Nationaal Archief MCP Server

Overview

This MCP server provides access to the Netherlands National Archive (Nationaal Archief) collections, with a focus on Dutch business history and colonial records that might contain information about F.W. Braat's activities in South Africa/Transvaal.

Features

1. Search archival collections via OAI-PMH ✅
2. Access linked open data via SPARQL (limited availability) ⚠️
3. Retrieve specific archival records
4. Explore business/commercial archives from the 1880s-1930s
5. Find connections to South Africa/Transvaal
6. Natural language query conversion (ready for SPARQL)

Installation

1. Install dependencies: pip install mcp httpx pydantic SPARQLWrapper

2. Run the server: python na_mcp_server.py

Tools Available

1. na_search_archives - Search the Nationaal Archief collections (OAI-PMH)
2. na_sparql_query - Execute SPARQL queries (limited availability)
3. na_get_record - Retrieve detailed archival record information
4. na_browse_collection - Explore archival collections hierarchically
5. na_find_business_records - Specialized search for Dutch business records
6. na_smart_query - Natural language to SPARQL conversion

Data Access Status

✅ Fully Working

• OAI-PMH API: Full access to archiefinventarissen
• Metadata search and browsing
• Business records specialization
• All core archival functions

⚠️ Limited Availability

• SPARQL: Only Verkaufsbücher available as Linked Data
• Main archiefinventarissen NOT available via SPARQL
• Open Data Indexes: CSV/XML downloads only (not Linked Data)

Primary Access Method: OAI-PMH via na_search_archives tool