Creating Links to Online Resources: Home
Copyright Contact
We have trained and knowledgeable Librarians in each of our branches ready to assist you.
Please see our Copyright Help Contact Us page for up-to-date, branch specific information.
Creating Links to Online Resources
The Library has contracts with a variety of vendors and publishers that provide the campus with thousands of online resources (databases, ejournals, ebooks, etc.) costing millions of dollars per year. In addition to paying for these resources, the Library negotiates licence agreements that stipulate how and by whom a given resource may be used. Posting copies (e.g. a PDF of an online journal article) to the library's Course Reserves system or a course management system may or may not be a permitted use. You can use our License Information database to check permitted uses. It is important to note that some of our resources come from multiple sources, and different copyright policies and licensing apply depending on which source you are using.
You are permitted to post a link to the content! To ensure access from both on and off campus to the linked content, the library proxy must be added to the URL. The proxy generator provided below will allow you to create the new, stable URL.
Creating a Link for On and Off Campus Access
Simply paste in a resource URL (DOI, persistent URL or browser URL) in the top box. A newly created link, complete with proxy, will appear in the second box. Copy and paste the proxy enhanced URL into Brightspace or your presentation.
Resource URL:
Proxy Enhanced URL:
Definitions and Examples
A Digital Object Identifier (DOI): An increasingly common type of persistent link. A DOI is a standardized method for identifying an electronic object.
Example: 10.1503/cmaj.100771
Persistent URL: A permanent URL listed in the article citation or abstract which may be labeled "Stable URL", "Document URL", "Persistent Link" or something similar, depending on the database platform.
Example: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48190077&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Browser URL: the online address displayed at the top of your web browser window (IE, Firefox, etc.). Warning: these links are often valid for a short time only. Use a DOI or persistent URL wherever available.
Example: http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january12/caroli/01caroli.html
Please test all proxy enhanced links before distribution. Problems are not infrequent. For assistance contact a Librarian.
Related Guides
Course Reserves
Memorial University is now using the library's Course Reserves system for copyright clearance for all course-related materials, including for online courses. Its easy to create an online list of ebooks, PDFs of scanned book chapters or articles, streaming videos or other course resources your students can access for free.