[InetBib] CERL and ECPA publish report that explains persistent identifier schemes

["Ecpa" <Ecpa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Traditionally, references to web content have been made by using URL 
hyperlinks. However, as links are 'broken' when content is moved to another 
location, a reference system based on URLs is inherently unstable and poses 
risks for continued access to web resources. To create a more reliable system 
for referring to published material on the web, from the mid-1990s a number of 
schemes have been developed that use name spaces to identify resources, 
enabling retrieval even if the location on the web is unknown. 

A recently published report explains the principle of persistent identifiers 
and helps institutions decide which scheme would best fit their needs. It 
discusses Handles, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), Archival Resource Keys 
(ARKs), Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs), Uniform Resource Names 
(URNs), National Bibliography Numbers (NBNs), and the Open URL, providing 
examples and extensive references for each.

The report was written by the Research and Development Department of the 
Goettingen State and University Library (Niedersächsische Staats- und 
Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen) at the request of the Advisory Task Group 
(ATG) of the Consortium of European Research Libraries. It is co-published by 
CERL and ECPA.

Ordering information:

Implementing Persistent Identifiers. Overview of concepts, guidelines and 
recommendations
Hans-Werner Hilse and Jochen Kothe
ISBN 90-6984-508-3
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:7-isbn-90-6984-508-3-8

Copies can be ordered from the ECPA Secretariat at the address below or through 
the ECPA website. 
The price is 40 euros, exclusive of postage and handling. 
You will also find the report as a PDF file on the website of each of the 
publishers: 
http://www.cerl.org and http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa 

European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA)
c/o Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
P.O. Box 19121, NL-1000 GC  Amsterdam, The Netherlands
visiting address: Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29,
NL-1011 JV  Amsterdam, The Netherlands
tel. ++31 - 20 - 551 08 39   fax  ++31 - 20 - 620 49 41
URL: http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/