LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE1065 .C65 2026 M.G. Condon, J.P. Sarra, S.P. Bradley, R. Yaldan & A. Anand, Securities Law in Canada: Foundations, Policy, and Practice, 4th ed (Emond Montgomery Publications, 2026). LAW LIBRARY level 3: KF390.5.C6 R87 2026 M.L. Rustad, Global Internet Law in a Nutshell, 6th ed. (West Academic, 2026).
Illustration by Vicki Hamilton, courtesy of Pixabay
What are Persistent Identifiers?
A persistent identifier (PID) is a unique code that identifies and links an entity (a person, place, or thing) across global digital infrastructures. PIDs are important to digital repositories like cIRcle because they support long-term identification and accessibility, directing a user to a source location for that entity. Especially in research, this helps with citation consistency and accuracy. Depending on the kind of PID, they can also facilitate broad indexing of material across platforms for users to discover and possibly (re-)use.
Object-level PIDs apply to an item, such as a dataset, book, or article. These PIDs enable discovery, track use over time to capture scholarly impact, and act as a persistent home for an object that users can refer to. An example is the digital object identifier (DOI).
Author-level PIDs apply to an individual, such as a researcher or artist, and help track their work regardless of organizational or institutional affiliation. An example is the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).
Institutional-level PIDs apply to bodies such as academic institutions or funding agencies. This links the organization, institution, etc. to the output produced by a creator. An example is the Research Organization Registry ID (ROR ID).
Upon deposit to cIRcle, digital objects are assigned a Handle, which directs the user to an object’s location using a URL. This is found in the item’s metadata field.
Additionally, UBC-hosted DOIs are generated for the item in cIRcle. This is found in the DOI metadata field and is also visible on the right side of the item’s record page, beneath “Permanent URL (DOI)”.
A newly deposited item may have a visible UBC-hosted DOI that doesn’t yet resolve (i.e. direct a user to the item). This is because UBC-hosted DOIs are activated weekly. If you’ve recently deposited an item to cIRcle and the UBC-hosted DOI doesn’t resolve within a week, please contact the cIRcle Office.
cIRcle metadata also captures existing DOIs that have been assigned from a publisher, found in the Publisher DOI metadata field. Unlike Handles and UBC-hosted DOIs, not all cIRcle items will have a Publisher DOI; these are only found for items where a publisher-issued DOI was previously assigned (such as a journal article).
Further Reading on PIDs
If you would like to learn more about PIDs, you can review the Scholaris Metadata and Discovery Expert Group’s (S-MDEG) Briefing Document on Persistent Identifiers. You may also consider reviewing the Canadian National Strategy for PIDs (a collaboration between the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CKRN) and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada), which is part of an effort to support and promote the implementation of PIDs in Canada.
If you are a UBC faculty, student, or staff member and want to ensure your research and/or teaching outputs are assigned PIDs and be will available for the long-term, please review cIRcle’s Submissions page or Contact Us.
UBC Library invites students from UBC Vancouver campus to join the 2026/2027 Library Student Advisory Committee (LSAC). If you’re interested in providing a student perspective on library spaces, services, programs and collections, we’d love to hear from you!
The LSAC is a focus group for the library that helps us gather student feedback on specific topics brought to the group by our librarians and library staff. LSAC members help UBC Library learn about current student needs so the library can plan its services accordingly.
We invite up to ten new members to join the LSAC every year. We welcome all current undergraduate and graduate students on UBC Vancouver campus to apply online by October 23.
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, a day to honour and uphold Survivors and intergenerational Survivors of the Indian residential school system and to commemorate those who didn’t return home. Find out about events happening on UBC Vancouver campus and library resources to learn more about the history of this day and its continued impact.
Explore a curated list of works prepared by X̱wi7x̱wa Library staff and librarians to honour, commemorate, educate, and acknowledge Orange Shirt Day. This list features selections of children’s literature, fiction, non-fiction, and educational board games. Find the full list on the X̱wi7x̱wa Library website, along with additional resources.
Join the Intergenerational March to commemorate Orange Shirt Day, a public event hosted by UBC’s Faculties of Land and Food Systems and Forestry & Environmental Stewardship. All members of the UBC community, families and those in solidarity are welcome to participate. Find more ways to participate through the IRSHDC Orange Shirt Day hub.
Visit the ongoing virtual exhibition, Our Children, Our Future: The Indian Child Caravan 45 Years Later, presented by the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC), the Splatsin community, and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC). The exhibition marks the 45th anniversary of the Indian Child Caravan, a province-wide movement that led to a demonstration in Vancouver in October 1980.
Learn more about the history of Indigenous education policy in Canada through the Verna J. Kirkness fonds. Housed at X̱wi7x̱wa Archives, this archival collection chronicles Dr. Kirkness’ career as an educator and Indigenous education advocate from the 1960s onward.
Engaging with these histories and impacts can lead to emotional reactions and difficult thoughts and feelings. Information on healing and wellness resources are available through the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre website.
This event offers an opportunity to discover the rich heritage of the Hakka 客家 (guest families) and their enduring contributions across generations and continents. Today, Hakka culture is celebrated and recognized worldwide through its language, mountain songs, kirin dance, architecture, cuisine, and more. It reflects a long history of migration, adaptation, and community building. The […]
Recently the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office released its 2025/2026 Impact and Activity Report, showcasing some of the year’s highlights and accomplishments.
