This document provides an overview of APIs and their use for libraries. It discusses how APIs allow different systems and services to communicate with each other on the web. The document outlines several real-world examples of how libraries can use APIs, including to retrieve tweets, videos, photos and reviews to enhance their catalogs and services. It also lists many specific APIs that libraries could potentially utilize and provides resources for API development.

1. print $title;
print $subtitle;
print $author;
print $position;
print $institution;
$title = “harnessing free content with web service apis”;
$subtitle = “an ala editions workshop”;
$author = “jason paul michel”;
$position = “user experience librarian”;
$institution = “miami university libraries”;

2. agenda
• Discuss open web ecosystem
• Place of APIs in that ecosystem
• What is exactly is an API?
• An example from the programmer’s
perspective
• Real World examples
• Slice of available APIs
• What is needed for development
• Where to find and keep up with information

3. the “open” web ecosystem
• social web services are not social merely
because of the interactions between users
they facilitate.
• social web services are social because
they also are able to talk to one another on
a programmatic level.

4. the “open” web ecosystem
• thus, If This Then That (ifttt.com)

5. the “open” web ecosystem
• thus,

6. the “open” web ecosystem
• Achieved largely through the use of APIs
• API = Application Programming Interface
• Method of data transfer via HTTP

7. neighbor’s garage analogy
Open Source: take whatever you want, modify however you want,
use however you want
Proprietary: pay for each tool in the garage, use them as designed
API: utilize the services of the garage,
if you have authorization and ask the right way

8. Why APIs?
• Increase visibility of data / service
• Take advantage of the crowdsourcing
model to improve service, e.g. Tweetdeck
• From libraries’ perspective: its important to
integrate with wider web environment

9. Typical API Process
• Request API Key from Service
• Choose scripting language: PHP, Ruby on Rails etc.
• Using chosen language, submit data request via
available API methods
• Ingest that data in JSON, XML or other data type
• Transform the data to make it usable with scripting
language
• Upload data to a database
• Wrap data in HTML, CSS for user interface

10. api request example
https://api.twitter.com/1.1/search/tweet.json?q=book%20OR%20research
Base url
Each Web Service typically has several base urls depending on the type of
information you are seeking and each resource type has its own set of
parameters, e.g.:
https://api.twitter.com/1.1/followers/ids,
https://api.twitter.com/1.1/friendships/lookup
Data type
Parameters

11. api request example
[statuses] => Array
(
[0] => stdClass Object
(
[metadata] => stdClass Object
(
[result_type] => recent
[iso_language_code] => en
)
[created_at] => Sat Jul 20 16:25:22 +0000 2013
[id] => 3.58623679498E+17
[id_str] => 358623679497777153
[text] => This book just got too good! She said yes!! 👏 👏 #christiangrey
[source] => Twitter for iPhone
[truncated] =>
[in_reply_to_status_id] =>
[in_reply_to_status_id_str] =>
[in_reply_to_user_id] =>
[in_reply_to_user_id_str] =>
[in_reply_to_screen_name] =>
[user] => stdClass Object
(
[id] => 307066025
[id_str] => 307066025
[name] => Alicia Reece
[screen_name] => aaliciaaaajo
[location] =>
etc…..

12. api request example
• At this point you can send the data received
to a database or create a dynamic web
application on top of the live data.

13. try it
• https://graph.facebook.com/username or
• https://graph.facebook.com/pageid

16. working examples

17. twitter
• Programmatically capture, store & display
potentially relevant tweets in specific
geolocation to serve as a springboard for
proactive info services and social
interaction.
https://api.twitter.com/1.1/search/tweet.json?q=book%20OR%20research&geocode=39.5069974,-8
working examples

19. vimeo
• Upload video tutorials to Vimeo
• Utilizing API, bring your own video tutorials in
to your own web interface.
http://vimeo.com/api/v2/miamiulibraries/videos.json
working examples

20. vimeo
working examples

21. instagram
• Create a patron-generated gallery of
instagram images based on a pre-determined
hashtag or keyword
https://api.instagram.com/v1/tags/miamioh/media/recent
working examples

22. instagram
http://d.lib.ncsu.edu/myhuntlibrary
working examples

23. instagram
working examples

24. movieDB
• Utilizing the movieDB API, create a Netflix-
style application with available Movie posters
http://themoviedb.apiary.io/3/search/movie
working examples

25. movieDB
working examples

26. worldcat
• Utilizing OCLC’s WorldCat Basic API, pull in
citation information for catalog records.
http://www.worldcat.org/webservices/catalog/content/citations/isbn/1250012570?cfor
mat=turabian&wskey=key
working examples

27. worldcat
working examples

28. goodreads
• Utilizing goodreads API, enhance catalog
records with goodreads reviews.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show?format=json&key=key&id=bookid
working examples

29. goodreads example
working examples

30. openlibrary/hathi/google books
• You don’t need to limit your catalog to
what you own / subscribe to…
• There are web services out there with
open content that your catalog can tap in
to.
http://openlibrary.org/api/books?bibkeys=OCLC:4942988&jscmd=data&format=json
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/full/oclc/381593.json
working examples

31. openlibrary/hathi/google books
working examples

34. openlibrary
• Enhance catalog with book covers.
http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/olid/OL7440033M-S.jpg
http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/$key/$value-$size.jpg
working examples

35. flickr
• Bulk uploading images and metadata from
repositories to flickr for wider audience
• Embedding flickr slideshows of own
imagery stored in flickr
• Bringing in safe flickr content from current
events / subjects
working examples

36. Possible API Usages

37. Social Tracking
Possible API Usages

38. Catalog Enhancements
Possible API Usages

39. evernote & dropbox
• Export catalog records / lists of catalog
records out to Evernote/Dropbox
• Export articles to Evernote/Dropbox
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

40. rotten tomatoes
• Enhance movie records with Rotten
Tomatoes reviews
• Retrieve cast, directors and movie posters
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

41. ny times bestseller
• Get links to reviews of NY Times
Bestsellers
• Get current NY Times Bestseller Lists and
link to catalog records if available..
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

42. DPLA
• Enhancing catalog records with DPLA content
• DPLA content includes images, text, video and
sound
• “an open, distributed network of comprehensive
online resources that would draw on the nation’s
living heritage from libraries, universities, archives,
and museums in order to educate, inform, and
empower everyone in current and future
generations.”
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

43. hoover’s
• Get Company data to match potential
company queries in catalog
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

44. cambridge dictionaries online/oed
• Get definitions as an additional piece of
content in catalog search
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

45. mendeley
• export citation data from catalog
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

46. OA APIs
• CORE Project – Open University
• ArXiv
• Hathi
• Open Library
Possible API Usages
Catalog Enhancements

47. Single Interface Utopia?
Possible API Usages

48. ILS & Discovery Layer APIs
• ILSs and Discover Layers are increasingly
adding APIs…
• Ebsco EDS
• Summon
• VUFind
• Koha
• These APIs allow developers to create
their own interfaces..
Possible API Usages
Single Interface

49. Publisher APIs
• IEEE Xplore
• Springer
• Elsevier: SciVerse (Scopus,
ScienceDirect, SciVerse Hub)
• Cambridge Journals
• Cambridge Dictionaries
• And more….
Possible API Usages
Single Interface

50. Vendor APIs
• Factiva – integrate all of factiva’s content
• Hoover’s – integrate company information
• And more…
Possible API Usages
Single Interface

51. OA APIs
• CORE Project – Open University
• arXiv
• Open Library
• Hathi Trust
Possible API Usages
Single User Interface

52. API Development : what is
needed?
• Programming expertise: PHP, Ruby, Python,
Javascript, XML, JSON, SQL, HTML, CSS
• Invest subject librarians in the process: what
APIs are available per discipline, which offers
value?
• Usability assessment
• Development tools: programming software
and hardware

53. Further resources
• Programmable Web
• Zite(app): APIs
• Web Service APIs and Libraries, ALA
Editions
• eCourse in October
• Twitter: @kinlane, @hackernews

54. thank you!
• micheljp@miamioh.edu
• @jpmichel
• gplus.to/jpmichel (G+)

55. References
• http://ifttt.com
• https://dev.twitter.com/
• https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/
• https://developer.vimeo.com/
• http://instagram.com/developer/
• http://www.themoviedb.org/
• http://oclc.org/developer/documentation/worldcat-basic-api/using-api
• http://www.goodreads.com/api
• http://openlibrary.org/developers/api
• http://www.hathitrust.org/data_api
• http://www.flickr.com/services/api/
• http://dev.evernote.com/
• https://www.dropbox.com/developers
• http://developer.rottentomatoes.com/
• http://developer.nytimes.com/docs

56. References
• http://dp.la/info/developers/codex/
• http://developer.hoovers.com/
• http://core.kmi.open.ac.uk/intro/api
• http://arxiv.org/help/api/index
• http://dictionary-api.cambridge.org/
• http://public.oed.com/subscriber-services/sru-service/
• http://dev.mendeley.com/
• https://www.ebscohost.com/discovery/api
• http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/
• http://vufind.org/features.php
• http://dev.springer.com/
• http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/gateway/
• http://www.developers.elsevier.com/devcms/scopusintegration
• http://journals.cambridge.org/action/stream?pageId=9048&level=2
• http://www.factiva.com/CP_Developer/ProductHelp/FDK/FDK20/fdk_overvie
w/index.htm