Link to Library E-Resources
Montgomery College Library provides electronic access to millions of items, including full-text articles, e-books, journals, magazines, newspapers, streaming videos, and more. If you want to link to one of the library's electronic items, such as in a syllabus, Blackboard course site, or email, you must use a permanent link to ensure that link will not break over time.
About Permanent Links
A permanent link -- sometimes referred to as a persistent link, stable URL, or durable link -- is a URL or web address that will consistently point to a specific online resource.
You want to make sure your link to a library resource will always work. Often the link found in your browser's address bar may work for a short period of time but stop working when you try it later, so you need to follow the steps on this page to ensure your link remains functional.
Adding a PDF of an article or book chapter directly to your Blackboard course may be a violation of copyright or the license agreement the library has with the database provider. Licensing restrictions also require that the library only provide access to current MC students, faculty, and staff and using link instead of a PDF ensures that only authorized users can access the resource. Using a link instead of a PDF also provides the library with usage statistics that assist us when deciding whether or not to renew a resource.
Instructions for Using Permanent Links
Most MC Library electronic resources offer permanent links for each individual item. See the examples below to learn how to locate permanent links in commonly-used electronic resources. Once you have found the permanent link for the item you are using, proceed to step 2.
In RaptorSearch, the permanent link is found by clicking on the "Permalink" icon to the right of each item in the search results or in the full record under the Cite & Share section.
The permanent link is found by clicking on the "Share" (arrow) icon in the upper-right corner of the full record. Click "Create Link" to generate and copy the permanent link.
To display the permanent link for Films on Demand videos first click on the "Share" button below the video player and then on the "Embed/Link" tab in the resulting screen. The permanent link is under the "Record URL" heading.
From the full-text of a book, article, or encyclopedia entry, click on the "Get Link" icon to display the permanent link.
JSTOR displays the permanent link in the citation record to the left of the article or book.
The permanent link for Kanopy streaming videos is found by clicking on "Share" under the video player and then under the "Share link" heading.
The permanent link on the Oxford Academic platform is available to the left of the book.
The permanent link in Project Muse can be copied directly from the browser address bar.
ProQuest databases provide the permanent link in two places -- the "Copy URL" button at the top-right of each page and near the end of the details tab after the "Document URL" label.
To display the permanent link in ProQuest Ebook Central, click on the "Share Link to Book" link below the book cover image and then copy the link from the resulting window that opens.
ScienceDirect displays the permanent link below the title information. Look for the URL that begins with "https://doi.org" and copy the link.
The library's OpenAthens service allows MC users to access electronic items from off campus and most permanent URLs must be formatted in a specific way for them to function correctly.
The library's OpenAthens redirector is: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/montgomerycollege.edu?url=
Some of the library's electronic resources will add the OpenAthens redirector to the item's permanent link for you.
- If the permanent link you obtained in step 1 begins with the OpenAthens redirector listed above, you are done! Your link is ready to use and you do not need to proceed to step 3.
- If the permanent link you obtained in step 1 does not begin with the OpenAthens redirector listed above, review the below to see if you will need to add it yourself then proceed to step 3.
Examples of MC Library e-resources that work with or without the OpenAthens redirector:
- EBSCO databases
- Gale databasees (e.g. Opposing Viewpoints, Global Issues in Context)
- ProQuest databases (e.g. ProQuest Newspapers)
- RaptorSearch links
Examples of MC Library e-resources that have special links and only work WITHOUT the OpenAthens redirector:
- Kanopy
- Digital Campus (Swank)
- O'Reilly Online Learning
Only complete this step if the permanent link you obtained in step 1 does not already begin with the OpenAthens redirector and requires it.
Add the OpenAthens redirector to the beginning of the item's permanent link to create a single URL that will function permanently. To do this, enter the item's permanent link into the OpenAthens Link Generator new window and then copy the OpenAthens link for your intended use.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26868622
If the link you have entered is one that will not work with the OpenAthens redirector due to a special syntax, the generator will return a message "We can't generate an OpenAthens link from this link." If you are unsure if the link you have is a durable link to that resource for MC users, please use the contact form linked in the below section and someone from the library will assist you.
Contact
If you have questions about using permanent links, please use our Report a Problem form and a library staff member will be in touch to assist you.
Contact Us