The term permalink is a mashup of the phrase permanent link. They are sometimes called persistent links.
Permalinks make sharing library database resources reliable because they are encoded with the log-in prompt to allow off-campus access.
The library's licensed databases available through the DACC Library require that we control access and restrict it to faculty, staff, and students affiliated with DACC. This is accomplished by using a proxy server for off-campus access to these databases that include articles, books, and videos. To engage the off-campus proxy server, the URL that connects the user to the vendor's database must be modified to include the proxy server information.
The link we normally copy from the browser address bar does not generally include the required information to prompt log in, and without logging in, users off-campus cannot access the Library's subscriptions. However, using a permalink to reliably access articles, videos, ebooks, and other content found in DACC Library's research databases ensures we are complying with copyight law and the licensing agreements required by our database vendors. Permalinks can be used in Canvas or sent by email to share library content with other members of the DACC community.
This guide covers finding, sometimes creating, and using permalinks from the Library's most popular databases. Where you will find the permalink in each database is slightly different. Each tab in the guide is devoted to a single database or database group, and provides instructions on the process.
If the content you need is not covered here, or if we can help you with permalinks, please email us or Ask Us!
Open web links may change or hide content behind a paywall. Getting around this with a PDF leads to more challenges. PDF versions of copyrighted content, such as a journal article, may only be used in Canvas for two consecutive semesters per US Copyright law.
Avoid this time restriction by providing a permalink to the article from a Library database.
Content found in our Library databases may be used indefinitely thanks to our subscription model.
For more information about copyright compliance, please see our guide.
This guide is adapted from a guide at Northwest Arkansas Community College Library and Indiana University Southeast, under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
