There are academic publications that allow web links in
their citations, and there are organizations that produce history pages
that go to some trouble to make sure the links are stable.
The Michigan County History and Atlases web site that's managed by the
UofM seems to go to some trouble to provide stable links for citation
purposes.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/
That's part of a good trend that ought to be encouraged.
John Gorentz
At 10:25 AM 9/3/2009, David McFarlane wrote:
Hmm, I have always assumed that web
links, and the contents linked to, are by design fleeting, subject to
change at any moment, so I would never depend on them as a lasting
reference. If I want a lasting record then I create it on my own
local workstation. Am I missing something?
-- dkm
On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 12:13 PM, Richard
Wiggins<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Several years ago I compiled a list of sources about history of
MSU.
> Someone was asking online about MSU's name over the years and I
went
> to look it up.
>
> Sadly, it turns out that many of the sources have removed or renamed
the pages.
>
> If you go to
www.msu.edu and search
for "history" you'll find:
>
> History of Michigan State University
>
http://keywords.msu.edu/viewpathfinder.asp?id=7
>
> And it is surprising how many links that describe important
MSU
> history have become broken:
>
> Vincent Voice Library Finding Aid.
>
http://www.lib.msu.edu/services/dmc/vincent//findaids/
>
> A Brief History of the College of Human Medicine
>
http://www.chm.msu.edu/chmhome/home/history.htm
>
> MSU Presidents - Biographical Sketches
>
https://www.msu.edu/unit/msuarhc/presdnt.html
>
> WKAR Television - Historical Note
>
http://wkar.org/tv/about/index.php#history
>
> I hope folks that care about MSU history will restore these links,
and
> I hope someone will edit the Pathfinder to point to the
content.
>
> It's not just about preserving the bits; breaking URLs breaks
history.
>
> /rich