WorldCat Identity Resource
URLs and Supported Requests
The Identity Resource supports five operations.
| Operation | Resource URL | HTTP METHOD |
|---|---|---|
| Read | http://www.worldcat.org/identities/{lccn_number} | GET |
| Search | http://www.worldcat.org/identities/find?fullName={simpleQuery} | GET |
| SRUSearch | http://www.worldcat.org/identities/search/Identities?query={cqlQuery} | GET |
| Resolve | http://www.worldcat.org/identities/find?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:identity&rft.namelast={lastName}&rft_id=info:oclcnum/{oclcNumber} | GET |
| AutoSuggest | http://www.worldcat.org/identities/AutoSuggest?query={name}&callback={callBackFunctionName} | GET |
Response Formats
Read
Search
SRUSearch
Resolve
AutoSuggest
Parameters
Search
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| FullName | Full Name associated with Identity |
SRUSearch
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| query | A CQL query being sent to the SRU server |
| httpAccept | The format to retrieve the response in
|
Resolve
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| rft.namelast | Last name associated with Identity |
| rft.namefirst | First name associated with Identity |
| rft.nameinitm | Middle Initial associated with Identity |
| rft.namesuffix | Name Suffix (eg. Jr.) associated with Identity |
| rft.nametitle | Title (eg. Sir) associated with Identity |
| rft.date | Dates of life associated with Identity |
| rft.birthdate | Birthdate associated with Identity |
| rft.deathdate | Death Date associated with Identity |
| rft.name | Name associated with Identity. This can be any form of name |
| rft_id | The OCLC Number of a work associated with the Identity Takes the form of info:oclcnum/{oclcNumber} |
| rft.title | Title of a work associated with the Identity |
AutoSuggest
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| query | Terms associated with Identity |
| callback | Name of the function to send response back to |
Resource Fields
Single Identity
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
/Identity/@type |
type of name (personal, corporate, subject, abandoned) |
/Identity/creationtime |
time the Identity record was created |
/Identity/pnkey |
key associated with the record |
| /Identity/audLevel | audience level of the works related to identity. Works are listed in from lowest to highest audience level |
/Identity/authorityInfo |
Name authority information if it exists |
| /Identity/authorityInfo/viafid | ID for Identity in Virtual International Authority file |
| /Identity/authorityInfo/wikidataid | ID for Identity in Wikidata |
| /Identity/authorityInfo/wikiLink | ID for Identity in Wikipedia |
| /Identity/authorityInfo/lccn | LCCN for Identity |
| /Identity/associatedNames | list of names found with the Identity in WorldCat records |
| /Identity/nameInfo | extensive information about the identity (see nameInfo chart below) |
| /Identity/nameInfo/rawName | non-Latin form of name if exists |
/Identity/nameInfo/latinName |
Latin form of name |
/Identity/nameInfo/tag |
MARC field in which the name is most often found |
| /Identity/nameInfo/genres | Genres associated with this name along with the count of holdings with each specific genre |
| /Identity/nameInfo/fastHeadings | FAST headings associated with this name along with the count of holdings with each specific heading |
| /Identity/nameInfo/languages | languages associated with this name along with the count of holdings with each specific language |
| /Identity/nameInfo/birthDate | birth date for personal names |
| /Identity/nameInfo/deathDate | death date for personal names |
| /Identity/nameInfo/dates | list of years in which works by or about the identity were published |
| /Identity/nameInfo/totalHoldings |
total holdings associated with this name |
| /Identity/nameInfo/@type | Type of identity |
| /Identity/nameInfo/ddc |
Most commonly found Dewey Decimal Classification number found (weighted by holdings) |
| /Identity/nameInfo/lcc |
Most commonly found Library of Congress Classification number found (weighted by holdings) |
| /Identity/nameInfo/relators |
list of relator codes associated with Identity and number of works with that relator |
| /Identity/workCount |
number of works associated with identity |
| /Identity/recordCount |
number of records associated with identity |
| /Identity/fictionCount |
number of fiction works? associated with this identity |
| /Identity/by | List of works by the identity |
| /Identity/about | List of works about the identity |
| /Identity/bestCover | ISBN for the best cover image |
| /Identity/bestCover/oclc | OCLC Number for best cover image |
Name Finder
| Field | Definition |
|---|---|
/nameAuthorities/query |
query sent |
/nameAuthorities/maxlist |
maximum results returned |
/nameAuthorities/hitCount |
total number of results |
/nameAuthorities/match/type |
type of name match (ExactMatchesWithDates, ExactMatches, ExactNameParts, FuzzyFirstName, FuzzyFamilyName, FuzzyName, FreeTextName ) |
/nameAuthorities/match/usage |
how often this form of name used |
| /nameAuthorities/match/score | score for this form of name |
| /nameAuthorities/match/establishedForm | Best version of the name of display purposes |
| /nameAuthorities/match/uri | Relative URL to get the Identity being described |
| /nameAuthorities/match/lccn | Library of Congress Control Number |
/nameAuthorities/match/citation |
Title of the most highly held work in WorldCat associated with that Identity |
| /nameAuthorities/match/pubDates | Dates of associated holdings |
| /nameAuthorities/match/nameType | type of name (personal, corporate) |
Notes
Abandoned Identities
These are Identities which were valid at one point but are any longer. One reason an Abandoned Identity might come into being is due to a cataloging error which is a misattribution of a work or typo. So for example if a name associated with a book incorrectly in the MARC record in WorldCat then when the Identities is created from the WorldCat data that name will become an Identity. However, when the next update to Identities is performed and the MARC record has been updated to fix the error then the Identity becomes an Abandoned Identity.
Changes to Subject Identifiers
WorldCat Identities initially relied solely upon Library of Congress Control Numbers (LCCNs) as its identifiers. However, subject identities have been converted to use OCLC's FAST data set. Subject identities that were previously based upon an LCCN-based URI will now redirect to the corresponding FAST-based URI. For example:
http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-sh87-7920
redirects to
http://worldcat.org/identities/fast-1110681
Example URLs
Direct Linking Examples
To retrieve the Identity for George Bernard Shaw directly by using the LCCN n79-6533:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79-6533
To retrieve the Identity for Secretariat (Race horse) directly by using the LCCN sh87-7920:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-sh87-7920
To retrieve the Identity for people that do not have an LCCN, you reference them directly:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/np-levan,+ralph+r
OpenURL Examples
You can also build an OpenURL request to access an Identity. This is how people are linked to from WorldCat.org. To build an OpenURL request you minimally need either an ARN (authority record number) or both an OCLC Number and the author's last name. This should take you directly to the Identity record. However, if a match cannot be made then you will be directed to a NameFinder results set.
Minimal OpenURL request:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/find?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:identity&rft.namelast=Shaw&rft_id=info:oclcnum/30702926
More complete OpenURL request:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/find?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:identity&rft.namelast=Shaw&rft.namefirst=Bernard&rft.nameinit=G&rft.nameinit1=G&rft.nameinitm=&rft.namesuffix=&rft.nametitle=&rft.date=1856-1950&rft.name=&rft.birthdate=1856&rft.deathdate=1950&rft.arn=240672&rft.title=Pygmalion&rft_id=info:oclcnum/30702926
Name Finder Search Example
The name finder service gives back a list of candidate names with URI's, ranking information, a sample title and other information about the name. NameFinder Search results are organized by Type of Name Match.
To retrieve search results based on the name George Bernard Shaw:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/find?fullName=George+Bernard+Shaw
SRU Search Examples
You can perform an SRU search of the Identities database or any of the component four databases:
To search the whole identities dataset:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/search/Identities?query=local.FamilyName+%3D+%22austen%22+and+local.FirstName+%3D+%22jane%22&httpAccept=application/xml
To search Corporate Identities:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/search/CorporateIdentities?query=local.CorporateName+%3D+%22Microsoft%22&httpAccept=application/xml
To search Personal Identities:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/search/PersonalIdentities?query=local.FamilyName+%3D+%22austen%22+and+local.FirstName+%3D+%22jane%22&httpAccept=application/xml
To search Subject Identities:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/search/SubjectIdentities?query=local.SubjectName+%3D+%22Hera%22&httpAccept=application/xml
To search Abandoned Identities:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/search/AbandonedIdentities
AutoSuggest Example
A simple query of the Identities database to retrieve suggestions about possible matching Identities:
GET http://worldcat.org/identities/AutoSuggest?query=Jane+Austen&callback=myCallbackFunction