Services to Researchers
Citation service
One of the most problematical aspects of the Web from a researchers point of view is the issue of broken links. Researchers may wish to cite a document published on the Web in a research paper or publication, but they cannot be sure that the document will still be available at the current URL when their readers go to look for it. It may have vanished from the Web altogether.
When a publication or web site is archived in PANDORA, the Digital Archiving System (PANDAS) automatically allocates a unique persistent identifier to it, and this is recorded on the title entry page for the item in the Archive, towards the bottom of the page. For example, see Safety Science Monitor, "To cite this page use http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-13139."
As well as providing a persistent identifier at the title level, the system also creates one for all of the component parts, for instance, for an article within a issue of an electronic journal, or for an image or a table within a web site. The persistent identifier for any part of a title that a researcher may wish to cite can be ascertained by using the citation service. This is available towards the bottom of every title entry page, just under the persistent identifier for the title.
To obtain the persistent identifier for any part of title:
- open in your browser the part of the title that you want the persistent identifier for;
- highlight the PANDORA URL in the address box;
- cut and paste it into the text box of the citation service;
- click on the Go button.
The persistent identifier for the part will then be displayed.
The persistent identifier will always point to the resource it identifies and it can be cited with confidence that the link will never break.
Please note that a persistent identifier can only be generated for a title that is already archived in PANDORA.
Request to archive
If you wish to cite an Australian publication that is not already archived in PANDORA, you may send an email message containing the title of the publication and its URL to the Web Achiving Section of the National Library requesting that it be archived. We will consider the title against the selection guidelines and advise you if we decide to archive it, subject to permission from the publisher.
