Connector Details
Type
Virtual machines, Single VM , BYOL
Runs on
Google Compute Engine
Last Update
24 October, 2024
Category
OpenLibrary Connector
Overview
The OpenLibrary Connector provides a robust interface to access a wide range of OpenLibrary services, enabling seamless retrieval of data related to books, authors, subjects, and book cover images. Designed for developers building applications that require book-related information, this connector supports querying detailed book metadata, author profiles, subject-based book collections, and high-quality cover images. This documentation details each endpoint, including its purpose, required and optional parameters, configuration requirements, and expected outputs, along with practical workflow examples to guide implementation.
Integration Overview
This document provides a comprehensive guide for each endpoint, its purpose, configuration, and workflow support using the OpenLibrary Connector. The connector forwards HTTP GET requests to the OpenLibrary service, handling query parameters and headers to ensure reliable data retrieval.
Supported Integration Action Points
- get_books: Retrieves book details based on bibkeys (e.g., ISBN, OCLC).
- get_volumes_brief: Retrieves brief volume information by key type and value.
- get_authors:Retrieves details for a specific author by OLID.
- get_authors_works:Retrieves a list of works by a specific author.
- get_book_by_olid: Retrieves book details by OLID.
- get_covers:Retrieves book cover images by key type, value, and size.
- get_book_by_isbn:Retrieves book details by ISBN.
- get_search:Searches for books based on a query string.
- get_search_authors:Searches for authors based on a query string.
- get_subjects:Retrieves books associated with a specific subject.
- get_works:Retrieves details for a specific work by OLID.
Detailed Integration Documentation
Books Retrieval
Action
get_books
Purpose
Retrieves detailed book information based on bibkeys (e.g., ISBN, OCLC) with customizable response formats and information types.
Parameters
- Required:bibkeys: Book identifiers (string, e.g., “ISBN:9780140328721” or multiple identifiers separated by commas).
- Optional:
- format: Response format (string, default: “json”, options: “json”, “javascript”).
- callback: JavaScript callback function name for JSONP (string, e.g., “myCallback”).
- jscmd: Information type (string, default: “viewapi”, options: “viewapi”, “data”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful:Returns a JSON object with book details, including title, authors, and publication information.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /api/books with bibkeys=ISBN:9780140328721.
3. Process the JSON response to display book details in a web or mobile application.
Volumes Brief Retrieval
Action
get_volumes_brief
Purpose
Retrieves concise volume information for a specific key type and value (e.g., ISBN, OCLC).
Parameters
- Required:
- key_type: Type of identifier (string, e.g., “isbn”, “oclc”).
- value: Identifier value (string, e.g., “9780140328721”).
- Optional:
- callback: JavaScript callback function name for JSONP (string, e.g., “myCallback”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JSON object with brief volume details, such as title and availability.
- Failure: Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /api/volumes/brief/isbn/9780140328721.json.
3. Use the response to display brief book information in a catalog interface.
Authors Retrieval
Action
get_authors
Purpose
Retrieves detailed information for a specific author identified by their OpenLibrary ID (OLID).
Parameters
- Required:
- olid: Author’s OpenLibrary ID (string, e.g., “OL123A”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JSON object with author details, such as name, bio, and birth date.
- Failure: Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /authors/OL123A.json.
3. Display author details in a web or mobile application.
Authors Works Retrieval
Action
get_authors_works
Purpose
Retrieves a list of works by a specific author, identified by their OLID.
Parameters
- Required:
- olid: Author’s OpenLibrary ID (string, e.g., “OL123A”).
- Optional:
- limit: Number of results to return (integer, e.g., 10).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JSON object with a list of the author’s works, including titles and publication details.
- Failure: Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /authors/OL123A/works.json with limit=10.
3. Use the response to populate a list of the author’s works in a web interface.
Book by OLID Retrieval
Action
get_book_by_olid
Purpose
Retrieves detailed information for a specific book by its OpenLibrary ID (OLID).
Parameters
- Required:
- olid: Book’s OpenLibrary ID (string, e.g., “OL123M”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JSON object with book details, including title, authors, and publication information.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /books/OL123M.
3. Display book details in a web or mobile application.
Covers Retrieval
Action
get_covers
Purpose
Retrieves book cover images by key type, value, and size.
Parameters
- Required:
- key_type: Type of identifier (string, e.g., “isbn”, “oclc”).
- value: Identifier value (string, e.g., “9780140328721”).
- size: Image size (string, e.g., “S”, “M”, “L”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JPEG image of the book cover.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /covers/isbn/9780140328721-M.jpg.
3. Display the book cover image in a web or mobile application.
Book by ISBN Retrieval
Action
get_book_by_isbn
Purpose
Retrieves detailed information for a specific book by its ISBN.
Parameters
- Required:
- isbn: Book’s ISBN (string, e.g., “9780140328721”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful :Returns a JSON object with book details, including title, authors, and publication information.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /isbn/9780140328721.
3. Display book details in a web or mobile application.
Search Books
Action
get_search
Purpose
Searches for books based on a query string, with optional pagination.
Parameters
- Required:
- q: Search query (string, e.g., “lord of the rings”).
- Optional:
- page: Result page number (integer, e.g., 1).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful :Returns a JSON object with search results, including book titles and identifiers.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /search.json with q=lord of the rings.
3. Use the response to populate a book search results page.
Search Authors
Action
get_search_authors
Purpose
Searches for authors based on a query string.
Parameters
- Required:
- q: Search query (string, e.g., “J.R.R. Tolkien”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful :Returns a JSON object with author search results, including names and OLIDs.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /search/authors.json with q=J.R.R. Tolkien.
3. Use the response to populate an author search results page.
Subjects Retrieval
Action
get_subjects
Purpose
Retrieves books associated with a specific subject, with an option for detailed information.
Parameters
- Required:
- subject: Subject name (string, e.g., “fantasy”).
- Optional:
- details: Include detailed information (string, default: “false”, options: “true”, “false”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JSON object with a list of books for the specified subject, including titles and identifiers.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /subjects/fantasy.json with details=true.
3. Use the response to display a list of fantasy books in a web interface.
Works Retrieval
Action
get_works
Purpose
Retrieves detailed information for a specific work by its OpenLibrary ID (OLID).
Parameters
- Required:
- olid: Work’s OpenLibrary ID (string, e.g., “OL123W”).
Configuration
Ensure the connector is configured with the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL environment variable.
Output
- Successful : Returns a JSON object with work details, including title, authors, and editions.
- Failure:Returns error codes (e.g., 400: Bad Request, 404: Not Found, 500: Internal Server Error).
Workflow Example
1. Configure the connector with CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENLIBRARY_BASE_URL.
2. Execute a GET request to /works/OL123W.
3. Display work details in a web or mobile application.
Workflow Creation with the OpenLibrary Connector
Example Workflow: Book Search and Details Integration
- Execute the get_search action with q=lord of the rings and page=1.
- Use the response to populate a book search results page in a web or mobile application.
Retrieve Book Details
- Execute the get_book_by_olid action with olid=OL123M (from search results).
- Display detailed book information, such as title, authors, and publication details.
Fetch Book Cover
- Execute the get_covers action with key_type=isbn, value=9780140328721, and size=M.
- Display the book cover image alongside the book details.
Retrieve Author Information
- Execute the get_authors action with olid=OL123A (from book details).
- Display author details, such as name and bio, in the application.
Pricing
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