Lancaster University

Lancaster EPrints OAI-PMH 2.0 Interface

The one unambiguous, institution-operated public API Lancaster runs. A single HTTP endpoint that dispatches on the OAI-PMH `verb` parameter and returns OAI-PMH 2.0 XML envelopes for the Lancaster EPrints institutional repository. Unauthenticated, no registration, full set hierarchy, working flow control, and seven metadata formats — didl, mets, oai_bibl, oai_dc, rdf, rioxx and uketd_dc. Note the licensing gap: the repository's own Identify response says "No metadata policy defined... if in doubt assume that NO rights at all are granted to this data", so harvesting is technically open and legally undeclared.

Documentation GitHub OpenAPI

Operations 1

GET /oai2 OAI-PMH request dispatch #

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OpenAPI Specification

openapi: 3.2.0
info:
  title: Lancaster EPrints OAI-PMH 2.0 Interface Oai2 API
  description: OpenAPI 3.0 description of the live OAI-PMH 2.0 metadata harvesting interface exposed by the Lancaster EPrints institutional repository (EPrints 3.4.5). The interface is a single HTTP endpoint that dispatches on the required "verb" query parameter and returns OAI-PMH XML envelopes. This description was derived by probing the live endpoint; only verbs, parameters, metadata formats, and response objects observed in production are represented.
  version: '2.0'
  contact:
    name: Lancaster University Library (DIT)
    email: library.dit@lancaster.ac.uk
  license:
    name: OAI-PMH 2.0
    url: http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/openarchivesprotocol.html
servers:
- url: https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/cgi
  description: Lancaster EPrints OAI-PMH base
tags:
- name: Oai2
paths:
  /oai2:
    get:
      operationId: oaiRequest
      summary: OAI-PMH request dispatch
      description: Single OAI-PMH endpoint. The "verb" parameter selects the operation. Responses are OAI-PMH XML envelopes (Content-Type text/xml). Parameter applicability depends on the verb per the OAI-PMH 2.0 specification.
      parameters:
      - name: verb
        in: query
        required: true
        description: The OAI-PMH verb to execute.
        schema:
          type: string
          enum:
          - Identify
          - ListMetadataFormats
          - ListSets
          - ListIdentifiers
          - ListRecords
          - GetRecord
      - name: metadataPrefix
        in: query
        required: false
        description: Metadata format to disseminate. Required for ListRecords, ListIdentifiers, and GetRecord (unless a resumptionToken is used). Observed supported formats on this repository.
        schema:
          type: string
          enum:
          - didl
          - mets
          - oai_bibl
          - oai_dc
          - rdf
          - rioxx
          - uketd_dc
      - name: identifier
        in: query
        required: false
        description: OAI item identifier, e.g. oai:eprints.lancs.ac.uk:10175. Required for GetRecord.
        schema:
          type: string
          example: oai:eprints.lancs.ac.uk:9
      - name: set
        in: query
        required: false
        description: Set spec to selectively harvest a subset of records.
        schema:
          type: string
      - name: from
        in: query
        required: false
        description: Lower bound (inclusive) for selective harvesting by datestamp. Granularity YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ.
        schema:
          type: string
          format: date-time
      - name: until
        in: query
        required: false
        description: Upper bound (inclusive) for selective harvesting by datestamp. Granularity YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ.
        schema:
          type: string
          format: date-time
      - name: resumptionToken
        in: query
        required: false
        description: Flow-control token returned in an incomplete list response; used to request the next page. Exclusive of other selective arguments.
        schema:
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: OAI-PMH XML envelope (success or OAI error element).
          content:
            text/xml:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/OAIPMHResponse'
      tags:
      - Oai2
components:
  schemas:
    OAIPMHResponse:
      type: object
      description: Root OAI-PMH XML envelope. Carries responseDate, the echoed request, and exactly one verb-specific payload or an error element. Modeled structurally here since the wire format is XML.
      properties:
        responseDate:
          type: string
          format: date-time
        request:
          type: string
          description: Echoed base URL with the request attributes (verb, etc.).
      required:
      - responseDate
      - request
externalDocs:
  description: OAI-PMH Identify response (live)
  url: https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/cgi/oai2?verb=Identify

Lancaster EPrints OAI-PMH 2.0 Interface

Operations 1

Documentation

Specifications

Schemas & Data

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