Harnessing Free Content with Web Service APIs

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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”;

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

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.

the “open” web ecosystem

• thus, If This Then That (ifttt.com)

the “open” web ecosystem

• thus,

the “open” web ecosystem

• Achieved largely through the use of APIs• API = Application Programming Interface• Method of data transfer via HTTP

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

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

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

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

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…..

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.

try it

• https://graph.facebook.com/username or

• https://graph.facebook.com/pageid

working examples

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,-84.745231,2mi&rpp=100

working examples

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

vimeoworking examples

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

instagram

http://d.lib.ncsu.edu/myhuntlibrary

working examples

instagramworking examples

movieDB

• Utilizing the movieDB API, create a Netflix-style application with available Movie posters

http://themoviedb.apiary.io/3/search/movie

working examples

movieDBworking examples

worldcat

• Utilizing OCLC’s WorldCat Basic API, pull in citation information for catalog records.

http://www.worldcat.org/webservices/catalog/content/citations/isbn/1250012570?cformat=turabian&wskey=key

working examples

worldcatworking examples

goodreads

• Utilizing goodreads API, enhance catalog records with goodreads reviews.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show?format=json&key=key&id=bookid

working examples

goodreads exampleworking examples

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

openlibrary/hathi/google booksworking examples

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

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

Possible API Usages

Social TrackingPossible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

Possible API Usages

evernote & dropbox

• Export catalog records / lists of catalog records out to Evernote/Dropbox

• Export articles to Evernote/Dropbox

Possible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

rotten tomatoes

• Enhance movie records with Rotten Tomatoes reviews

• Retrieve cast, directors and movie posters

Possible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

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

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

hoover’s

• Get Company data to match potential company queries in catalog

Possible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

cambridge dictionaries online/oed

• Get definitions as an additional piece of content in catalog search

Possible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

mendeley

• export citation data from catalog

Possible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

OA APIs

• CORE Project – Open University• ArXiv• Hathi • Open Library

Possible API Usages

Catalog Enhancements

Single Interface Utopia?

Possible API Usages

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

Publisher APIs

• IEEE Xplore • Springer• Elsevier: SciVerse (Scopus,

ScienceDirect, SciVerse Hub)• Cambridge Journals• Cambridge Dictionaries• And more….

Possible API Usages

Single Interface

Vendor APIs

• Factiva – integrate all of factiva’s content

• Hoover’s – integrate company information

• And more…

Possible API Usages

Single Interface

OA APIs

• CORE Project – Open University• arXiv• Open Library• Hathi Trust

Possible API Usages

Single User Interface

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

Further resources

• Programmable Web• Zite(app): APIs• Web Service APIs and Libraries, ALA

Editions• eCourse in October• Twitter: @kinlane, @hackernews

thank you!

• micheljp@miamioh.edu• @jpmichel• gplus.to/jpmichel (G+)

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

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/

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