[Web4lib] Can a DOI identify a web site?

[Karen Coyle]

I've been thinking about answering this, but am not sure if my viewpoint 
is useful in this case.

There are various ways to create persistent URLs that would always link 
to the web site. Any method you use will require a resolution service. 
Inherent in the DOI is the handle system that provides resolution. 
However, there is nothing about the DOI that guarantees that it will 
resolve to the item it defines. As an example, a DOI on a journal 
article that is available from a publisher for a fee will link to the 
page where you purchase the article, not to the article itself. For a 
vendor that can't do e-commerce, the DOI can link to their home page 
with the phone number of the order department.

The lesson of this is:
- an identifier identifies;
- a locator (URL) locates;
- both identifiers and locations can be persistent, when resolution is 
added;
- an identifier will not necessarily locate an item, and a location will 
not necessarily identify it;
- the DOI, albeit useful, is a vendor service that connects digital 
items to whatever fulfillment point is desired by the owner of the item.

kc

christina struik wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have reading about DOIs and I just cannot figure out if a web site 
> counts
> as an "object" or if pages within the site must have separate DOIs.
> Does the (usually changing) web site content make it difficult to link to
> content?
>
> Can a web site have a DOI that relies solely on metadata so that when the
> site changes URL the DOI follows the site?
>
> I am doing my degree in library and information studies and I have 
> seen web
> documents linked by DOI but have not yet come across DOI-linked web sites
> when they are included in a library catalog.  It would be useful to have
> more stability in catalog web site links.
>
> Thank-you for your time,
>
> Christina Struik
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> Web4lib at webjunction.org
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>
>

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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
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