrowseBy(browseByType: BrowseByType) {
+export function rendersBrowseBy(browseByType: BrowseByDataType) {
   return function decorator(component: any) {
     if (hasNoValue(map.get(browseByType))) {
       map.set(browseByType, component);
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.spec.ts
index f340237e26..cb82ddb7c4 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.spec.ts
@@ -2,20 +2,46 @@ import { BrowseBySwitcherComponent } from './browse-by-switcher.component';
 import { ComponentFixture, TestBed, waitForAsync } from '@angular/core/testing';
 import { NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';
 import { ActivatedRoute } from '@angular/router';
-import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs';
-import { environment } from '../../../environments/environment';
-import { BROWSE_BY_COMPONENT_FACTORY } from './browse-by-decorator';
+import { BROWSE_BY_COMPONENT_FACTORY, BrowseByDataType } from './browse-by-decorator';
+import { BrowseDefinition } from '../../core/shared/browse-definition.model';
+import { BehaviorSubject, of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
 
 describe('BrowseBySwitcherComponent', () => {
   let comp: BrowseBySwitcherComponent;
   let fixture: ComponentFixture<BrowseBySwitcherComponent>;
 
-  const types = environment.browseBy.types;
+  const types = [
+    Object.assign(
+      new BrowseDefinition(), {
+        id: 'title',
+        dataType: BrowseByDataType.Title,
+      }
+    ),
+    Object.assign(
+      new BrowseDefinition(), {
+        id: 'dateissued',
+        dataType: BrowseByDataType.Date,
+        metadataKeys: ['dc.date.issued']
+      }
+    ),
+    Object.assign(
+      new BrowseDefinition(), {
+        id: 'author',
+        dataType: BrowseByDataType.Metadata,
+      }
+    ),
+    Object.assign(
+      new BrowseDefinition(), {
+        id: 'subject',
+        dataType: BrowseByDataType.Metadata,
+      }
+    ),
+  ];
 
-  const params = new BehaviorSubject(createParamsWithId('initialValue'));
+  const data = new BehaviorSubject(createDataWithBrowseDefinition(new BrowseDefinition()));
 
   const activatedRouteStub = {
-    params: params
+    data
   };
 
   beforeEach(waitForAsync(() => {
@@ -34,20 +60,20 @@ describe('BrowseBySwitcherComponent', () => {
     comp = fixture.componentInstance;
   }));
 
-  types.forEach((type) => {
+  types.forEach((type: BrowseDefinition) => {
     describe(`when switching to a browse-by page for "${type.id}"`, () => {
       beforeEach(() => {
-        params.next(createParamsWithId(type.id));
+        data.next(createDataWithBrowseDefinition(type));
         fixture.detectChanges();
       });
 
-      it(`should call getComponentByBrowseByType with type "${type.type}"`, () => {
-        expect((comp as any).getComponentByBrowseByType).toHaveBeenCalledWith(type.type);
+      it(`should call getComponentByBrowseByType with type "${type.dataType}"`, () => {
+        expect((comp as any).getComponentByBrowseByType).toHaveBeenCalledWith(type.dataType);
       });
     });
   });
 });
 
-export function createParamsWithId(id) {
-  return { id: id };
+export function createDataWithBrowseDefinition(browseDefinition) {
+  return { browseDefinition: browseDefinition };
 }
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.ts
index 043a4ce90a..55fcebf477 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-switcher.component.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { Component, Inject, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
 import { ActivatedRoute } from '@angular/router';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
-import { BrowseByTypeConfig } from '../../../config/browse-by-type-config.interface';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { BROWSE_BY_COMPONENT_FACTORY } from './browse-by-decorator';
 import { environment } from '../../../environments/environment';
 import { GenericConstructor } from '../../core/shared/generic-constructor';
+import { BrowseDefinition } from '../../core/shared/browse-definition.model';
 
 @Component({
   selector: 'ds-browse-by-switcher',
@@ -26,15 +26,11 @@ export class BrowseBySwitcherComponent implements OnInit {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Fetch the correct browse-by component by using the relevant config from environment.js
+   * Fetch the correct browse-by component by using the relevant config from the route data
    */
   ngOnInit(): void {
-    this.browseByComponent = this.route.params.pipe(
-      map((params) => {
-        const id = params.id;
-        return environment.browseBy.types.find((config: BrowseByTypeConfig) => config.id === id);
-      }),
-      map((config: BrowseByTypeConfig) => this.getComponentByBrowseByType(config.type))
+    this.browseByComponent = this.route.data.pipe(
+      map((data: { browseDefinition: BrowseDefinition }) => this.getComponentByBrowseByType(data.browseDefinition.dataType))
     );
   }
 
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title-page/browse-by-title-page.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title-page/browse-by-title-page.component.ts
index b3a2ceed00..b4a8331458 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title-page/browse-by-title-page.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title-page/browse-by-title-page.component.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { BrowseEntrySearchOptions } from '../../core/browse/browse-entry-search-
 import { DSpaceObjectDataService } from '../../core/data/dspace-object-data.service';
 import { BrowseService } from '../../core/browse/browse.service';
 import { SortDirection, SortOptions } from '../../core/cache/models/sort-options.model';
-import { BrowseByType, rendersBrowseBy } from '../browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
+import { BrowseByDataType, rendersBrowseBy } from '../browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 import { PaginationService } from '../../core/pagination/pagination.service';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { PaginationComponentOptions } from '../../shared/pagination/pagination-component-options.model';
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { PaginationComponentOptions } from '../../shared/pagination/pagination-c
 /**
  * Component for browsing items by title (dc.title)
  */
-@rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByType.Title)
+@rendersBrowseBy(BrowseByDataType.Title)
 export class BrowseByTitlePageComponent extends BrowseByMetadataPageComponent {
 
   public constructor(protected route: ActivatedRoute,
diff --git a/src/app/core/browse/browse-definition-data.service.ts b/src/app/core/browse/browse-definition-data.service.ts
index 31338417ca..dd66d8fa53 100644
--- a/src/app/core/browse/browse-definition-data.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/browse/browse-definition-data.service.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,21 @@ export class BrowseDefinitionDataService {
   findAllByHref(href: string, findListOptions: FindListOptions = {}, useCachedVersionIfAvailable = true, reRequestOnStale = true, ...linksToFollow: FollowLinkConfig<BrowseDefinition>[]): Observable<RemoteData<PaginatedList<BrowseDefinition>>> {
     return this.dataService.findAllByHref(href, findListOptions, useCachedVersionIfAvailable, reRequestOnStale, ...linksToFollow);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns an observable of {@link RemoteData} of an object, based on its ID, with a list of
+   * {@link FollowLinkConfig}, to automatically resolve {@link HALLink}s of the object
+   * @param id                          ID of object we want to retrieve
+   * @param useCachedVersionIfAvailable If this is true, the request will only be sent if there's
+   *                                    no valid cached version. Defaults to true
+   * @param reRequestOnStale            Whether or not the request should automatically be re-
+   *                                    requested after the response becomes stale
+   * @param linksToFollow               List of {@link FollowLinkConfig} that indicate which
+   *                                    {@link HALLink}s should be automatically resolved
+   */
+  findById(id: string, useCachedVersionIfAvailable = true, reRequestOnStale = true, ...linksToFollow: FollowLinkConfig<BrowseDefinition>[]): Observable<RemoteData<BrowseDefinition>> {
+    return this.dataService.findById(id, useCachedVersionIfAvailable, reRequestOnStale, ...linksToFollow);
+  }
 }
 
 /* tslint:enable:max-classes-per-file */
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/browse-definition.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/browse-definition.model.ts
index 2c08417b6d..b5dc47cd3e 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/browse-definition.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/browse-definition.model.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { BROWSE_DEFINITION } from './browse-definition.resource-type';
 import { HALLink } from './hal-link.model';
 import { ResourceType } from './resource-type';
 import { SortOption } from './sort-option.model';
+import { BrowseByDataType } from '../../browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 
 @typedObject
 export class BrowseDefinition extends CacheableObject {
@@ -33,6 +34,9 @@ export class BrowseDefinition extends CacheableObject {
   @autoserializeAs('metadata')
   metadataKeys: string[];
 
+  @autoserializeAs('dataType')
+  dataType: BrowseByDataType;
+
   get self(): string {
     return this._links.self.href;
   }
diff --git a/src/app/navbar/navbar.component.spec.ts b/src/app/navbar/navbar.component.spec.ts
index cbe6738241..5aa2bf1786 100644
--- a/src/app/navbar/navbar.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/navbar/navbar.component.spec.ts
@@ -13,15 +13,48 @@ import { MenuService } from '../shared/menu/menu.service';
 import { MenuServiceStub } from '../shared/testing/menu-service.stub';
 import { ActivatedRoute } from '@angular/router';
 import { RouterTestingModule } from '@angular/router/testing';
+import { BrowseService } from '../core/browse/browse.service';
+import { createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$ } from '../shared/remote-data.utils';
+import { buildPaginatedList } from '../core/data/paginated-list.model';
+import { BrowseDefinition } from '../core/shared/browse-definition.model';
+import { BrowseByDataType } from '../browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 
 let comp: NavbarComponent;
 let fixture: ComponentFixture<NavbarComponent>;
 
 describe('NavbarComponent', () => {
   const menuService = new MenuServiceStub();
-
+  let browseDefinitions;
   // waitForAsync beforeEach
   beforeEach(waitForAsync(() => {
+    browseDefinitions = [
+      Object.assign(
+        new BrowseDefinition(), {
+          id: 'title',
+          dataType: BrowseByDataType.Title,
+        }
+      ),
+      Object.assign(
+        new BrowseDefinition(), {
+          id: 'dateissued',
+          dataType: BrowseByDataType.Date,
+          metadataKeys: ['dc.date.issued']
+        }
+      ),
+      Object.assign(
+        new BrowseDefinition(), {
+          id: 'author',
+          dataType: BrowseByDataType.Metadata,
+        }
+      ),
+      Object.assign(
+        new BrowseDefinition(), {
+          id: 'subject',
+          dataType: BrowseByDataType.Metadata,
+        }
+      ),
+    ];
+
     TestBed.configureTestingModule({
       imports: [
         TranslateModule.forRoot(),
@@ -33,7 +66,8 @@ describe('NavbarComponent', () => {
         Injector,
         { provide: MenuService, useValue: menuService },
         { provide: HostWindowService, useValue: new HostWindowServiceStub(800) },
-        { provide: ActivatedRoute, useValue: {} }
+        { provide: ActivatedRoute, useValue: {} },
+        { provide: BrowseService, useValue: { getBrowseDefinitions: createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(buildPaginatedList(undefined, browseDefinitions)) } }
       ],
       schemas: [NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA]
     })
diff --git a/src/app/shared/comcol-page-browse-by/comcol-page-browse-by.component.ts b/src/app/shared/comcol-page-browse-by/comcol-page-browse-by.component.ts
index 5dec1e27f8..08f7ec67ee 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/comcol-page-browse-by/comcol-page-browse-by.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/comcol-page-browse-by/comcol-page-browse-by.component.ts
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@ import { Component, Input, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { ActivatedRoute, Params, Router } from '@angular/router';
-import { BrowseByTypeConfig } from '../../../config/browse-by-type-config.interface';
-import { environment } from '../../../environments/environment';
 import { getCommunityPageRoute } from '../../community-page/community-page-routing-paths';
 import { getCollectionPageRoute } from '../../collection-page/collection-page-routing-paths';
 import { getFirstCompletedRemoteData } from '../../core/shared/operators';
@@ -34,10 +32,6 @@ export class ComcolPageBrowseByComponent implements OnInit {
    */
   @Input() id: string;
   @Input() contentType: string;
-  /**
-   * List of currently active browse configurations
-   */
-  types: BrowseByTypeConfig[];
 
   allOptions: ComColPageNavOption[];
 
@@ -46,7 +40,7 @@ export class ComcolPageBrowseByComponent implements OnInit {
   constructor(
     private route: ActivatedRoute,
     private router: Router,
-    public browseService: BrowseService
+    private browseService: BrowseService
   ) {
   }
 
@@ -62,23 +56,23 @@ export class ComcolPageBrowseByComponent implements OnInit {
               routerLink: `/browse/${config.id}`,
               params: { scope: this.id }
             }));
+
+          if (this.contentType === 'collection') {
+            this.allOptions = [{
+              id: this.id,
+              label: 'collection.page.browse.recent.head',
+              routerLink: getCollectionPageRoute(this.id)
+            }, ...this.allOptions];
+          } else if (this.contentType === 'community') {
+            this.allOptions = [{
+              id: this.id,
+              label: 'community.all-lists.head',
+              routerLink: getCommunityPageRoute(this.id)
+            }, ...this.allOptions];
+          }
         }
       });
 
-    if (this.contentType === 'collection') {
-      this.allOptions = [{
-        id: this.id,
-        label: 'collection.page.browse.recent.head',
-        routerLink: getCollectionPageRoute(this.id)
-      }, ...this.allOptions];
-    } else if (this.contentType === 'community') {
-      this.allOptions = [{
-        id: this.id,
-        label: 'community.all-lists.head',
-        routerLink: getCommunityPageRoute(this.id)
-      }, ...this.allOptions];
-    }
-
     this.currentOptionId$ = this.route.params.pipe(
       map((params: Params) => params.id)
     );
diff --git a/src/config/browse-by-config.interface.ts b/src/config/browse-by-config.interface.ts
index 719e127b4b..6adba66b92 100644
--- a/src/config/browse-by-config.interface.ts
+++ b/src/config/browse-by-config.interface.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { Config } from './config.interface';
-import { BrowseByTypeConfig } from './browse-by-type-config.interface';
 
 /**
  * Config that determines how the dropdown list of years are created for browse-by-date components
@@ -19,9 +18,4 @@ export interface BrowseByConfig extends Config {
    * The absolute lowest year to display in the dropdown when no lowest date can be found for all items
    */
   defaultLowerLimit: number;
-
-  /**
-   * A list of all the active Browse-By pages
-   */
-  types: BrowseByTypeConfig[];
 }
diff --git a/src/config/browse-by-type-config.interface.ts b/src/config/browse-by-type-config.interface.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index f15846c210..0000000000
--- a/src/config/browse-by-type-config.interface.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-import { Config } from './config.interface';
-import { BrowseByType } from '../app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
-
-/**
- * Config used for rendering Browse-By pages and links
- */
-export interface  BrowseByTypeConfig extends Config {
-  /**
-   * The browse id used for fetching browse data from the rest api
-   * e.g. author
-   */
-  id: string;
-
-  /**
-   * The type of Browse-By page to render
-   */
-  type: BrowseByType | string;
-
-  /**
-   * The metadata field to use for rendering starts-with options (only necessary when type is set to BrowseByType.Date)
-   */
-  metadataField?: string;
-}
diff --git a/src/config/global-config.interface.ts b/src/config/global-config.interface.ts
index d46822eb61..f8c226bdb1 100644
--- a/src/config/global-config.interface.ts
+++ b/src/config/global-config.interface.ts
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@ import { INotificationBoardOptions } from './notifications-config.interfaces';
 import { SubmissionConfig } from './submission-config.interface';
 import { FormConfig } from './form-config.interfaces';
 import { LangConfig } from './lang-config.interface';
-import { BrowseByConfig } from './browse-by-config.interface';
 import { ItemPageConfig } from './item-page-config.interface';
 import { CollectionPageConfig } from './collection-page-config.interface';
 import { ThemeConfig } from './theme.model';
 import { AuthConfig } from './auth-config.interfaces';
 import { UIServerConfig } from './ui-server-config.interface';
 import { MediaViewerConfig } from './media-viewer-config.interface';
+import { BrowseByConfig } from './browse-by-config.interface';
 
 export interface GlobalConfig extends Config {
   ui: UIServerConfig;
diff --git a/src/environments/environment.common.ts b/src/environments/environment.common.ts
index b1cbd699a3..1441accf04 100644
--- a/src/environments/environment.common.ts
+++ b/src/environments/environment.common.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { GlobalConfig } from '../config/global-config.interface';
 import { NotificationAnimationsType } from '../app/shared/notifications/models/notification-animations-type';
-import { BrowseByType } from '../app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 import { RestRequestMethod } from '../app/core/data/rest-request-method';
 
 export const environment: GlobalConfig = {
@@ -207,32 +206,6 @@ export const environment: GlobalConfig = {
     fiveYearLimit: 30,
     // The absolute lowest year to display in the dropdown (only used when no lowest date can be found for all items)
     defaultLowerLimit: 1900,
-    // List of all the active Browse-By types
-    // Adding a type will activate their Browse-By page and add them to the global navigation menu,
-    // as well as community and collection pages
-    // Allowed fields and their purpose:
-    //    id:             The browse id to use for fetching info from the rest api
-    //    type:           The type of Browse-By page to display
-    //    metadataField:  The metadata-field used to create starts-with options (only necessary when the type is set to 'date')
-    types: [
-      {
-        id: 'title',
-        type: BrowseByType.Title,
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'dateissued',
-        type: BrowseByType.Date,
-        metadataField: 'dc.date.issued'
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'author',
-        type: BrowseByType.Metadata
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'subject',
-        type: BrowseByType.Metadata
-      }
-    ]
   },
   item: {
     edit: {
diff --git a/src/environments/mock-environment.ts b/src/environments/mock-environment.ts
index 824c8c8a83..f21de7fae3 100644
--- a/src/environments/mock-environment.ts
+++ b/src/environments/mock-environment.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // This configuration is only used for unit tests, end-to-end tests use environment.prod.ts
-import { BrowseByType } from '../app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
+import { BrowseByDataType } from '../app/browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 import { RestRequestMethod } from '../app/core/data/rest-request-method';
 import { NotificationAnimationsType } from '../app/shared/notifications/models/notification-animations-type';
 import { GlobalConfig } from '../config/global-config.interface';
@@ -169,32 +169,6 @@ export const environment: Partial<GlobalConfig> = {
     fiveYearLimit: 30,
     // The absolute lowest year to display in the dropdown (only used when no lowest date can be found for all items)
     defaultLowerLimit: 1900,
-    // List of all the active Browse-By types
-    // Adding a type will activate their Browse-By page and add them to the global navigation menu,
-    // as well as community and collection pages
-    // Allowed fields and their purpose:
-    //    id:             The browse id to use for fetching info from the rest api
-    //    type:           The type of Browse-By page to display
-    //    metadataField:  The metadata-field used to create starts-with options (only necessary when the type is set to 'date')
-    types: [
-      {
-        id: 'title',
-        type: BrowseByType.Title,
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'dateissued',
-        type: BrowseByType.Date,
-        metadataField: 'dc.date.issued'
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'author',
-        type: BrowseByType.Metadata
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'subject',
-        type: BrowseByType.Metadata
-      }
-    ]
   },
   item: {
     edit: {