mcp-books

Read one record, routed by the archive its identifier names

get_item

Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve a full record by identifier from Internet Archive or Library of Congress. Get identity, creator, date, description, reuse terms, and optional sections; long prose in resumable windows.

Instructions

Read one record in full from the archive its identifier names: what it is, who made it, when, what the archive says about it, and what a reader can open. 'identifier' must come from search_inside or search_items. It names the archive, so this reads the right one without guessing; a string no archive would have minted is refused, and a shape more than one archive mints is refused rather than sent to a guess, because sending it anywhere answers about the wrong thing. Terms of reuse come back on every read and belong to that record alone. A record stating none has granted nothing, and silence is never read as permission. 'sections' decides what else comes back, and the answer names what was left out and what this archive files nothing under: a field empty because nobody asked for it is a different thing from a field the archive never fills. 'description_means' says what the archive files under the field this reads a description out of, which holds an account of the thing on one record and a line of the catalogue entry on the next. Long prose is returned one window at a time: 'text_offset' says where to resume, and a window ends at a line boundary. An offset past the end says so rather than answering with an empty description. An answer can take several seconds, because one of the archives publishes a request ceiling this server keeps to.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`sections`	No	Which parts to return besides the record's identity and its terms of reuse.
`identifier`	Yes	From a search, such as 'archive:mobydickorwhale01melv' or 'loc:sn83030214/1900-01-01/ed-1/seq-1'.
`max_copies`	No	Copies to list. The answer says how many more the record holds.
`text_offset`	No	Where to resume in the record's prose, in characters from its start.
`max_text_chars`	No	Characters of prose to return. The text block shows roughly the first 1400 of them and the whole window is in the structured output. The answer says where to resume.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`item`	Yes
`notes`	Yes
`id_read_as`	Yes	How a raw identifier was routed, when it was not spelled with its archive.
`text_window`	Yes	Which part of the record's prose this answer carries.
`sections_omitted`	Yes	Sections this call did not ask for. A field belonging to one of these is empty for that reason alone.
`sections_returned`	Yes
`fields_not_read_from_this_archive`	Yes	Fields this server reads nothing into from this archive. A field named here is empty for every record it returns, which is a different thing from a record that left it blank.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed9 schema fields changedv1.2.0Aug 10, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / attribution / description

Added value: +"What to say when repeating this record, as its archive states it. An archive whose licence asks for the date its metadata was retrieved carries that date here."

changedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / description / description

Previous value: -"The window of the record's own prose that 'text_window' describes."New value: +"The window of this record's description that 'text_window' describes. 'description_means' says what this archive files under that name, which is not always prose about the thing."

addedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / description_means

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "description": "What the field this description was read out of holds on this archive. Null on an archive no description is read from."
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / generated_entries / description

Previous value: -"Entries the archive lists against this record that are its own bookkeeping or the by-products of its processing rather than copies of the thing. They were left out of 'copies' and are on the archive's own page."New value: +"Entries the archive lists against this record that are not copies of the thing: its own bookkeeping, the by-products of its processing, or an image it attaches to illustrate the record. They were left out of 'copies' and are on the archive's own page."

addedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / identifier_provisional

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "description": "True where the archive itself calls this identifier provisional: it can be replaced once a cataloguer settles the record. Null on an archive that mints one kind of identifier and says nothing about settling it."
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / rights / properties / covers

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "description": "What the statement covers, where it covers more than this record. Null on an archive setting terms per deposit, where a statement covers the record it sits on and no other."
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / rights / properties / note / description

Previous value: -"How to read the two fields above for this record, including when both are null."New value: +"How to read the fields above for this record, including when they are null."

changedOutput schema / properties / item / properties / rights / required

Previous value: -[
-  "statement",
-  "url",
-  "note"
-]New value: +[
+  "statement",
+  "url",
+  "covers",
+  "note"
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / item / required

Previous value: -[
-  "id",
-  "source",
-  "source_name",
-  "identifier",
-  "title",
-  "creator",
-  "year",
-  "year_means",
-  "date",
-  "media_type",
-  "source_url",
-  "attribution",
-  "description",
-  "notes",
-  "subjects",
-  "rights",
-  "copies",
-  "copies_available",
-  "generated_entries",
-  "context"
-]New value: +[
+  "id",
+  "source",
+  "source_name",
+  "identifier",
+  "title",
+  "creator",
+  "year",
+  "year_means",
+  "date",
+  "media_type",
+  "source_url",
+  "attribution",
+  "identifier_provisional",
+  "description",
+  "description_means",
+  "notes",
+  "subjects",
+  "rights",
+  "copies",
+  "copies_available",
+  "generated_entries",
+  "context"
+]

First observedv1.0.0Aug 8, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

The description adds extensive behavior beyond readOnly/idempotent annotations: routing/refusal logic, terms-of-reuse semantics, empty-vs-absent fields, windowed text with line boundaries, offset past end behavior, and latency warning. No contradiction with annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is verbose and tangentially structured, with convoluted phrasing about identifier routing and a phantom parameter. While informative, it would benefit from tighter organization and shorter sentences. It is not concise but not entirely wasteful.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The description handles many edge cases and behaviors (ambiguous identifiers, reuse terms, empty fields, pagination, latency) making it largely complete for a complex read tool. However, the phantom parameter and lack of explicit return-value summary (though output schema exists) prevent a top score.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Although the input schema already covers all parameters (100% coverage), the description adds context about identifier origin and routing, sections semantics, and text_offset windowing. However, it references a non-existent 'description_means' parameter, which could mislead the agent and detracts from clarity.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool's function with a specific verb ('Read') and resource ('one record in full'), and distinguishes it from sibling search tools by requiring identifiers from search_inside/search_items and explaining archive routing. The title reinforces the purpose.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It implies usage after search tools and describes constraints on identifiers (refuses ambiguous/unminted strings), giving clear context. It doesn't explicitly list alternatives for exclusion, but the routing and identifier source make the intended use clear.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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