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Creating a Perma Link With Perma.cc

Markette Pierce Updated by Markette Pierce

What is perma.cc?

Perma.cc is a service developed by the Harvard Law School that “archives referenced content and generates a link to an archived record of the page. Regardless of what may happen to the original source, the archived record will always be available through the Perma.cc link.”

eCornell has access to use this service with unlimited uses through the Cornell University Library.

Will it look the exact same as the current page?

Perma.cc pages will have a perma.cc URL, and a blue banner at the top of the page stating “This is a perma.cc record, captured <date>.” It will show a standard web page, an option for a screenshot, and a link to the live original URL. Below, a perma.cc page archived in March 2023:

And the same page, live.

In order to make links in course pages and assets “evergreen” and to reduce “link rot” (broken links/maintenance tickets), we will use the perma.cc service for appropriate external links that are not eC/CU assets in courses and in course files.

Examples where it is appropriate to use perma.cc:

  • News articles, company website pages
  • Scholarly articles, sources
  • Blogs, press releases, etc.
  • Documentation for software or hardware

Examples where it’s better to direct students to the actual page*:

  • All CU/eC content/assets
  • Youtube videos
  • Websites that they are instructed to explore/research (you cannot click around on a perma.cc link, it just archives that particular page).
  • Any external sites that might require students to get newest/current information — e.g., stock info, latest datasets, software download pages, etc.
*Do not include a direct link to an external page of this type in a course. Instead, tell students how to search for the page using specific search words or terms, names, etc. 

How do we use it?

During the development process, if you have an external link in the course or any assets that are not hosted by Cornell or eCornell, use perma.cc to create a permanent link. In the course page, link to the perma.cc archive, rather than the live webpage. Do not include both the regular link AND a perma.cc link.

<< OR >>

The QA team will input any appropriate external links in the course as perma.cc links.

  1. If you need a perma.cc account, you can send an email to cul_webarchivist@cornell.edu indicating that you would like to be added to perma.cc and added to the "eCornell" group
  2. Log into your account at perma.cc
  3. On the homepage, under Create a new Perma Link, paste your URL.
    1. Select eCornell from the drop down menu “This Perma Link will be affiliated with”
  4. Click Create Perma Link
  5. Use the link in the canvas content/course asset.

In the event of a departure from eCornell, perma.cc links will not be affected. Links will be part of the permanent collection for eCornell under the Cornell University Library. Perma.cc are meant to be stored “forever” and the organization means that. However, the future is not guaranteed, thus they have a contingency plan in the unlikely event it will need to shut down.

How did we do?

Revising a Course/ Creating a Redux Version/ Course Updates

Course Content Deletion Utility — Removing All Course Content

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