Education Subject Guide

A persistent link, also known as a durable link, stable link, or permalink, is a URL that connects directly to a specific full-text article in a library database or electronic journal subscription.

• Persistent links can be placed within Canvas, syllabi, and readings lists. They allow students to access articles by linking to SPU Library's electronic subscriptions.
• When students click on the link to the article or ebook, they will need to log in with their SPU credentials.

Why would you want to link to articles owned by the SPU Library rather than copying them directly into Canvas?

• Copyright is one reason. You can link to an article in a database or e-journal and remain copyright compliant, but you cannot always copy an article and upload it to Canvas  without permission. Failure to follow copyright law puts the university at risk. You can read more about copyright policies at this link. 
• Another good reason is that if you link to an article, the database keeps track of how often it is being used. The librarians use this information when making decisions about journal or database cuts. 

Many databases have an option for creating a permalink. In most cases it is just a matter of copying the link and pasting it into Canvas. In other cases, it requires adding the proxy information that authenticates students if they are off-campus to use our databases.

Generally, for ebooks, you can use the Library Catalog to generate the Permalink. This is the fastest and easiest way to create a persistent link to an ebook.

• Search for an ebook in Primo.
• Click on the book title.
• Click on the Permalink icon.
• Click on the COPY THE PERMALINK TO THE CLIPBOARD link.
• Paste the link into Canvas, email, or a document.

Creating a permalink to an article in a database will differ, depending on the database platform. Use the permalink in a database article record. When you create the permalink, you will need to make sure it has two important parts:

1. The proxy URL: https://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=
2. The article link provided by the database.

In most cases, the proxy information will be included but in some cases the link provided does not include the proxy. You can add the proxy URL in front of the article URL so your off-campus student will be able to log in with their information.

If you just copy the URL at the top of the screen and the proxy information is not included, your off-campus students may not have access because the URL does not always include the proxy information. It depends on the database.

You can also use the Off-Campus Link Generator to create a permalink for off campus access to library materials.

Always test your links from on-campus and off-campus.

EBSCO databases include Academic Search Complete, Education Source, ERIC PsycINFO, and more. To create a persistent link in an EBSCO database:

• Search for an EBSCO database from the Library's Education Databases page.
• Enter search terms and click on the title of an article.
• Make sure you select the Full Text option in the Limit To section on the left of the results page.
• Select Permalink from the menu on the right of the article's information page.

• Copy and paste the link which appears at the top of the page into Canvas, a document, or an email.

JSTOR

JSTOR indexes high-end education journals. To create a persistent link in an EBSCO database:

• Search for JSTOR from the Library's Education Databases page.
• Enter search terms and click on an article of interest.
• Locate the JSTOR stable link.

• Copy and paste the link into Canvas, a document, or an email.