Creating Persistent URL’s for Legal Databases
Created by the Bennett Jones Law Library, August 2011
Further to emails from the Vice Provost (Library and Cultural Resources), it is important that faculty
consider both copyright rules and the university’s licensing agreements for databases when providing
students with copies of copyrighted documents or links to databases containing the documents. Please
consult the copyright information page at http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright and the licencing
information database at http://licenses.library.ucalgary.ca/ for details on what is allowed. You can also
use the Journals tab on any library website (http://library.ucalgary.ca/journals) and search by title under
electronic journals.
This will allow you to see available databases and their permitted uses.
Click here to see
permitted uses
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Look at the permitted uses for each database as the permissions may vary. One database may allow a
copy to be put on Reserve or in a course pack while others refuse. For example, the three options for
the Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law have very different permissions as shown below.
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Procedures Where Links Are Possible
We have outlined below how members of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law can create these
links. Once you’ve determined the licence permits linking to their content, a guide is available at
http://library.ucalgary.ca/sites/library.ucalgary.ca/files/Building%20Persistent%20Links%20to%20Librar
y%20Readings%20Dec10.doc. This guide provides general information setting up Persistant URL’s
(PURLs) in Blackboard and Microsoft Word documents. This guide will assist with books in the library
catalogue, LegalTrac, Irwin Law Collection and Canadian Public Policy Collection e-books, and Index to
Foreign Legal Periodicals.
Some law-related databases will allow you to create PURLs directly to cases, legislation, and articles.
These include the Alberta Queen’s Printer website, CanLII, Hein Online, Justis (for cases and legislation),
LLMC Digital, Making of Modern Law (historical content from Gale), Quicklaw and Westlaw.
For the most stable URL, use either the URL provided as part of the citation or choose the URL displayed
after the PDF is opened. Often with the latter, you are able to select the URL for a particular page rather
than for the first page. Paste the URL into Blackboard following the instructions from the above-noted
guide. Instructions for Blackboard links from that guide are summarized below.
For detailed instructions creating PURLs for interdisciplinary databases such as ABI Inform, Environment
Complete, LegalTrac, and the Irwin Law Collection, please see the instructions at
http://library.ucalgary.ca/sites/library.ucalgary.ca/files/Building%20Persistent%20Links%20to%20Librar
y%20Readings%20Dec10.doc.
Inserting links into BlackBoard
Follow directions from the document by Paul Pival. 1
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Building Persistent Links to Library Readings by Paul Pival, available at
http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/information-faculty/creating-persistent-urls.
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Quicklaw
Sign in and find the document.
N.B. students will likely need their password for the link to work.
Click on the “chain link and clipboard” icon found in the upper
right-hand corner.
A dialogue box will appear with your document name in the middle of the screen. Right-click your
mouse from the document name and select “Copy Shortcut” or “Copy Link Location” (wording depends
on your Internet browser) to copy the PURL and paste it into Blackboard.
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Westlaw
Sign in to the Faculty of Law version and find your document.
N.B. students will likely need their password for the link to work.
In a separate window, create your link in Blackboard. Copy & paste the URL from the URL box.
CanLII
Copy and paste the URL from the document description for a PURL.
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Hein
The same process should be used for any Hein library. Go to the first page you want your students to
read. Click the link icon on the right-hand side of the top of the screen to create the PURL. Copy and
paste the URL from the URL box.
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Alberta Queen’s Printer website
View the PDF, then copy & paste the URL from the URL box.
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Making of Modern Law
Go to the first page you want your students to read. Click the URL box to copy and paste the URL.
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Justis (for cases and legislation)
Go to the first page you want your students to read. Select the PDF. Click the URL box to copy and paste
the URL.
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LLMC Digital
Go to the first page you want your students to read. Use the URL box to copy and paste the URL.
Procedures Where Links Are Not Possible
Several legal databases do not allow you to create direct links to their materials, namely CCH and
Canada Law Book (including DLR Plus). For these resources, all law students should know how to find
them and have passwords where applicable. Therefore, we recommend providing the complete citation
along with a note “available through….” For example,
CPR and Imperial Oil Ltd v Turta and Sereda, Montreal Trust Co and Turta, [1954] 3 DLR
1, 1954 CLB 382, [1954] SCR 427, 12 WWR (NS) 97, [1954] RCS 427 – available through
DLR Plus.
R:\Law Library\PURL Legal Database Instructions.docx
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