`dpla_collections`

Pack: dpla · Connect: https://pipeworx.io/mcp (see Connect below for a single-pack URL)

No MCP client? Call it directly: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/dpla_collections for the schema, then POST the same URL with its arguments for the data.

Which named collections inside DPLA’s contributing institutions hold material on a topic — the curated groupings an archive defines around a subject, a donor or a project — each with how many matching items it holds. Backed by the collection-title facet of DPLA’s item search (DPLA retired its separate collections endpoint), so q scopes the list to collections whose items match the text and title matches words in the collection name. Use it to see how American libraries have organised a subject before pulling records with dpla_search_items({ collection }). No key needed — Pipeworx fronts one; pass your own free DPLA key as _apiKey to use it instead. Example: dpla_collections({ q: “Civil War” }).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`q`	string	no	Free text; lists the collections whose items match it.
`title`	string	no	Words in the collection name.
`limit`	number	no	Maximum collections to return, 1-200. Default 20. Ordered by item count, most first.
`_apiKey`	string	no

Example call

Arguments

{
  "q": "Civil War",
  "limit": 10
}

curl

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/dpla/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"dpla_collections","arguments":{"q":"Civil War","limit":10}}}'

TypeScript (@pipeworx/sdk)

import { Pipeworx } from '@pipeworx/sdk';
const pipeworx = new Pipeworx();

const result = await pipeworx.call('dpla_collections', {
  "q": "Civil War",
  "limit": 10
});

Connect

Add this to your MCP client config — every tool in the catalog, including this one — or use one-click install buttons:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Connect to just the dpla pack

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dpla": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/dpla/mcp"
    }
  }
}

See Getting Started for client-specific install steps.

dpla_collections