Book Catalog Data Sources

Free library catalog records and metadata

Library websites

• Library of Congress Catalog: https://catalog.loc.gov/ British Library Catalogue: https://www.bl.uk/catalogues-and-collections/catalogue
• New York Public Library Catalog: https://catalog.nypl.org/
• Library and Archives Canada Catalog: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/search/Pages/search.aspx

Library APIs

• Library of Congress API: https://www.loc.gov/developers/ British Library APIs: https://www.bl.uk/bibliographic-data-services/apis-for-library-data
• Open Library API: https://openlibrary.org/developers/api
• WorldCat Discovery API: https://developer.oclc.org/apis/worldcat-discovery/

Open data repositories:

• Open Library: https://openlibrary.org/
• HathiTrust Digital Library: https://www.hathitrust.org/
• Digital Public Library of America: https://dp.la/

Online metadata aggregators:

• WorldCat: https://www.worldcat.org/
• LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/

WorldCat: WorldCat Search API

• https://www.worldcat.org/
• http://www.oclc.org/developer/develop/web-services/worldcat-search-api.en.html

WorldCat.org lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world.

Search WorldCat and retrieve bibliographic records for cataloged items such as books, videos, music and more in WorldCat. Retrieve records in MARC XML or Dublin Core formats. Get item information in the standard bibliographic citation formats (APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, and Turabian). Find about libraries that own an item and retrieve links to online catalog records when available.

MARC Open-Access, Library of Congress

• https://www.loc.gov/cds/products/marcDist.php

An ‘open-access’ provision, MDSConnect, […] includes nearly 25 million MARC records, as distributed in the unabridged 2014 Retrospective file sets. These MDS record sets have been made available primarily for research and development usage.

Support API access.

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

• https://dp.la/

DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more—are free and immediately available in digital format.

Support API access.

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)

• https://catalog.gpo.gov/F

The finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive information for historical and current publications as well as direct links to the full document, when available.

Records from CBBcat

• https://library.bowdoin.edu/

CBBcat is the catalog of the Colby, Bates & Bowdoin Libraries.

The Internet Archive Metadata API

• http://blog.archive.org/2013/07/04/metadata-api/

A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more." ♦ Access does not require facilitation by a librarian.

NextGen Catalog API

• https://catalog.archives.gov/api/v2/api-docs/

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Please note that the availability of free library catalog records and metadata may vary depending on the specific library or resource. Also, be sure to check the terms and conditions of use for each resource to ensure compliance with any licensing or copyright restrictions.