lib-holdings

Command Line Interface (CLI) tool for retrieving holding counts for a list of OCNs and institutes. Uses the OCLC API: https://developer.api.oclc.org/

Installation

First of all, you will need to have Python installed on your computer and available on the command line. If this sounds scary, consider installing the Anaconda Navigator, an application that comes with Python and a command line.

Once installed, find and run the Anaconda Prompt which is the command line interface.

Again, knowing the command line is not a requirement. Simply copy the following into the window and press enter:

pip install lib-holdings

After the tool has been installed, continue below to learn how it works.

Usage

Preparation

Make sure you have the two input files ready:

1. A text file (e.g. .txt) containing OCNs with 1 OCN per line
2. A text file (e.g. .txt) containing institute symbols with 1 symbol per line

It is recommended to create a folder on your computer in which you place these input files.

Note down the path to this folder, e.g. C:/Users/username/myfolder (on Windows).

Execute the following command, replacing PATH with your path:

cd PATH

The command line now has access to that folder.

Create an empty folder (e.g. out) in which the results will be stored.

Also, keep your API key and secret handy.

Run the program

Copy and execute the following command, after replacing the indicated arguments.

(Description of the arguments can be found below)

holdings [OPTIONS] INFILE_OCNS INFILE_SYMB OUT_FOLDER

ARGUMENTS:

INFILE_OCNS:    name of the text file containing OCNs (1 per line)
INFILE_SYMB:    name of the text file containing institute symbols (1 per line)
OUT_FOLDER:     output directory

OPTIONS:

--start INTEGER  Position of OCN to start with.
--key TEXT       OCLC API key.
--secret TEXT    OCLC API secret.

Note:

The start option is handy when the program is interrupted or exits with an error. In that case, you can re-run the program, providing the start value shown.