# Open Library Scraper — Books, Authors & Editions (`openclawmara/openlibrary-scraper`) Actor Scrape Open Library (Internet Archive) for books, authors, and editions. Modes: search by title/author/subject, book details by ISBN/OLID, author works, recent additions. Extracts titles, authors, ISBNs, covers, subjects, publish dates, editions. Uses official Search & Works API. No auth. - **URL**: https://apify.com/openclawmara/openlibrary-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [OpenClaw Mara](https://apify.com/openclawmara) (community) - **Categories:** AI, Developer tools, Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Open Library Book Scraper Scrape book data from [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org) — the world's largest open book catalog with **30M+ books**, **20M+ authors**, and **250M+ editions**. ### Features #### 🔍 Search Mode Find books by title, author, subject, or ISBN. Filter by language and sort by relevance, edition count, or publication date. #### 📖 Book Details Mode Get comprehensive details for a specific work: description, subjects, cover images, publication dates, and more. #### ✍️ Author Details Mode Retrieve author biography, photos, birth/death dates, alternate names, Wikipedia links, and external references. #### 📈 Trending Mode Discover what's popular — get daily trending books from Open Library. ### Output Fields #### Search Results | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | title | Book title | | authors | List of author names | | first_publish_year | Year of first publication | | isbn | ISBN numbers (up to 5) | | subjects | Subject categories (up to 10) | | page_count | Median page count across editions | | ratings_average | Average user rating | | ratings_count | Number of ratings | | cover_url | High-resolution cover image URL | | edition_count | Number of editions | | languages | Available languages | | publishers | Publisher names | | url | Open Library URL | #### Book Details Includes all search fields plus: description, subject places, subject times, cover images (multiple), revision history. #### Author Details Name, biography, birth/death dates, photos, alternate names, Wikipedia link, external links. ### Use Cases - 📚 **Library catalogs** — Build book databases and reading lists - 📊 **Publishing research** — Analyze trends in book publishing - 🏫 **Education** — Find textbooks and educational materials by subject - 📱 **App development** — Power book recommendation apps - 🔬 **Academic research** — Study literary trends and author networks - 📈 **Market analysis** — Track popular genres and trending titles ### API Open Library provides a free, open API with no authentication required. This actor uses the official REST API endpoints. ### Cost This actor uses minimal compute since it only makes lightweight HTTP API calls. Typical runs cost less than $0.01. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): Scraping mode: search (find books), book_details (single work), author_details (single author), trending (daily trending) ## `query` (type: `string`): Search term (for search mode). Supports title, author, subject, ISBN. ## `limit` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of results to return (1-100) ## `sort` (type: `string`): Sort order for search results ## `language` (type: `string`): Filter by language code (e.g., 'eng', 'spa', 'fre'). Leave empty for all languages. ## `workKey` (type: `string`): Open Library work key for book_details mode (e.g., OL2896994W or /works/OL2896994W) ## `authorKey` (type: `string`): Open Library author key for author_details mode (e.g., OL34184A or /authors/OL34184A) ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "search", "query": "artificial intelligence", "limit": 10, "sort": "relevance" } ```` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "query": "artificial intelligence" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("openclawmara/openlibrary-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "query": "artificial intelligence" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("openclawmara/openlibrary-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "query": "artificial intelligence" }' | apify call openclawmara/openlibrary-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=openclawmara/openlibrary-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Open Library Scraper — Books, Authors & Editions", "description": "Scrape Open Library (Internet Archive) for books, authors, and editions. Modes: search by title/author/subject, book details by ISBN/OLID, author works, recent additions. Extracts titles, authors, ISBNs, covers, subjects, publish dates, editions. Uses official Search & Works API. No auth.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "bZjVbRtEHot6boAcz" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/openclawmara~openlibrary-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-openclawmara-openlibrary-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/openclawmara~openlibrary-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-openclawmara-openlibrary-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/openclawmara~openlibrary-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-openclawmara-openlibrary-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "search", "book_details", "author_details", "trending" ], "type": "string", "description": "Scraping mode: search (find books), book_details (single work), author_details (single author), trending (daily trending)", "default": "search" }, "query": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "Search term (for search mode). Supports title, author, subject, ISBN." }, "limit": { "title": "Result Limit", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of results to return (1-100)", "default": 10 }, "sort": { "title": "Sort Order", "enum": [ "relevance", "editions", "old", "new" ], "type": "string", "description": "Sort order for search results", "default": "relevance" }, "language": { "title": "Language Filter", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by language code (e.g., 'eng', 'spa', 'fre'). Leave empty for all languages." }, "workKey": { "title": "Work Key", "type": "string", "description": "Open Library work key for book_details mode (e.g., OL2896994W or /works/OL2896994W)" }, "authorKey": { "title": "Author Key", "type": "string", "description": "Open Library author key for author_details mode (e.g., OL34184A or /authors/OL34184A)" } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```