Research Tip: Stable URLs

Have you ever been interrupted while researching and copied the search URL in an email with the intent to return to your search at a later time?  If so, you have learned that in most cases, it does not work when you return to it.

Why?  Each time you start a session in one of the library's databases, a unique session ID is attached to that search.  When the window is closed, the database considers your research session over and the URL is no longer valid.

The fix: enter stable URLs.  A stable URL is a short URL listed somewhere in the record for the article or periodical that you are interested in.  It can also be called a permanent URL.  If you bookmark, save, or copy a stable URL, you will be able to directly return to the article you selected.  Look for stable and permanent URLs in our library's databases.