Terbium- and (Ce, Tb)-containing glasses prepared using the direct sol-gel-glass transition are studied. It is shown that glasses doped with one activator contain two main types of optical centers, namely, isolated and complex centers, which are characterized by weak and strong cross-relaxation quenching of luminescence from the D-5(3) state of Tb3+ ions, respectively. The Ce4+-Tb3+ (Tb4+) complex centers are formed during sintering of coactivated xerogels in oxygen and can be transformed into Ce3+-Tb3+ centers through saturation of the samples with hydrogen. The Ce3+-Tb3+ centers exhibit efficient luminescence from the D-5(4) state upon excitation into the absorption bands of Ce3+ ions. (C) 2004 MAIK "Nauka / Interperiodica".