Update a Library¶

PATCH /api/v1/libraries/{slug}

Update a library you submitted. The library must be in pending or approved status and must belong to the authenticated user. Edits to a pending submission update that submission directly. Edits to an approved library are staged for moderator review while the existing approved version remains publicly available. Submitting values identical to the live record or current proposal is an idempotent no-op and does not notify moderators.

Auth required: Yes (Bearer token)

Content type: multipart/form-data

Fields¶

All fields are optional. Omitted fields keep their current value. Provide at least one field.

The per-submission osm_submission_allowed choice is creation-only and cannot be added or changed through this endpoint. Sending it produces a validation error and preserves the stored choice.

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	Display name (max 255 chars)
`description`	string	Free-text description (max 2000 chars)
`address`	string	Street address (max 255 chars). May be empty when coordinates identify the location.
`city`	string	City name (max 100 chars)
`country`	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (2 chars)
`postal_code`	string	Postal or ZIP code (max 20 chars)
`wheelchair_accessible`	string	Wheelchair accessibility: `yes`, `no`, or `limited`
`capacity`	int	Approximate book capacity
`is_indoor`	bool	Whether the library is inside a building
`is_lit`	bool	Whether the library is illuminated at night
`website`	string	External website link (max 500 chars)
`contact`	string	Contact information - email, phone, etc. (max 255 chars)
`operator`	string	Organisation that maintains the library (max 255 chars)
`brand`	string	Network or brand name (max 255 chars)
`latitude`	float	Latitude (-90 to 90, WGS 84). Must be sent with `longitude`.
`longitude`	float	Longitude (-180 to 180, WGS 84). Must be sent with `latitude`.
`photo`	file	Optional replacement photo (JPEG/PNG/WEBP/HEIC/HEIF, max 10 MB). Accepted uploads are normalized to an optimized JPEG targeting about 500 KB. Omit to keep the current photo.

Examples¶

curlPython

curl -X PATCH https://bookcorners.org/api/v1/libraries/berlin-friedrichstr-12-corner-books \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs..." \
  -F "description=Freshly repainted with more children's books." \
  -F "capacity=60"

import requests

resp = requests.patch(
    "https://bookcorners.org/api/v1/libraries/berlin-friedrichstr-12-corner-books",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}"},
    data={
        "description": "Freshly repainted with more children's books.",
        "capacity": 60,
    },
)
print(resp.json())

Replace the photo¶

curl

curl -X PATCH https://bookcorners.org/api/v1/libraries/berlin-friedrichstr-12-corner-books \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs..." \
  -F "photo=@updated-library.jpg"

Response (`200 OK`)¶

The response uses the same library object shape as the detail endpoint.

{
  "id": 42,
  "slug": "berlin-friedrichstr-12-corner-books",
  "name": "Corner Books",
  "description": "Freshly repainted with more children's books.",
  "photo_url": "/media/libraries/photos/2025/06/corner-books.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url": "/media/libraries/thumbnails/2025/06/corner-books.jpg",
  "lat": 52.52,
  "lng": 13.405,
  "address": "Friedrichstr. 12",
  "city": "Berlin",
  "country": "DE",
  "postal_code": "10117",
  "wheelchair_accessible": "",
  "capacity": 60,
  "is_indoor": null,
  "is_lit": null,
  "website": "",
  "contact": "",
  "source": "",
  "operator": "",
  "brand": "",
  "created_at": "2025-06-15T14:30:00Z",
  "is_favourited": false
}

Note

For an approved library, the response previews the proposed values, but public list, search, and detail endpoints continue returning the existing approved values until a moderator accepts the update. Its ID and slug do not change. Rejected proposed changes are discarded without rejecting or hiding the approved library.

Errors¶

Status	Cause
`400`	No fields were provided, coordinates were incomplete, the photo format is invalid, or a creation-only field such as `osm_submission_allowed` was sent
`401`	Missing or invalid bearer token
`404`	Library not found, not owned by the authenticated user, rejected, or otherwise not editable
`413`	Photo exceeds 10 MB size limit
`422`	Request validation error (field too long, invalid type, or out-of-range coordinate)
`429`	Rate limit exceeded (see Rate Limiting)