1. Creating Article Links to Place in eLearning
Ellen Neuhaus
Coordinator for
Distance Learning Library Services
Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

2. From Library home page, go to Distance Learners website

3. Go to the Faculty Resources section

4. Go to the Creating Articles Links document

5. Step 1 Finding the persistent URL (PURL)

6. When students click on the link…
they are taken directly to the article.
Students enter the library resource but instead of starting at an opening screen they are taken directly to the online article.

7. Linking is a licensing issue
Linking to articles found in licensed library resources takes the issue out of copyright and places it into the licensing environment.
For the most part, there shouldn’t be problems with deep-linking to articles found in licensed resources.

8. Finding the persistent URL can be complicated…1
No industry-wide standards for persistent URLs
Databases are developed by different companies 2
Often there is a field located in the database called a “Persistent URL”
Various names: Persistent, Durable, Bookmark 3
Click on the title of the article to bring up the record
Scroll down the record until you find the field

9. If you find a persistent URL field in a library database….
Copy this link and paste it into a plain text program such as Notepad.
By doing this, you will get rid of unwanted formatting.

10. Step 2 Proxifying persistent URLs for off-campus access

11. Directions – How to proxify a link
The following text should be added to the beginning of all article or database durable URLs.

12. Example – Article Link
Article Citation: Welch, Michael. (2002) “Moral Panic Over Youth Violence.” Youth & Society, v.34, n.3, pp.3-30.
Step 1: Finding the persistent URL in a library database
Step 2: Proxifying the link: Add beginning text

13. Other Options… Database Links Fair Use E-Reserves
No persistent URL, then place the proxified database link in your eLearning module.
Students will be taken to the beginning screen in the database. They can enter the article title to retrieve the article.
Fair Use
If an article is not available in the database, you can possible use the fair use part of the U.S. Copyright Law.
Fair use involves 4 factors [Purpose and character of use, nature of work, amount & substantiality of portion taken, and effect on the use upon potential market]
E-Reserves
Use Rod Library’s Electronic Course Reserves Service.
Staff will create article links for you [find persistent URL and proxify the link]
If there is no persistent URL, then they can possibly use fair use.