The metadata used to describe the holdings of the World Bank Group (WBG) Archives, in addition to being browsable on the Archives Catalog, is available for download. The metadata includes the ISAD(G) descriptions authored by WBG Archives staff, folder- and item-level information, and the URLs of digitized records (when available). Archival description is ongoing and metadata is added and updated on a regular basis.
To request a key to access the World Bank Group Archives Catalog metadata, please email archives@worldbank.org. Archives staff will generate a key to access the Archives Catalog API. Please note that no API key is required to access the main World Bank Group Data – a key is ONLY needed for API access to descriptive metadata about Archival Materials.
You can find detailed instructions for using the API with your key here.
The metadata follows the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting standard. Individual folders follow the copyright restrictions noted on their cover page.
For users who are interested in downloading individual archival descriptions in PDF or CSV formats or inventory lists of fonds or series, please see our Using Our Finding Aids page for guidance.
The World Bank Group Archives can only offer an API to access descriptive metadata from the Archives Catalog. It cannot be used with other World Bank APIs. If you are interested in other types of data APIs, such as World Bank indicators or Data Catalog, we encourage you to visit the Bank's Open Data website or the World Bank Data Help Desk.
We encourage users to do research with the Archives' metadata and content and welcome questions at archives@worldbank.org.