How to use the NYPL Digital Collections API

[Rob Kelley]

Folks:

As demo'ed, The NYPL Digital Collections API lets you access over a million NYPL digitized assets.  

The intro docs are at api.repo.nypl.org .  Check it for signup, request syntax and parameters, etc.   Use it, let us know what you think.  The main contacts for the API are Joe Dalton and Siddika Chowdhury, sitting near the north door.  

Search by Placename:

If you know the field you want to search by, the API will take it as a parameter.  Two useful fields:

Topic (like a typical library Subject):

http://api.repo.nypl.org/api/v1/items/search.xml?q=Portland&field=topic

Geographic (an indicator the asset has something to do with that place)

http://api.repo.nypl.org/api/v1/items/search.xml?q=Portland&field=geographic

Get Item information:

Given a sample result, you will find an ItemLink and an ImageID. ItemLink will link to an image embedded in a page in our old Digital Gallery:

   

You can use those ImageID to retrieve different sized images themselves for each asset, for example 9811_001:

http://images.nypl.org/index.php?id=9811_001&t=w (large)

http://images.nypl.org/index.php?id=9811_001&t=t  (150px high)

http://images.nypl.org/index.php?id=9811_001&t=f  (140px high)

http://images.nypl.org/index.php?id=9811_001&t=b (100px x 100px square)

Hope this helps!

Keep in mind that the Repository assets are for non-commercial use only.  There's a Terms and Conditions agreement to accept on signup.  

Have at it!

http://api.repo.nypl.org/sign_up   

Rob Kelley

Senior Project Manager

New York Public Library