Introduction

EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) gives users access to an institution's entire collection through one entry point: a search box. With EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) API, you can integrate search directly into your library or corporate portal to search full-text and popular databases from leading information providers. Libraries have access to the premium content provided by their subscription to EBSCO Discovery Service through the API. The API also allows libraries to customize their user interface. EBSCO provides extensive documentation and support for the process. It is designed with simplicity in mind, offering easy integration and straight-forward technology to allow libraries to create a custom experience.

Prerequisites

To begin using EDS API, there are a few prerequisites that you need to consider. It is recommended that you have some knowledge of API integration, JSON or XML, HTML and CSS. Additionally, you must also be an EDS customer to use the API. Please ensure that your customer account is enabled for API access with your EBSCO representative. Next, a profile needs to be created in EBSCOadmin for use with EDS API. This profile should include at least one database. Authentication needs to be considered as well. EDS API uses the Username and Password or IP Address method of Authentication. So, determine which a method of Authentication you will be using in your implementation. Then, gather the following information to use the API:

  • EDS API Username
  • EDS API Password
  • EDS API Profile
  • EBSCO Customer ID
  • EDS Server Address (optional, used for IP Address type Authentication)

If you need assistance in obtaining any of this information, you can contact EBSCO support or your EBSCO representative for help.