Archival Resource Keys

A naming scheme for persistent access to digital objects (including images, texts, data sets, and finding aids).

This persistent digital object identifer technology is currently being implemented and tested by the California Digital Library (CDL) for collections that it manages.

The ARK identifier is a specially constructed, globally unique, actionable URL designed to be without semantic association to the related item. Each ARK links end-users to three things:

  • Digital object metadata
  • Digital object content files
  • A commitment statement made by the CDL concerning the digital object

An ARK includes a name mapping authority, the ARK label, the name assigning authority number, the name (random characters), and a qualifier supported by the Name Mapping Authority. So it looks like:
http://foobar.zaf.org/ark:/12025/654xz321/s3/f8.05v.tiff The name mapping authority is optional/replaceable; the part following the ark: label is an immutable, globally unique core identity.

Reference URLs: 
http://www.cdlib.org/inside/diglib/ark/
Maturity Estimate: 
Unspecified
Posted March 22nd, 2007 by graybeal
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