This guide has been designed to help you create persistent links or permalinks for the variety of electronic resources available here at Odum Library.
Each tab of this guide corresponds with a topic or database/database vendor and will describe how to locate the permalink as well as any additional link formatting that is required to reliably share with other students, faculty, or staff at Valdosta State.
Continue scrolling on this page to learn more about persistent links/permalinks including:
A permalink or a persistent link is a stable URL that should not break or change.
When creating a reliable link that VSU students, staff, and faculty can access from anywhere (on campus or off campus), there needs to be two components:
The proxy prefix indicated in orange below.
The target URL indicated in green below.
With the switch to OpenAthens, prefix visibility can vary depending on the database
In most cases, the proxy prefix will look like this: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/valdosta.edu?url=
The target URL will change depending on the item (article, ebook, etc.) that you want to link to.
JSTOR provides a Stable URL. This Stable URL is your target URL and a component of your permalink. Notice that this Stable URL does not include the proxy prefix.
The proxied permalink will look like this:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/valdosta.edu?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/483319
Whether or not you need to proxy your permalink depends on the resource you are trying to share.
Items you find on the “open” Internet that anybody could access without a subscription or login do not need to be proxied.
Some items may be linked through the library catalog, however, these free library collections do not require a subscription or login and thus do not need to be proxied.
Included below are examples of collections or databases that would appear in the library catalog, GIL-Find@VSU, but would not require a proxy.
Some items may be linked through the library catalog, however, these free library collections do not require a subscription or login and thus do not need to be proxied.
Want to find a permalink for an item or document?
Unsure about whether a link would need a proxy?
Need assistance creating a proxied permalink?
Use our Live Chat service or contact sepaul@valdosta.edu or jessicalee@valdosta.edu
Instructions for finding the persistent link varies according to database/database vendor. This section of the guide will help you identify what tab to select for finding and sharing a persistent link.
Icons for databases can typically be found in the top left corner. It may include the database company name (EBSCO, ProQuest) in addition to the name of the database.
Looking at the contents of the address bar can provide additional clues.
If you have any questions, we're happy to help! Try our Live Chat service to chat with a VSU librarian: https://www.valdosta.edu/academics/library/general/live-chat.php
Permalinks can be quite long. You can shorten them by using a service that shortens the URL.
If you need assistance locating an appropriate resource that Valdosta State University has access to:
Contact the Reference Department
Visit our Using the Library research guide