diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.jsx.snap b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.jsx.snap
index 3cb07a6ce..55074ed30 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.jsx.snap
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.jsx.snap
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ exports[`SolutionWidget render snapshot: renders correct default 1`] = `
     <FormattedMessage
       defaultMessage="Provide an explanation for the correct answer"
       description="Description of the solution widget"
-      id="authoring.problemEditor.solutionwidget.solutionDescriptionText"
+      id="authoring.problemEditor.explanationwidget.solutionDescriptionText"
     />
   </div>
   <TinyMceWidget
diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/messages.js b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/messages.js
index 462ce70c1..5b0eeda7d 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/messages.js
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/components/EditProblemView/ExplanationWidget/messages.js
@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
     description: 'Explanation Title',
   },
   solutionDescriptionText: {
-    id: 'authoring.problemEditor.solutionwidget.solutionDescriptionText',
+    id: 'authoring.problemEditor.explanationwidget.solutionDescriptionText',
     defaultMessage: 'Provide an explanation for the correct answer',
     description: 'Description of the solution widget',
   },
   placeholder: {
-    id: 'authoring.problemEditor.questionwidget.placeholder',
+    id: 'authoring.problemEditor.explanationwidget.placeholder',
     defaultMessage: 'Enter your explanation',
     description: 'Placeholder text for tinyMCE editor',
   },
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/LibraryAuthoringPage.test.tsx b/src/library-authoring/LibraryAuthoringPage.test.tsx
index b2b044429..8a439463d 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/LibraryAuthoringPage.test.tsx
+++ b/src/library-authoring/LibraryAuthoringPage.test.tsx
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ describe('<LibraryAuthoringPage />', () => {
     expect((await screen.findAllByText(libraryTitle))[0]).toBeInTheDocument();
 
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('tab', { name: 'Collections' }));
-    expect(screen.getByText('You have not added any collection to this library yet.')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText('You have not added any collections to this library yet.')).toBeInTheDocument();
 
     // Open Create collection modal
     const addCollectionButton = screen.getByRole('button', { name: /add collection/i });
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/LibraryHome.tsx b/src/library-authoring/LibraryHome.tsx
index e5a56c679..170c12d3d 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/LibraryHome.tsx
+++ b/src/library-authoring/LibraryHome.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Stack } from '@openedx/paragon';
 import { useIntl } from '@edx/frontend-platform/i18n';
 
+import { LoadingSpinner } from '../generic/Loading';
 import { useSearchContext } from '../search-manager';
 import { NoComponents, NoSearchResults } from './EmptyStates';
 import LibraryCollections from './collections/LibraryCollections';
@@ -20,11 +21,15 @@ const LibraryHome = ({ tabList, handleTabChange } : LibraryHomeProps) => {
   const {
     totalHits: componentCount,
     totalCollectionHits: collectionCount,
+    isLoading,
     isFiltered,
   } = useSearchContext();
   const { openAddContentSidebar } = useLibraryContext();
 
   const renderEmptyState = () => {
+    if (isLoading) {
+      return <LoadingSpinner />;
+    }
     if (componentCount === 0 && collectionCount === 0) {
       return isFiltered ? <NoSearchResults /> : <NoComponents handleBtnClick={openAddContentSidebar} />;
     }
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollectionPage.test.tsx b/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollectionPage.test.tsx
index af9f794a8..67e4eea08 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollectionPage.test.tsx
+++ b/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollectionPage.test.tsx
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const path = '/library/:libraryId/*';
 const libraryTitle = mockContentLibrary.libraryData.title;
 const mockCollection = {
   collectionId: mockResult.results[2].hits[0].block_id,
-  collectionNeverLoads: 'collection-always-loading',
+  collectionNeverLoads: mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdLoading,
   collectionNoComponents: 'collection-no-components',
   collectionEmpty: mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdError,
 };
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ describe('<LibraryCollectionPage />', () => {
   it('shows an error component if no collection returned', async () => {
     // This mock will simulate incorrect collection id
     await renderLibraryCollectionPage(mockCollection.collectionEmpty);
-    expect(await screen.findByText(/Mocked request failed with status code 400./)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(await screen.findByText(/Mocked request failed with status code 404./)).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it('shows collection data', async () => {
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.test.tsx b/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..43d7324cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import fetchMock from 'fetch-mock-jest';
+
+import {
+  render,
+  screen,
+  initializeMocks,
+} from '../../testUtils';
+import { getContentSearchConfigUrl } from '../../search-manager/data/api';
+import { mockContentLibrary } from '../data/api.mocks';
+import mockEmptyResult from '../../search-modal/__mocks__/empty-search-result.json';
+import { LibraryProvider } from '../common/context';
+import LibraryCollections from './LibraryCollections';
+
+const searchEndpoint = 'http://mock.meilisearch.local/multi-search';
+
+mockContentLibrary.applyMock();
+const mockFetchNextPage = jest.fn();
+const mockUseSearchContext = jest.fn();
+
+const data = {
+  totalHits: 1,
+  hits: [],
+  isFetchingNextPage: false,
+  hasNextPage: false,
+  fetchNextPage: mockFetchNextPage,
+  searchKeywords: '',
+  isFiltered: false,
+  isLoading: false,
+};
+
+const returnEmptyResult = (_url: string, req) => {
+  const requestData = JSON.parse(req.body?.toString() ?? '');
+  const query = requestData?.queries[0]?.q ?? '';
+  // We have to replace the query (search keywords) in the mock results with the actual query,
+  // because otherwise we may have an inconsistent state that causes more queries and unexpected results.
+  mockEmptyResult.results[0].query = query;
+  // And fake the required '_formatted' fields; it contains the highlighting <mark>...</mark> around matched words
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-underscore-dangle, no-param-reassign
+  mockEmptyResult.results[0]?.hits.forEach((hit: any) => { hit._formatted = { ...hit }; });
+  return mockEmptyResult;
+};
+
+jest.mock('../../search-manager', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('../../search-manager'),
+  useSearchContext: () => mockUseSearchContext(),
+}));
+
+const clipboardBroadcastChannelMock = {
+  postMessage: jest.fn(),
+  close: jest.fn(),
+};
+
+(global as any).BroadcastChannel = jest.fn(() => clipboardBroadcastChannelMock);
+
+const withLibraryId = (libraryId: string) => ({
+  extraWrapper: ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
+    <LibraryProvider libraryId={libraryId}>{children}</LibraryProvider>
+  ),
+});
+
+describe('<LibraryCollections />', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    const { axiosMock } = initializeMocks();
+
+    fetchMock.post(searchEndpoint, returnEmptyResult, { overwriteRoutes: true });
+
+    // The API method to get the Meilisearch connection details uses Axios:
+    axiosMock.onGet(getContentSearchConfigUrl()).reply(200, {
+      url: 'http://mock.meilisearch.local',
+      index_name: 'studio',
+      api_key: 'test-key',
+    });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    fetchMock.reset();
+    mockFetchNextPage.mockReset();
+  });
+
+  it('should render a spinner while loading', async () => {
+    mockUseSearchContext.mockReturnValue({
+      ...data,
+      isLoading: true,
+    });
+
+    render(<LibraryCollections variant="full" />, withLibraryId(mockContentLibrary.libraryId));
+    expect(screen.getByText('Loading...')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.tsx b/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.tsx
index d68e2b16c..84b868a55 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.tsx
+++ b/src/library-authoring/collections/LibraryCollections.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { LoadingSpinner } from '../../generic/Loading';
 import { useLoadOnScroll } from '../../hooks';
 import { useSearchContext } from '../../search-manager';
 import { NoComponents, NoSearchResults } from '../EmptyStates';
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ const LibraryCollections = ({ variant }: LibraryCollectionsProps) => {
     isFetchingNextPage,
     hasNextPage,
     fetchNextPage,
+    isLoading,
     isFiltered,
   } = useSearchContext();
 
@@ -38,6 +40,10 @@ const LibraryCollections = ({ variant }: LibraryCollectionsProps) => {
     variant === 'full',
   );
 
+  if (isLoading) {
+    return <LoadingSpinner />;
+  }
+
   if (totalCollectionHits === 0) {
     return isFiltered
       ? <NoSearchResults infoText={messages.noSearchResultsCollections} />
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/collections/messages.ts b/src/library-authoring/collections/messages.ts
index 03ddff1af..5c5e0c03a 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/collections/messages.ts
+++ b/src/library-authoring/collections/messages.ts
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
   },
   noCollections: {
     id: 'course-authoring.library-authoring.no-collections',
-    defaultMessage: 'You have not added any collection to this library yet.',
+    defaultMessage: 'You have not added any collections to this library yet.',
     description: 'Message displayed when the library has no collections',
   },
   addCollection: {
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.test.tsx b/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.test.tsx
index 84391ab2a..0bf198063 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.test.tsx
+++ b/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.test.tsx
@@ -23,12 +23,12 @@ const mockUseSearchContext = jest.fn();
 const data = {
   totalHits: 1,
   hits: [],
-  isFetching: true,
   isFetchingNextPage: false,
   hasNextPage: false,
   fetchNextPage: mockFetchNextPage,
   searchKeywords: '',
   isFiltered: false,
+  isLoading: false,
 };
 
 const returnEmptyResult = (_url: string, req) => {
@@ -102,11 +102,20 @@ describe('<LibraryComponents />', () => {
     expect(screen.queryByRole('button', { name: /add component/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
+  it('should render a spinner while loading', async () => {
+    mockUseSearchContext.mockReturnValue({
+      ...data,
+      isLoading: true,
+    });
+
+    render(<LibraryComponents variant="full" />, withLibraryId(mockContentLibrary.libraryId));
+    expect(screen.getByText('Loading...')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
   it('should render components in full variant', async () => {
     mockUseSearchContext.mockReturnValue({
       ...data,
       hits: libraryComponentsMock,
-      isFetching: false,
     });
     render(<LibraryComponents variant="full" />, withLibraryId(mockContentLibrary.libraryId));
 
@@ -122,7 +131,6 @@ describe('<LibraryComponents />', () => {
     mockUseSearchContext.mockReturnValue({
       ...data,
       hits: libraryComponentsMock,
-      isFetching: false,
     });
     render(<LibraryComponents variant="preview" />, withLibraryId(mockContentLibrary.libraryId));
 
@@ -138,7 +146,6 @@ describe('<LibraryComponents />', () => {
     mockUseSearchContext.mockReturnValue({
       ...data,
       hits: libraryComponentsMock,
-      isFetching: false,
       hasNextPage: true,
     });
 
@@ -152,11 +159,10 @@ describe('<LibraryComponents />', () => {
     expect(mockFetchNextPage).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it('should not call `fetchNextPage` on croll to bottom in preview variant', async () => {
+  it('should not call `fetchNextPage` on scroll to bottom in preview variant', async () => {
     mockUseSearchContext.mockReturnValue({
       ...data,
       hits: libraryComponentsMock,
-      isFetching: false,
       hasNextPage: true,
     });
 
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.tsx b/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.tsx
index 7d5280663..8f44e7762 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.tsx
+++ b/src/library-authoring/components/LibraryComponents.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import React, { useMemo } from 'react';
 
+import { LoadingSpinner } from '../../generic/Loading';
 import { useLoadOnScroll } from '../../hooks';
 import { useSearchContext } from '../../search-manager';
 import { NoComponents, NoSearchResults } from '../EmptyStates';
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ const LibraryComponents = ({ variant }: LibraryComponentsProps) => {
     isFetchingNextPage,
     hasNextPage,
     fetchNextPage,
+    isLoading,
     isFiltered,
   } = useSearchContext();
   const { libraryId, openAddContentSidebar } = useLibraryContext();
@@ -51,6 +53,10 @@ const LibraryComponents = ({ variant }: LibraryComponentsProps) => {
     variant === 'full',
   );
 
+  if (isLoading) {
+    return <LoadingSpinner />;
+  }
+
   if (componentCount === 0) {
     return isFiltered ? <NoSearchResults /> : <NoComponents handleBtnClick={openAddContentSidebar} />;
   }
diff --git a/src/library-authoring/data/api.mocks.ts b/src/library-authoring/data/api.mocks.ts
index 0a4b82411..220c7576d 100644
--- a/src/library-authoring/data/api.mocks.ts
+++ b/src/library-authoring/data/api.mocks.ts
@@ -281,13 +281,22 @@ mockLibraryBlockMetadata.applyMock = () => jest.spyOn(api, 'getLibraryBlockMetad
  * This mock returns a fixed response for the collection ID *collection_1*.
  */
 export async function mockGetCollectionMetadata(libraryId: string, collectionId: string): Promise<api.Collection> {
-  if (collectionId === mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdError) {
-    throw createAxiosError({ code: 400, message: 'Not found.', path: api.getLibraryCollectionApiUrl(libraryId, collectionId) });
+  switch (collectionId) {
+    case mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdError:
+      throw createAxiosError({
+        code: 404,
+        message: 'Not found.',
+        path: api.getLibraryCollectionApiUrl(libraryId, collectionId),
+      });
+    case mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdLoading:
+      return new Promise(() => {});
+    default:
+      return Promise.resolve(mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionData);
   }
-  return Promise.resolve(mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionData);
 }
 mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionId = 'collection_1';
 mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdError = 'collection_error';
+mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionIdLoading = 'collection_loading';
 mockGetCollectionMetadata.collectionData = {
   id: 1,
   key: 'collection_1',
diff --git a/src/search-manager/SearchManager.ts b/src/search-manager/SearchManager.ts
index cb1314b6b..1726e10d9 100644
--- a/src/search-manager/SearchManager.ts
+++ b/src/search-manager/SearchManager.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export interface SearchContextData {
   defaultSearchSortOrder: SearchSortOption;
   hits: ContentHit[];
   totalHits: number;
-  isFetching: boolean;
+  isLoading: boolean;
   hasNextPage: boolean | undefined;
   isFetchingNextPage: boolean;
   fetchNextPage: () => void;
diff --git a/src/search-manager/data/apiHooks.ts b/src/search-manager/data/apiHooks.ts
index c22a00426..cd63bbb34 100644
--- a/src/search-manager/data/apiHooks.ts
+++ b/src/search-manager/data/apiHooks.ts
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ export const useContentSearchResults = ({
     blockTypes: pages?.[0]?.blockTypes ?? {},
     problemTypes: pages?.[0]?.problemTypes ?? {},
     status: query.status,
-    isFetching: query.isFetching,
+    isLoading: query.isLoading,
     isError: query.isError,
     isFetchingNextPage: query.isFetchingNextPage,
     // Call this to load more pages. We include some "safety" features recommended by the docs: this should never be