Persistent URLs

							Dal Libraries UnZipped
Lightning Information Sessions for Faculty & Researchers




   PERSISTENT URLS
   What? Why?? And How???


   Ann Barrett
   Health Sciences Librarian
   September 1, 2011
Ever sent (or posted) a URL to students
or colleagues that just wouldn’t work?
   • The URL is probably not ‘persistent’, or ‘durable’
WHAT are persistent URLs?
• A "persistent link" or a "durable URL" is a link that does
 not expire or change over time.

• Persistent links are often used to link to academic articles,
 search results, or e-books.

• Frequently needed with subscription based resources.
WHY use persistent URLs?
• Eliminate the “This link doesn’t work!” syndrome


• Allows you to create URLs that work ON and OFF campus


• Helps you work within fair dealing guidelines


• Keeps you within the license agreement between
 Dalhousie and the publisher/vendor

• These links should work from year to year in your OWL or
 course space
HOW to make them? – there are 2 ways

Method 1: from a Dalhousie Libraries database

Any of the Dalhousie Libraries databases offer either
(or both):
      • A “Permalink” feature to create persistent URLs

      • GetIt@Dal button that has a persistent link feature



                      Online Tutorials:
                      Persistent URLs: What are they?
                      http://libcasts.library.dal.ca/Journals/URL/One/URL1.html
                      Persistent URLs: How to make them.
                      http://libcasts.library.dal.ca/Journals/URL/Two/URL2.html
Method 1: Creating persistent URLs


• from Dalhousie databases like…
  • Proquest
  • Ebsco
  • WorldCat Local
  • Pubmed
Method 2: Creating persistent URLs


• from Dalhousie Libraries eJournals
lookup Citation Linker…
http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/dal/az




                  Online Tutorials:
                  Persistent URLs: What are they?
                  http://libcasts.library.dal.ca/Journals/URL/One/URL1.html
                  Persistent URLs: How to make them.
                  http://libcasts.library.dal.ca/Journals/URL/Two/URL2.html
The problem of long URLs…

Tiny URL http://tinyurl.com/

  • can take this…             http://aleph1.novanet.ns.ca/F/JGT5UADJTKU4
                               A1FH8K15TTKQAABI7TL4VTVBEV1B1JRDUAF9
                               R4-54086?func=full-set-
                               set&set_number=007098&set_entry=000029
                               &format=999




  • and make it into this.     http://tinyurl.com/3ffknav
That’s it in a nutshell. Any questions?




Dal Libraries UnZipped
Lightning Information Sessions for Faculty & Researchers