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Himmelfarb Library has an extensive collection of online books, journal articles, and multimedia materials. These resources can be accessed from both on- and off-campus locations. To ensure consistent access to e-resources from off-campus locations, a durable link may be required. Durable links provide consistent access to electronic journals, articles, books and other materials by ensuring that GW users are recognized and can access library collections. If you are a faculty member preparing for the start of a new semester, Himmelfarb Library’s Durable Link Service can assist you with embedding durable links into your syllabus and other course materials which will provide your students with reliable access to course materials. 

Durable links are URLs that directly connect users with Himmelfarb Library’s electronic resources. These links are reliable and allow faculty members to share resources with students and avoid copyright violations. 

There are four ways to create durable links:

  • Attach a proxy prefix
  • Use a permalink
  • Link by PMID, DOI, ISBN or ISSN
  • Link to databases

 You can attach a proxy prefix to a resource’s URL which will route the link through GW’s systems and authenticate users as needed. Himmelfarb’s proxy prefix quick tool will automatically generate a link with the required proxy prefix. The tool also allows you to test the link prior to adding it to your syllabus or Blackboard course so you are confident that the URL works. 

Himmelfarb’s catalog records have an option to create a permalink for a resource. Search for the resource in the catalog and select the ‘Permalink’ button under ‘Send to.’

This option will direct your students to the resource in the catalog where they can open the item’s full text. Databases such as EBSCO, Ovid and Proquest also have ‘Permalink’ features that can be given to students. 

If you have the PMID, DOI, ISBN or other unique identifier for a resource, you may use this to create a durable link. For example, if you have the DOI for a journal article, you may append it to http://himmelfarb.gwu.edu/doi/ to link directly to the article (e.g. http://himmelfarb.gwu.edu/doi/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.11.035). For more examples please see the ‘Link by PMID, DOI, ISBN or ISSN’ section on our Linking to Electronic Resources: Creating Durable Links guide

Last, you may link directly to databases. Visit the A-Z List: Databases page, search for the specific database and click the connected dots symbol to the right. A small window will open with a durable link which will connect users to the database’s homepage. 

If you have questions about durable links or if you would like assistance with creating links, Himmelfarb Library is here to help! Our Linking to Electronic Resources: Creating Durable Links guide provides examples and additional information about durable links. Additionally, library staff members will check for broken links, generate new links and embed them onto your syllabus or Blackboard course. Send your syllabus or question to himmelfarb@gwu.edu and a staff member will provide more information.

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Ever try to access an ebook in the Himmelfarb Library collection and get the message “Sorry, this ebook is in use”? Ever wonder why we can’t just scan entire books in our collection to create an electronic copy? Ever get frustrated by a broken article link in Blackboard and wonder why they couldn’t just upload a PDF? While these seem like questions about different systems, they all come down to the same thing - copyright.

eBook is in use error message

When a library acquires an ebook, they don’t actually own the ebook - they license a copy from the publisher. The same thing happens when you “purchase” an ebook from Amazon. And much like Amazon ebooks come with publisher restrictions in place to prevent piracy, library ebooks have their own limits established by the publishers. These include everything from limits to how many pages you can save or print to how many people can access the ebook at once. If you’re trying to access one of our eBooks and get a message that someone else is using the book, usually if you wait 15-20 minutes and try again you’ll be able to get in.

As for scanning entire physical books to create our own electronic copies, that would violate copyright laws. However, when working with copyrighted materials in academia we are allowed a little more flexibility thanks to the fair use doctrine. Essentially, fair use allows us to use copyrighted material without explicit permission from the copyright holder. The fair use doctrine even explicitly mentions educational purposes as one of the main reasons it exists. When it comes to scanning physical books, generally the fair use guidelines state that you can scan one chapter or less than 10% of the book. This allows us to take advantage of our InterLibrary Loan system to the fullest, so you can access chapters from books not in our collection.

Fair use is also why we provide durable links to articles in Blackboard rather than full PDFs. Reproducing the full PDF would require your professor to obtain permission from the copyright holder. Linking to the article in Himmelfarb’s collection doesn’t. If you ever run into a broken link in Blackboard, get in touch with your professor and let us know at himmelfarb@gwu.edu so we can update the link.

Taken from our Copyright Research Guide.

Have additional questions about copyright? Take a look at our Copyright Research Guide. Questions about electronic access? Email us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu.