Library Mashups & APIs
- 1. Creating Library Web Services: Mashups and APIs Karen A. Coombs lirbarywebchic@gmail.com
- 2. About Me • ~ 10 Years library web stuff • Self taught coder who loves to play • Work with developers regularly
- 3. About You • Name • Institution • Techie skills • HTML, Javascript, DOM, XML, Server side scripting (PHP, ASP, Rails, Coldfusion...) • What you want to learn today
- 4. What Is A Mashup? • a Web application that uses and/or combines data from multiple sources within a single tool
- 5. Why Create A Mashup • Want to bring together disparate data sources • Want to enhance a existing source of data • Want to improve usability and user interfaces • Want to make a web page more dynamic and engaging
- 6. Some Library Mashups • LibraryFind • Repository 66 • Scriblio • Terrapod Project • Texas A&M Geologic Atlas of the US • VuFind implementations • WorldCat Search plugin for FCKEditor
- 17. Mashups Don’t have to Be Read Only • Web Services can be capable of read/ write • A mashup could write data as part of its functionality • Examples • Flickr Manager plugin for Wordpress • Kaltura plugin for Wordpress
- 20. How Do Mashups Work? • Take existing data within a system • Retrieve data from another source(s) typically via a web service • Mix these datasets together for UI purposes
- 21. Technologies Behind the scenes • Web Services (REST, SOAP, XML-RPC) • Some server side or client side scripting language • Data formated in XML or JSON
- 22. What are Web Services? • Machine readable data or procedures access via HTTP • On a remote/external system (usually) • Use structured data for data exchange (often XML) • Come in 3 flavors : RPC, SOAP, REST
- 23. REST Primer • Easiest web service style • Readable by Humans • Most popular form of web services today • Create, Read, Update Delete • POST, GET, PUT, DELETE
- 24. What is JSON? • Javascript Object Notation • Text file used to pass information from one system to another • Javascript treats it as an object • which makes it easily navigated and specific pieces cherry-picked
- 25. ProcessGBSBookInfo({ "ISBN0765304368":{ "bib_key":"ISBN0765304368", "info_url":"http://books.google.com/books? id=gfg13CM_kU8C&source=gbs_ViewAPI", "preview_url":"http://books.google.com/books? id=gfg13CM_kU8C&printsec=frontcover&sig=jIrSb_Skc QRhy_VvtnKbTXjmvos&source=gbs_ViewAPI", "thumbnail_url":"http://books.google.com/books? id=gfg13CM_kU8C&pg=PP1&img=1&zoom=5&sig=LsT wGVAsy_qWYMPM6HVDTPAMokg", "preview":"full" } });
- 26. XML Data Manipulation • XPath • Little bit like the DOM but more complex and smart • Allows you to cherry pick info in XML documents • Learn more about XPath - http:// www.w3schools.com/xpath
- 27. XML XPATH EXAMPLE • Want to get the feed name • Want to get the item title, description, and url
- 28. The XPath • Feed Title - /feed/title • Item title - //entry/title or /feed/ entry/title • Item Content - //entry/content • Item Url - //entry/link@href
- 29. Cross Server Scripting Issues • AJAX doesn’t allow you to access “scripts” across servers • XML, PHP or other scripting languages • Can access JSON across servers • Reason why JSON popular • Workaround
- 30. Cross Server Scripting Workarounds • Proxy the script via the webserver • Apache mod_proxy • Use an intermediary to transform content into JSON • Use PHP to convert XML to JSON
- 31. Possible Types Of Data • Bibliographic Data • Book Covers • Digital Library metadata and objects • Reviews • Ratings • Library Information • Map Data
- 32. Data Sources For Mashups • Feeds from library catalog, Amazon or other sources • Covers, Ratings and Reviews from LibraryThing • ISBNdb.com • Preview or fulltext from GoogleBooks • Info from Wikipedia • Data from Talis platform • Data from Open Library
- 33. Other Library Vendor Web Services • Serial Solutions - http://journal.code4lib.org/ articles/108 • SFX • Gold Rush Link Resolver - http:// grx.coalliance.org/grxtest/dsp/ grx_documentation.pdf • Lots of library database platforms • Several library catalogs
- 34. OCLC Web Services for Mashups • WorldCat Search API • WorldCat Identities • xID services • xISBN • xISSN • xOCLCNum • Registry Search • Registry Detail
- 35. WorldCat Search API • Search WorldCat in a programmatic fashion • OpenSearch, SRU • Get data back as XML • Atom, RSS, MARCXML, Dublin Core
- 36. xID Service • Service for identifiers • OCLC number, ISSN, ISBN • Send an identifier • Get related identifiers back • Get information about item • Peer Reviewed or not • RSS for Table of Contents
- 37. Worldcat Registry • Data about libraries throughout the world • Name • Address • Catalog url • Type (public, academic, special ...)
- 38. Serial Solutions API • OpenURL based • Send an OpenURL • Get back holdings information • Uses • Crosslisting ebooks • Direct Links to Fulltext in LibraryFind
- 39. Serial Solutions API Response • Citation • Holdings Info • Provider - Proquest • Database Name - Safari Tech Books • Start & End Dates • URL(s)
- 40. Serial Solution Response URLs • Different types of URLs • Depends on OpenURL sent • format • granularity • Books - source, book • Journal - source, article, journal, volume, issue
- 42. Direct Links to Fulltext in LibraryFind
- 43. Other APIs We’re Using • Google Calendar API - http:// code.google.com/apis/calendar/ data/2.0/developers_guide.html • Google Maps - http:// code.google.com/apis/maps/ • Last.fm - http://www.last.fm.api • Wikipedia API - http:// en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php
- 44. Other APIs of Note • Blip.tv API - http://wiki.blip.tv/index.php/ Blip.tv_API • Delicious API - http://delicious.com/help/api • Flickr API - http://www.flickr.com/services/api/ • YouTube API - http://code.google.com/apis/ youtube/overview.html • Yahoo Maps API - http://developer.yahoo.com/ maps/
- 45. The Simplest Mashups • Widgets • Google Embedded Preview • LibraryThing Widgets • Flickr Widgets • WorldCat list widget • Yahoo Pipes
- 47. The Simplest Mashups • Feeds • The poor man’s web services • XML • Can have schemas added to them • Feed2JS • embed a feed in a web page • Drupal and Wordpress can have feeds embedded into pages
- 49. Mashups Made Easy With Yahoo Pipes • Drag and drop UI for creating mashups • Free • Lots of examples • Some library examples • RSS of Books + Covers • Finding Alternative Copies of a Book
- 50. Why Use Pipes? • Programming for non-programmers • Good user community • Clone!! • End up with a variety of formats • Widgets • RSS • JSON • PHP
- 51. Feed Remix with Pipes • Find several feed you want to mix together • Get their feed urls • Filter if you want • New Feed output
- 52. WorldCat Search + Book Covers • RSS + Cover Data + Yahoo Pipes • ISBN essential • How does it work? • RSS feed from WorldCat Search API • Extracts ISBN • Gets cover data • Builds new feed with covers
- 53. WorldCat Registry + Yahoo Maps • Send registry request for data for a particular location (zip code, city) • Retrieve results • Send address information to Yahoo Maps • Get library locations plotted on map
- 54. WorldCat Holdings + Yahoo Maps • Send an OCLC number and location to WorldCat Search API • Returns a list of libraries nearest that location with holdings (includes address) • Send libraries’ address to Yahoo Maps • See which libraries in that location have that book visualized
- 55. Crosslisting Content In the Catalog • Serial Solutions OpenURL Resolver • API • WorldCat Search API • ISBN/ISSN • Adds also available as link to ebook print book
- 56. Four Code Walkthroughs • Google Calendar Embedding • WorldCat Search + Book Covers + Ratings + Preview at Google Books • WorldCat Search Holdings + Google Maps • Journal List Enhancements
- 57. Web Services for Interoperability • Lots of different ways in which people can access information • Different devices • Mobile devices, computers, special purpose devices • Machine access to data
- 58. Mobile Catalog Prototype • WorldCat Search API • Open Library/LibraryThing Covers • Summary - ISBNdb.com • Full text/Preview • Hathi Trust • Google Books • Screenscrape Item data
Editor's Notes
- #57: CD listing + CD covers + Last.fm data mashup Journal Listing Mashup with xISSN TiCToCs info