Data dumps on a weekly basis
This website is based on datasets that are indexed. Most of these datasets are mastered as MARC data.
UGent books catalogue ~ 600 MB GZIP compressed text file in MARC Aleph sequential format
UGent periodicals catalogue ~ 20 MB GZIP compressed text file in MARC Aleph sequential format
UGent scanned card catalogue ~ 190 MB GZIP compressed text file in MARC Aleph sequential format
UGent correspondence catalogue ~ 4 MB GZIP compressed text file in MARC Aleph sequential format
UGent Google Books catalogue ~ 40 MB GZIP compressed text file in MARC Aleph sequential format
UGent Memorialis catalogue ~ 850 KB GZIP compressed text file in MARC Aleph sequential format
All datasets above are available with an Open Data Commons Open Database License. You are free to copy, distribute and use the database; to produce works from the database; to modify, transform and build upon the database. As long as you attribute the data sets to the source, publish your adapted database with ODbL license, and keep the dataset open (don't use technical measures such as DRM to restrict access to the database).
More open data
Library locations & opening hours are also available for re-use with the same Open Data Commons Open Database License.
- list of all libraries in JSON or ATOM
- details for one library, e.g. "BIB" in JSON or ATOM
- opening hours for one library, e.g. "BIB" in JSON
Additionally, this website includes data from the UGent Academic Bibliography and Institutional Repository. These data are also available with the same Open Data Commons Open Database License. This dataset is mastered in an extended MODS format. Consult the documentation for more details on the format and available API's.
Persistent identifiers
Every item in our collections has a unique identifier that is used throughout our systems and databases, for that item and only that item. This is a key requirement for successful re-use of any content.
Ghent University Library has a setup to guarantee long-term access to that identifier. Even when we change our systems, we will persist the unique identifier.
Open interfaces (API)
International Image Interoperability Framework
IIIF is a standard framework for the sharing of images. You can use IIIF to get images directly from our collection into any compatible online viewer. There you can compare, annotate, etc.
This website includes version 2 of the IIIF interfaces.
OpenSearch
OpenSearch is a collection of simple formats for the sharing of search results. You can use OpenSearch to search our catalog directly from your browser, or turn a search result into an RSS feed.
This website includes version 1.1 of the OpenSearch interface. The service description document is https://lib.ugent.be/en/catalog/opensearch.xml
OAI
OAI-PMH is a protocol to harvest metadata from digital archives. Both a full and a more selective service is available to harvest records from the Ghent University Catalog. Tools such as Europeana or Unicat rely heavily on OAI.
This website includes version 2 of the OAI-PMH interface. The baseURL is https://lib.ugent.be/OAI