Faculty Guide to the Remote Library

What is a Permalink?

• A Permalink is a URL that remains stable. It does not time out. Many Sojourner Truth Library databases provide Permalinks for articles and eBooks. Permalinks can be inserted into Brightspace, webpages, documents and emails. 
   
• A Permalink is also called a PURL, a Persistent Link, a Durable Link, a Stable Link, a Stable URL, or a Citable Link.
   
• Dynamic URLs are not Permalinks. Dynamic URLs are created whenever you do a search that brings you to a full-text article or an eBook. A Dynamic URL is temporary and often it will not work when copied and tried again. If you copy the URL in the browser's address bar and share it with others, they usually cannot access the information because the URL will have timed out. Using Permalinks rather than Dynamic URLs makes it easier to share or go back to specific library resources.

Will Permalinks work off-campus?

• In order for the Permalink to work off-campus, the Permalink must include the STL Proxy URL attached as a prefix.
   
• All STL databases can be accessed while connected on the campus network. When off campus, it is necessary to log in using your SUNY New Paltz computer user ID, i.e. your username and password. This is because the library databases are licensed from vendors and publishers that restrict access to their content to licensed subscribers.
• The STL Proxy URL is a prefixed link that routes the permalink to a database or an item in a library database, through the SUNY New Paltz proxy server. Once logged in, you have access to the content. Some STL databases include the Proxy URL with the Permalinks, but not all do.
• Once you have a Permalink you can paste the Permalink into Brightspace, a webpage, an email, or a document. Look at each Permalink that you copy and paste to see if it already includes the STL Proxy URL. If it does not, be sure to copy and paste the Proxy URL as a preflx to the Permalink.
   
• This is what the STL Proxy URL looks like:    https://libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=
   
• Unsure if a Permalink includes the STL Proxy URL prefix, or unsure of how to affix the STL Proxy URL prefix to the beginning of the Permalink? No problem, use the handy STL Proxy URL Generator featured in the final tab of this LibGuide.

Tips for Using Permalinks

• Include the citation, or bibliographic information ( i.e. the author(s), article or book title, the journal name, and the publication date), along with the Permalink. This is because sometimes Permalinks do not work. It is a good idea to include enough information about the publication to help others find the article or book in the event that the Permalink does not work.

• If you email a Permalink, tell the recipient to copy & paste the entire URL from the email message, instead of clicking on the link. This is because Permalinks are lengthy and some email programs will break Permalinks into lines and only make the first line a live link.
   
• Know where to look for Permalinks. The STL Catalog and most STL databases include a Permalink for each record.  The terms used and the location of these links in the record vary from one database to another. The tabs in this LibGuide provide screenshots from the STL Catalog and the STL Databases to show you where to look for the Permalinks in the Catalog and in different databases.