MCP server · Research
New Mexico Literacy Project MCP server
by joshseane
Check if a book is a true first edition, and get help donating books in New Mexico.
This is a helper for two things: figuring out whether an old book is a real first edition, and sorting out book donations around Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is handy if you sell or collect old books, or if you have boxes of books and want to know where they can go. You use it through your AI assistant, in normal conversation.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to a service. This one connects your AI to the New Mexico Literacy Project's book data, so it can look up publisher rules, decode the numbers on a copyright page, and answer donation questions for you. You ask in plain words, and the helper does the looking up.
What this MCP server does
You tell your AI the title and author of a book, and it passes that to this helper. The helper checks the New Mexico Literacy Project's first-edition dataset, which covers thousands of titles, and works out the publisher, the year, and the little details that tell a true first edition from a later printing. For donations, you give a ZIP code or ask a question, and it checks pickup coverage or compares the donation options in Albuquerque. Then your AI writes the answer back to you in the chat, with a source citation attached.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- Check whether a book is a true first edition
- Decode the number line on a copyright page
- Look up how a specific publisher marks its first editions
- Search the title dataset by title or author
- Check free book-pickup coverage for a ZIP code
- Request a real book pickup in the Albuquerque area
- Compare the book-donation options in Albuquerque
Try asking your AI
- “Is my copy of The Old Man and the Sea a first edition? It's by Ernest Hemingway.”
- “The copyright page says 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. What does that mean?”
- “How does Random House mark its first editions?”
- “Do you pick up books in ZIP code 87106?”
- “What are my options for donating books in Albuquerque?”
What it gives back to you
You get a written answer in the chat. For a book, that usually means the publisher, the year, the points of issue to look for, and a note on whether it is a true first, plus a citation to the dataset. For donations, you get coverage details, a pickup window, or a comparison of options. It identifies books only, and does not give you a value or price.
Before you start
What you need
- Node.js 18 or newer, if you run it on your own computer
- Nothing else: no account and no key
Good to know
The pickup request tool sends a real request that a real person will follow up on, so only use it when you actually want a pickup, never to test it.
Install it with your AI
Add New Mexico Literacy Project MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check New Mexico Literacy Project MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Book collectors, used-book sellers, estate clearers, and anyone in New Mexico with boxes of books to donate.
