Biodiversity Heritage Library
API v3 Documentation
Overview
Methods
Data Elements
Release Notes
PublicationSearchAdvanced
Search for publications (titles, items, and parts) that match the specified search criteria. Rather than searching across all of the metadata for specified search terms, this method searches specific fields for the terms.  For example, title fields are searched for the "title" parameter value, and the author names are searched for the "authorname" parameter value.  This method searches the catalog metadata only, unless the "text" parameter is specified. Inclusion of a value for the "text" parameter triggers a full-text search over the text of the publications.  The BHLType element identifies the type of each publication returned (Item or Part).    Use the "pageSize" parameter to specify how many results are returned at once, up to a maximum of 200.  Use the "page" parameter to return the next page of results.
Use the GetLanguages and GetCollections methods to obtain valid language codes and collection identifiers for use as parameters to this method.
SYNTAX
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/api3?op=PublicationSearchAdvanced
&title=<a title for which to search>
&titleop=<'all' to search for all specified words in the title fields; 'phrase' to search for the exact phrase specified>
&authorname=<an author name for which to search>
&year=<a four-digit publication year for which to search>
&subject=<a subject for which to search>
&language=<a language code; search will only return publications in the specified language>
&collection=<a collection id; search will only return publications from the specfied collection>
&notes=<one or more words for which to search in the publication notes>
&notesop=<'all' to search for all specified words in the notes field; 'phrase' to search for the exact phrase specified>
&text=<one or more words for which to search in the text of the publications>
&textop=<'all' to search for all specified words in the text field; 'phrase' to search for the exact phrase specified>
&page=<1 for the first page of results, 2 for the second, and so on>
&pageSize=<the maximum number of results to return per page (default = 100)>
&format=<"xml" for an XML response or "json" for JSON (OPTIONAL; "xml" is the default)>
&apikey=<API key value>
EXAMPLE REQUEST (XML)
            
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/api3?op=PublicationSearchAdvanced&title=white+shark&titleop=All&authorname=Mccosker&year=&subject=&language=&collection=&notes=&notesop=&text=&textop=&page=1&pageSize=10&format=xml&apikey=12345678-BBBB-DDDD-FFFF-123456789012
EXAMPLE RESPONSE (XML)
            
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Response
  xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Status>ok</Status>
  <ErrorMessage />
  <Result>
    <Publication>
      <BHLType>Part</BHLType>
      <FoundIn>Metadata</FoundIn>
      <Volume>57</Volume>
      <Authors>
        <Author>
          <Name>Mccosker, John Edward</Name>
        </Author>
        <Author>
          <Name>Lea, Robert N.</Name>
        </Author>
      </Authors>
      <PartUrl>https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/280202</PartUrl>
      <PartID>280202</PartID>
      <Genre>Article</Genre>
      <Title>White Shark Attacks Upon Humans in California and Oregon, 1993–2003</Title>
      <ContainerTitle>Proceedings of The California Academy of Sciences</ContainerTitle>
      <Issue>17</Issue>
      <PageRange>479--501</PageRange>
    </Publication>
    <Publication>
      <BHLType>Part</BHLType>
      <FoundIn>Metadata</FoundIn>
      <Volume>43</Volume>
      <Authors>
        <Author>
          <Name>Tricas, Timothy C</Name>
        </Author>
        <Author>
          <Name>Mccosker, John Edward</Name>
        </Author>
      </Authors>
      <PartUrl>https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/52916</PartUrl>
      <PartID>52916</PartID>
      <Genre>Article</Genre>
      <Title>Predatory behavior of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), with notes on its biology</Title>
      <ContainerTitle>Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences</ContainerTitle>
      <Series>4</Series>
      <Date>1984</Date>
      <PageRange>221--238</PageRange>
    </Publication>
  </Result>
</Response>
EXAMPLE REQUEST (JSON)
            
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/api3?op=PublicationSearchAdvanced&title=white+shark&titleop=All&authorname=Mccosker&year=&subject=&language=&collection=&notes=&notesop=&text=&textop=&page=1&pageSize=10&format=json&apikey=12345678-BBBB-DDDD-FFFF-123456789012
EXAMPLE RESPONSE (JSON)
            
{
  "Status": "ok",
  "ErrorMessage": "",
  "Result": [
    {
      "BHLType": "Part",
      "FoundIn": "Metadata",
      "Volume": "57",
      "Authors": [
        {
          "Name": "Mccosker, John Edward"
        },
        {
          "Name": "Lea, Robert N."
        }
      ],
      "PartUrl": "https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/280202",
      "PartID": "280202",
      "Genre": "Article",
      "Title": "White Shark Attacks Upon Humans in California and Oregon, 1993–2003",
      "ContainerTitle": "Proceedings of The California Academy of Sciences",
      "Issue": "17",
      "PageRange": "479--501"
    },
    {
      "BHLType": "Part",
      "FoundIn": "Metadata",
      "Volume": "43",
      "Authors": [
        {
          "Name": "Tricas, Timothy C"
        },
        {
          "Name": "Mccosker, John Edward"
        }
      ],
      "PartUrl": "https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/52916",
      "PartID": "52916",
      "Genre": "Article",
      "Title": "Predatory behavior of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), with notes on its biology",
      "ContainerTitle": "Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences",
      "Series": "4",
      "Date": "1984",
      "PageRange": "221--238"
    }
  ]
}