5. Updating a URN

URNs are intended to be permanent identifiers for a resource. If a resource's URL changes due to a change in location or access method, the URL that is mapped to the persistent identifier must also be changed, but the persistent identifier itself remains the same. If a resource is ephemeral and becomes inaccessible at some point in time, the status of its persistent identifier should be changed but the identifier itself should not be reassigned.

Using NRS Web Admin, you can change a persistent identifier's associated URL as well as the status of the persistent identifier or the URL.

Note about responsibility: Persistent identifiers associated with digital objects stored and delivered through Harvard Library infrastructure are usually maintained programmatically by LTS. Persistent identifiers created for web resources outside of Harvard Library infrastructure must be maintained by the organization that created persistent identifiers.

To update a persistent identifier:

Connect to NRS Web Admin.

Production: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL:nrs-admin
QA/test: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL:nrs-admin-qa

From the main menu, select Names/URLs and then Update.

Select the urn-3 namespace.

Select the authority path to which the persistent identifier belongs.

Find the persistent identifier to be updated. Options are:

By its name: produces a list of all persistent identifiers in the selected authority path. Select one persistent identifier from the list.

By its characteristics: allows you to search for a persistent identifier by its individual characteristics.

Update the persistent identifier by changing the associated URL, or by changing the status of the persistent identifier or the URL.

Both the persistent identifier and its URL must have an "active" status to work in a browser.

Updates to a persistent identifier will take effect the next day.