bibliocommons-mcp

MCP server for placing holds, searching, and managing your account at public libraries that use BiblioCommons.

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Install / Use

claude mcp add pdugan20 -- npx -y github:pdugan20/bibliocommons-mcp

If the server publishes to npm under a different name, use that package instead — check the repo README.

About this skill

🔌

MCP Server

Model Context Protocol server

Quality Score

73/100

Skill content

View source on GitHub

bibliocommons-mcp

MCP server for placing holds, searching, and managing your account at BiblioCommons-powered public libraries.

Install

pipx install bibliocommons-mcp

Requires Python 3.11+.

Quick Start

bibliocommons-mcp init
claude mcp add bibliocommons bibliocommons-mcp --scope user

init walks the prompts, validates live against the gateway, and writes the config file for you. Manual setup: docs/configuration.md. For Claude Desktop, Cursor, or other MCP clients: docs/mcp-clients.md.

Try asking

“Place a hold on Project Hail Mary at my branch.”
“Show my current holds and their queue positions.”
“What’s due back this week?”
“Cancel my hold on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

Tools

All mutation tools accept a list of IDs/refs — pass [id] for the common single-item case.

| Tool | Description | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | search | Search the catalog, optionally filtered by format | | availability | Show per-branch status for a bib | | place_hold | Place physical holds at your pickup branch | | borrow_digital | Borrow one or more available digital items | | place_digital_hold | Join the Libby waitlist for unavailable digital items | | list_holds | Show current holds and queue positions | | ready_for_pickup | Show only the holds waiting at your branch | | cancel_hold | Cancel holds (native bulk; one DELETE per call) | | list_loans | Show checkouts with due dates | | renew_loan | Renew physical checkouts (native bulk; one PATCH per call) | | check_in_loan | Return digital checkouts early | | list_branches | List all branches at your library | | library_health | Check login and report hold quotas |

Library compatibility

The same gateway serves every BiblioCommons-powered library — see docs/known-libraries.md for what's been verified. If yours isn't listed, file a compatibility report once you try it.

Requirements

Python 3.11+
A BiblioCommons library account in good standing (card + PIN)
The library must run on BiblioCommons (visit {name}.bibliocommons.com and confirm)