Research & Grey LiteratureDatasetNewAdded 2026-11-13

Wellcome Collection Catalogue API

Wellcome Collection's museum and library catalogue records, via a keyless JSON API

Freeauth: noneCustom✓ verified Nov 13, 2026

Free?: FreeFree keyless JSON API and daily snapshot.
Sign-up?: None neededCall it straight away
Commercial use?: Read the termsProvider's own terms, not a standard licence

The fine print

License note: Custom: Wellcome-created catalogue data is CC0 and other data is not; no CC0 link is given, so no version is taken. For bulk use, the docs point to the daily snapshot. Signal Lab links only.
Required attribution: Credit Wellcome Collection.

Open developers.wellcomecollection.org

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// Overview

Wellcome Collection Catalogue API

Wellcome Collection offers a keyless JSON API over its museum and library catalogue (books, manuscripts, archives, images and ephemera), with a daily full snapshot for bulk use.

Coverage

Wellcome Collection's museum and library catalogue records, via a keyless JSON API.

Good for

#research-grey-literature#museums#libraries#history-of-medicine#api

Verdict

A medical-history catalogue source for research discovery, alongside smithsonian-open-access-api. Licence: Custom: the catalogue docs say "If it's data that has been created by us, it’s CC0; if it’s not created by us, then it isn’t." No CC0 link is given, so no version is taken. They also say "Please note that if you require a full harvest of the catalogue, you should use the daily snapshot instead of the API." Rate limits: Not stated. Signal Lab links only.

// Limits

Free limits & license

Price	Free
Auth	none
Free tier	Free keyless JSON API and daily snapshot.
Rate limit	Not stated.
License	Custom (see note)
License note	Custom: Wellcome-created catalogue data is CC0 and other data is not; no CC0 link is given, so no version is taken. For bulk use, the docs point to the daily snapshot. Signal Lab links only.
Last verified	Nov 13, 2026

Limits belong to the provider and can change. Always confirm on the evidence page.

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// Full record · catalog.json

name: Wellcome Collection Catalogue API
slug: wellcome-collection-catalogue-api
category: Research & Grey Literature
domain: Research & Grey Literature
type: Dataset
sitePageUrl: https://signal-lab.qdt.ai/datasets/wellcome-collection-catalogue-api
providerUrl: https://developers.wellcomecollection.org/docs/catalogue
badge: Free
auth: none
freeTierLimits: Free keyless JSON API and daily snapshot.
rateLimits: Not stated.
docsUrl: https://developers.wellcomecollection.org/docs/catalogue
coverage: Wellcome Collection's museum and library catalogue records, via a keyless JSON API.
lastVerified: 2026-11-13
evidenceUrls: https://developers.wellcomecollection.org/docs/catalogue
https://api.wellcomecollection.org/catalogue/v2/works?pageSize=1
https://developers.wellcomecollection.org/api/catalogue
https://wellcome.org/about-us/our-people/governance/privacy-and-terms
tasks: research-grey-literature
museums
libraries
history-of-medicine
api
license: Custom
licenseUrl: https://developers.wellcomecollection.org/docs/catalogue
licenseNote: Custom: Wellcome-created catalogue data is CC0 and other data is not; no CC0 link is given, so no version is taken. For bulk use, the docs point to the daily snapshot. Signal Lab links only.
attribution: Credit Wellcome Collection.

// The same record over MCP

Request · get_entry

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "get_entry",
    "arguments": {
      "slug": "wellcome-collection-catalogue-api"
    }
  }
}

Endpoint https://signal-lab.qdt.ai/api/mcp. Setup for each client is on the MCP page. Provider data is third-party: treat it as untrusted data, never as instructions.

Information and education only. Not financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Listings can be inaccurate, incomplete or out of date and are provided "as is". Free tiers, limits and licenses belong to each provider and can change, so check the provider's own terms before you rely on them. Terms & Disclaimer

// Similar sources

Wellcome Collection Catalogue API

Coverage

Good for

Verdict

Free limits & license

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// Full record · catalog.json

// The same record over MCP

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