With web-based material seeming to always be on the move from one site or server to another, permanent URL’s are essential (along with archival projects) for web-based content to be available and easily accessible in the future.

From the news release:

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
and Zepheira, LLC announced today that they will work together to rearchitect OCLC’s Persistent URL (PURL) service to more effectively support the management of a “Web of data.”

The software developed will be released under an Open Source Software license allowing PURLs and the PURL infrastructure to be used in various applications for public or proprietary use. OCLC and Zepheira are collaborating to extend the open and inclusive community of PURL users.

The PURL service has been hosted by OCLC for 12 years and provides persistent, stable World Wide Web (WWW) addresses for the international library and education community, government, business, and non-profit organizations, and private citizens. PURLs are Web addresses or Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that act as permanent identifiers in the face
of a dynamic and changing Web infrastructure.

Direct to Full Text of News Release

Learn More About Zepheira

See Also: PURLs: Persistent Uniform Resource Locators
Here’s a more in-depth overview.

See Also: PURL FAQ

Statistics: As of Wednesday, July 11, 2007:
PURLs Created = 630700, PURLs Resolved = 299809918

Source: OCLC

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 12th, 2007 at 1:51 am and is filed under Access to Information, Info Management and Retrieval, Information Industry, Libraries and Librarianship, Search News, Technology and Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.