# Zotero Group Library Scraper (`mrdoe/zotero-group-library-scraper`) Actor

Reads a public Zotero group library and returns every bibliography item - title, creators, date, DOI, abstract, tags, and link.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/mrdoe/zotero-group-library-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [MrDoe](https://apify.com/mrdoe) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 item results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

![Zotero Group Library Scraper hero](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/zotero-group-library-scraper--hero.png)

## Zotero Group Library Scraper (Apify Actor)

### What does Zotero Group Library Scraper do?

Zotero Group Library Scraper reads any public [Zotero](https://www.zotero.org/) group library and returns every item in its bibliography as structured data - title, authors, publication date, DOI, abstract, tags, and a link back to the item. Give it a group URL or group ID and it pages through the entire library automatically. No account or login needed.

Try it with the default example group and see real results in seconds. Run it on a schedule to track a research group's library as it grows, or call it from your own app through the Apify API.

### Why use Zotero Group Library Scraper?

- **Literature review and research.** Pull a shared research group's or course's reading list into a spreadsheet or database in one run.
- **Bibliography and citation data.** Get structured titles, authors, dates, and DOIs ready to feed into another tool or report.
- **Tracking a growing library.** Re-run on a schedule to see what's been added to a public group library since last time.
- **No manual exporting.** Give it a group link and get every item back as structured data, instead of exporting and reformatting by hand.
- **Topic filtering.** Set a keyword like "accommodation" or "hospitality" and only get back the items in the group that actually match it.

### How to use Zotero Group Library Scraper

![Zotero Group Library Scraper step-by-step: input, read, output](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/zotero-group-library-scraper--how-it-works.png)

1. Click **Try for free** (or **Run** if you've already added it).
2. Paste one or more **Zotero group URLs or IDs** - find a group's URL at zotero.org/groups/..., or just use its numeric ID.
3. Optionally raise **Max items per group** above the default of 20.
4. Click **Start** and open the **Output** tab once it finishes.

### Input

![Zotero Group Library Scraper input options](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/zotero-group-library-scraper--input.png)

| Field | Type | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `groupUrls` | array | example group | Group URLs or bare numeric group IDs. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `20` | Max items per group (not shared across groups). |
| `searchQuery` | string | none | Optional keyword or topic (e.g. "accommodation", "hospitality") - only matching items from the group(s) above are returned. |
| `sortBy` | select | library order | Optional: date added, date modified, title, creator, or publication date. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | off | Optional - not required for typical volumes. |

### Output

![Zotero Group Library Scraper dataset output](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/zotero-group-library-scraper--output.png)

One dataset row per bibliography item:

```json
{
    "key": "EQ2D34GW",
    "itemType": "webpage",
    "title": "Charleston Video - Collaborating on Open Access Books Analytics",
    "creators": ["Niels Stern", "Leah Dunn", "Esther Jackson"],
    "date": null,
    "container": null,
    "doi": null,
    "url": "https://chsconf.cadmore.media/Title/9a9ab883-50dd-46ce-99f1-6403be913ccf",
    "abstract": null,
    "tags": [],
    "childItemCount": 0,
    "dateAdded": "2023-01-06T15:54:56Z",
    "dateModified": "2023-01-06T15:56:13Z",
    "itemUrl": "https://www.zotero.org/groups/columbia-university-charleston-oa-rubric/items/EQ2D34GW",
    "groupId": 4804340,
    "groupName": "Columbia-University-Charleston-OA-Rubric"
}
```

You can download the result in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or
Excel. A `raw` field on every row carries the item's full original record,
since fields vary a lot by item type (a book has different fields from a
webpage or a journal article).

#### Data fields

![Zotero Group Library Scraper output field map](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/kE36venAoVchGsE6b/records/zotero-group-library-scraper--fields.png)

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `title`, `itemType` | The item's title and its Zotero type (journalArticle, book, webpage, report, etc.). |
| `creators` | Author/editor names, as plain strings. |
| `date`, `dateAdded`, `dateModified` | Publication date and library timestamps. |
| `container`, `publisher` | The journal/book/proceedings title and publisher, when set. |
| `doi`, `url` | DOI and source URL, when available. |
| `abstract`, `tags` | Abstract text and any tags applied in the library. |
| `childItemCount` | How many notes/attachments are attached to this item. |
| `itemUrl` | Link to the item's page on zotero.org. |

The run also writes a small **group summary** to the Key-Value Store
(`GROUP_SUMMARY`) - one entry per group with its status (`ok`,
`not_found_or_private`, or `error`), items and pages fetched, and any error
message. Check this when running several groups at once to see which ones
actually returned data.

### Pricing

Each run charges a small start fee plus one charge per item returned - you
pay for the result, not for how the library was read.

### Tips and disclaimers

This Actor only reads group libraries their owners have set to public -
it can't access private libraries or download file/PDF attachments.
Zotero itself doesn't serve attachment files through its public API, even
for group members in many cases - only the item's metadata (title,
authors, DOI, source URL, etc.) is available without a Zotero account. A group
that doesn't exist, or isn't public, is reported in `GROUP_SUMMARY` rather
than failing the whole run. For support or a custom version of this
Actor, use the Issues tab.

# Actor input Schema

## `groupUrls` (type: `array`):

One or more public Zotero group libraries - paste the full group URL (e.g. https://www.zotero.org/groups/4804340/some-group/items) or just the numeric group ID.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop scraping a given group once this many of its items have been returned. Applies separately to each group - e.g. 2 groups with maxItems 20 can return up to 40 items total. Default 20, so a default run stays small and cheap.

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Only keep items in the group(s) above that match this keyword or topic, e.g. "accommodation" or "hospitality". Matches title, creators, and abstract. Leave blank to return every item.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

Order items are returned in, newest first. Leave unset for the library's natural order.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional. The Zotero API is a public, unauthenticated endpoint that doesn't require a proxy for typical volumes.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "groupUrls": [
    "https://www.zotero.org/groups/4804340/columbia-university-charleston-oa-rubric/items"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "groupUrls": [
        "https://www.zotero.org/groups/4804340/columbia-university-charleston-oa-rubric/items"
    ],
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("mrdoe/zotero-group-library-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "groupUrls": ["https://www.zotero.org/groups/4804340/columbia-university-charleston-oa-rubric/items"],
    "maxItems": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("mrdoe/zotero-group-library-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "groupUrls": [
    "https://www.zotero.org/groups/4804340/columbia-university-charleston-oa-rubric/items"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call mrdoe/zotero-group-library-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,mrdoe/zotero-group-library-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/6pR0MEfJjPsTpqkLG/builds/S8Edp9TaWMStfc741/openapi.json