What is it?
perma.cc isn’t (just) a URL shortener: It archives webpages, and creates a link to the archived record.
This means that the webpage content will be available forever, regardless of what happens to the original page.
Why should you use it?
Links break, content disappears (or changes), and the material you cited is no longer available to your readers.
As well, content that you produce for other entities, such as newspaper editorials etc, often has a short online life. perma.cc ensures that you can create a permanent record of your work.
What should you use it for?
Essentially, any material that lives on the internet, and that you would like to preserve for yourself or for your readers!
How do you access it?
Once you give the Library permission to do so, we will add you to our organization by submitting your email address to perma.cc. You will receive an email that allows you to complete the signup process. Being affiliated with the Library allows you to create unlimited links.
How Does it Work?
It’s very straightforward!
To create links, sign in to the perma.cc webpage, enter the URL of the material you want preserved, which then prompts the service to download/archive the material at that address. You will then be given a new URL from perma.cc.
The newly created link can be inserted into any textual material… Papers, webpages, or your CV.
Readers can click on or otherwise access perma.cc links just like any other URL. perma.cc is more than a link shortener, but it does create a shorter link as well, which are much easier for readers to enter, if the source isn’t clickable.
When a reader visits a link, they’ll see an interactive archived version of the page, a screenshot of it, and a link to the live, original URL.
Who runs it?
Harvard’s Library Innovation Lab built perma.cc, and it’s administered by a distributed group of libraries and journals.