Documentation

Build on the commons.

Catalog records are CC0 and machine-readable. The OSID parser is a zero-dependency TypeScript library. Everything here is written so a developer, a society archivist, and a museum cataloguer can all start without asking permission.

Use the data

API reference

Every record and registry over plain JSON. Endpoints, access tiers, and examples.

Using the data

The CC0 license, and how to retrieve records through the API.

Cite OSC

The OSID is the citation. Conventions for journals, catalogs, and software.

JSON Schema

Machine-readable schema, generated from the same validators the server runs.

Contribute

Contribution specification

The record lifecycle, trust levels, vote weights, edits, and disputes.

Style notes

Editorial conventions that keep ten thousand contributors writing one voice.

Steward guide

Duties, powers, and limits of Stewards — and how every action is held to account.

Governance

Who runs the catalog, the pre-launch arrangement, and the amendment process.

The OSID format
# Adhesive (4 segments):
^[A-Z]{2}-[0-9]{4}-[^-]+-[0-9]{4}$

# Typed (5 segments — ENV, PCD, ALS, BLK, SET, TST):
^[A-Z]{2}-[0-9]{4}-[^-]+-[A-Z]{3}-[0-9]{4}$

# NNNN = 0000 is invalid. Year ≥ 1840 (≥ 1869 for PCD).