LibraryThing APIs

From WikiThing

[edit] The Developer Key

A few of the LibraryThing APIs require a LibraryThing Developer Key. See each API for details. If you need one, go ahead and LibraryThing get one. The LibraryThing Developer Key has its own Terms and Conditions.

[edit] Easy Linking

You can link to a work page on LibraryThing just by throwing the ISBN into the URL.

• http://www.librarything.com/isbn/0441172717
• http://www.librarything.com/isbn/0380976749

You can also link to a book by putting the book's title in the URL. Spaces can be represented by underscores, + signs, or even simply as spaces (more here).

• http://www.librarything.com/title/voyage_of_the_dawn_treader
• http://www.librarything.com/title/the+educated+imagination
• http://www.librarything.com/title/tender violence

You can add books to your account as follows. If you aren't logged in, it will go to the work page.

• http://www.librarything.com/addbook/0441172717
• http://www.librarything.com/addbook/the+educated+imagination

[edit] APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)

[edit] 1. JSON Books API

See LibraryThing JSON Books API

• License: Must be run as Javascript on user's browser, not fetched by a server; cannot be stored, except for browser caching. Commercial use requires a hard (non-JS) link to LibraryThing on every page that returns results.
• Developer key: Not needed.

[edit] 2. JSON Works API

See http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2008/03/first-cut-works-json-api.php

• License: Must be run as Javascript on user's browser, not fetched by a server; cannot be stored, except for browser caching. Commercial use requires a hard (non-JS) link to LibraryThing on every page that returns results.
• Developer key: Not needed.

[edit] 3. ThingISBN

ThingISBN takes an ISBN and returns a list of "related" ISBNs—ISBNs from the same "work" (i.e. other editions and translations).

• Format is identical to OCLC's xISBN.
• Sample URL: http://www.librarything.com/api/thingISBN/0441172717
• Read the announcement and a follow-up
• License: Non-commercial use (see below)
• Developer key: Not needed.
• See also Projects currently using ThingISBN

[edit] 4. What Work?

"What work?" takes an ISBN and/or a title-author and returns the LibraryThing work number.

• See the blog post
• License: Free to all with attribution (see below)

[edit] 5. ThingLang

ThingLang takes an ISBN and returns the language of the book.

• ThingLang uses language codes from MARC records and from the Group Identifiers embedded at the start of the ISBN format.
• Results are in the form of a three letter MARC language code
• Read the announcement, with examples and details.
• License: Unrestricted (see below); hit it no more than 1/second
• Developer key: Not needed.

[edit] 6. ISBN Check

Takes an ISBN; validates it and returns the ISBN10 and ISBN13 form.

• Under no conditions may you call this "ThingISBNCheck"
• See announcement
• License: Unrestricted (see below); hit it no more than 10/second
• Developer key: Not needed.

[edit] 7. ThingTitle

ThingTitle takes a title and returns a list ISBNs from the most likely LibraryThing "work," the LibraryThing title and a link to the LibraryThing work page.

• Announcement, with examples
• License: Non-commercial use (see below)
• Developer key: Not needed.
• Update: ThingTitle is currently down (2008-01-27)

[edit] Data feeds

Feeds are available here: http://www.librarything.com/feeds/

[edit] 1. ThingISBN

• A feed version of the above API.
• License: Non-commercial use (see below)

[edit] 2. AllLibraryThingISBNs

• A simple list of all ISBNs in LibraryThing.
• License: Non-commercial use (see below)

[edit] 3. WikipediaCitations

• A list of ISBNs to Wikipedia articles (described on the blog).
• License: Non-commercial use (see below)

[edit] Terms of Use

• By using any of LibraryThing's APIs you agree to these terms of use.
• "Non-commercial" restricts the data to non-commercial use only; commercial use requires our written permission.
• "Unrestricted" data can be used for both non-commercial and commercial use.
• "Free to all with attribution" means anyone can use the API, but must provide attribution and a link, either to the work in question or to LibraryThing.com.
• Except for ISBN Check, you can make only one request per second on an API; if you're going to hit it more than 1,000 times/day, you must notify LibraryThing
• APIs are provided "as is," without any promises or guarantees of any sort. You're on your own!
• We reserve the right to change these terms and generally make things up as we go along.