[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> Re reference to "globally-unique identifier" below: shouldn't it also be
> persistent/permanent? For example, a URL is a URI but it's not permanent.
> Should we specifically refer to URNs or PURLs instead? Or, to be non-Web
> specific, DOIs?
I think the above shows a misunderstanding of DOIs that it would be best to
nip in the bud. At the moment, DOIs, despite the generic-sounding name
(digital object identifier) are anything but generic. They are part of an
identifier/resolution system initially developed under the auspices of the
Association of American Publishers and now run by an internation membership
organization. This system is not open to anyone, and there are charges for
obtaining prefixes and for registering quantities of specific identifiers.
The system was developed as a tool to aid in rights management and
e-commerce, and there is some discussion of limiting the scope of assignment
to tradable content objects (that is, loosely, to things for which
publishers may want to manage rights). DOIs are also, currently, closely
tied to the Handle System, and can only be resolved by the a single resolver
run by the International DOI Foundation.
None of which is a problem for that particular application. However, it is
a mistake to think of the DOI as a universally applicable name.
Priscilla Caplan
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