[Opengenalliance] Concerning historic records APIs

[Mary Beglan]

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: todd.d.robbins at gmail.com 
  To: Open Genealogy Alliance (OKFN) ; open-GLAM at lists.okfn.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 5:40 AM
  Subject: [Opengenalliance] Concerning historic records APIs


  I've run into dead ends today trying to gain programmable access to historic records via the FamilySearch API (which does not provide access to the millions of records FS has digitized/indexed) [1] and the private BillionGraves API (which requires a formal proposal of use to be submitted before granting API acces) [2]. This has further reminded me of the need to create and support open projects in the field of genealogy.


  I have previously mentioned my interest is heading/steering an Open Gravestones project to offer an open alternative to BillionGraves and Find A Grave [3]. That interest remains and I have begun a repository here: https://github.com/trobbins/Open-Gravestones/ 


  Also feel free to add to the Google Doc of resources/ideas for the project: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dhvmF-WGlqp2T7OU27QM6LRcNdAsJhHzY3_-gW35py0/edit?usp=sharing


  For now, what I've created is simply a web presence for the idea at this point, but I hope to rally a few or more of you to the cause. Let's begin the discussion here at least.


  Cheers!





  [1] https://familysearch.org/developers/docs/api/resources


  [2] See for instance: http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2012/06/20/grave-terms-of-use/


  [3] Find A Grave recently revived their Terms of Service to prohibited use of their data and any kind of web scraping as well: http://www.findagrave.com/disclaimer.html




  -- 
  Tod Robbins
  Digital Collections Librarian, MLIS
  todrobbins.com | @todrobbins


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