Resources
Fundamentals
- ARK Tutorial: Archival Resource Key overview (30 mins).
- NAAN form to start creating ARKs or to update your existing NAAN.
- See the current and evolving specifications to keep up with the latest.
- First paper, Towards Electronic Persistence Using ARK Identifiers, 2003.
- General identifier concepts and conventions, first articulated for ARKs.
- ARK Identifier Scheme specification for technical details.
- The Archival Resource Key at wikipedia.
- The Arklet-Frick software package is the Frick Collection’s enhanced version of an Internet Archive tool, which adds bulk operations, suffix passthrough, shoulder rules, extensive metadata, inflections, and more.
- N2T.net resolver: Name-to-Thing, a global resolver for ARKs and other identifiers, currently hosted at the CDL.
Official ARK logos
Plug-ins and software
A non-exhaustive scan of open source software modules implementing ARK services turned up this set of packages. Some may not be currently maintained. To get your software listed please let us know about it.
- arklet: a Python Django application for minting, binding, and resolving ARKs, created by the Internet Archive
- Arklet-Frick: the Frick Collection’s adaptation of the Internet Archive’s arklet tool, with improved security and bugfixes, as well as bulk operations, suffix passthrough, shoulder rules, extensive metadata, ?info and ?json endpoints, and more
- arknoid: docker application to simplify setting up and managing ARK minters
- Noid: (Nice Opaque Identifiers), original open source Perl software for minting and resolving ARKs on your own
- Pynoid: Python implementation of Noid
- ARKBeizli: a lightweight SQLite application to mint and store ARKs; it comes with a command-line tool and a Python library
- Golang Noid: Golang/Docker implementation of Noid
- Ruby Noid: Ruby implementation of Noid
- PHP Noid: PHP implementation of Noid
- OJS Plug-in: ARK plug-in for the Open Journal System (OJS) of the Public Knowledge Project (similar to its DOI plug-in) that works with versions 3.1.X, 3.2.X, and 3.3.X, and with locales for the Spanish and English (more languages coming). Installation and configuration in English (ARK Plugin Guide for OJS (PDF)) and Español (Guia del Plugin ARK para OJS (PDF)).
- ArkAndNoid for Omeka Classic: module to create and manage ARKs for the Omeka Classic open source web-publishing platform
- ArkAndNoid for Omeka S: module to create and manage ARKs for the Omeka S open source web-publishing platform
- Archival Resource Key Identifier Name Mapping: module for Drupal which allows your Drupal site to act as a Name Mapping Authority
- EZID UI codebase: Provides a user interface to minting and resolving that enables you to become an ARK service provider (requires significant expertise to set up and run)
- N2T resolver codebase: Using python and SQLite, this code was deployed in 2024 as a lightweight upgrade to the ARK resolver infrastructure. It is complemented by the arks.org codebase.
- legacy N2T code: Picking up where Noid development left off, this code reflects an older architecture and development paradigm. It requires significant expertise to set up and run, and consists of a generic Eggnog minting, binding, and resolution package plus a legacy N2T admin package. Replaced by the resolver code above.
Selected presentations
- Getting Started with ARK Persistent Identifiers (PIDs), 2024-03-31, recommended ARK (Archival Resource Key) tutorial for beginners. Getting Started with ARK Persistent Identifiers video (30 mins)
- Brief Introduction to ARKs for GLAMs, 2023-08-03. Brief Introduction to ARKs for GLAMs slides (PDF, 15 mins)
- ARK Training, 2023-06-06, 3-hour tutorial from 2023 IIIF Annual Conference. ARK Training slides (PDF)
- ARK Alliance Update and Three Use Cases, 2023-01-18, presentation. ARK Alliance Update and Three Use Cases video (28 mins)
- IIIF Community Call: Intersection of IIIF and ARKs, 2023-01-25, meeting. Intersection of IIIF and ARKs video (58 mins)
- Discoverability and future developments in the Louvre Museum’s collections portal, 2022-12-13, Anne-Laure Huet and Benoît Deshayes, speaking at the French National Institute for Art History (INHA). Louvre Museum collections portal video (19 mins, in French 🇫🇷)
- The ARK Alliance: 20 years, 850 institutions, 8.2 billion persistent identifiers, 2021-10-22, presentation (English). The ARK Alliance: 20 years, 850 institutions, 8.2 billion persistent identifiers slides
- [obsolete] ARKetype – Ask Me Anything, 2021-01-27, presentation (English) plus interactive questions and answers (English, French, German). ARKetype Ask Me Anything video (75 mins); based on [obsolete] INCIPIT: An ARK Allocation Service in Switzerland, 2020-11-16, Julien Raemy. INCIPIT: An ARK Allocation Service in Switzerland video (12 mins).
- ARKs in the Open: 3.2 billion Persistent Identifiers, 2020-04-23, John Kunze, Bess Missell, Karen Hanson, Tom Creighton. ARKs in the Open: 3.2 billion Persistent Identifiers abstract | ARKs in the Open: 3.2 billion Persistent Identifiers video (62 mins) | ARKs in the Open: 3.2 billion Persistent Identifiers slides
- Integrating ArchivesSpace and ARKs, 2020-03-04, John Kunze, Seth Shaw, Christine di Bella. Integrating ArchivesSpace and ARKs abstract | Integrating ArchivesSpace and ARKs video (60 mins) | Integrating ArchivesSpace and ARKs slides (PDF)
- ARKs in the Open: community owned identifier infrastructure, 2020-01-24, John Kunze. ARKs in the Open: community owned identifier infrastructure slides (PDF)
- ARK Identifier Summit, National Library of France, 2018-03-21, Sébastien Peyrard, John Kunze, Bertrand Caron, Nicolas Thouvenin, Roxana Maurer-Popistașu, Bruno Revellin, Delphine Jamet, Franck Bernardet, Adrien di Mascio, Guillaume Lory, Alexis Moisdon, Emmanuelle Bermès. ARK Identifier Summit abstract | ARK Identifier Summit collected videos (5 hours, in French 🇫🇷)
- Keynote address at ARK Identifier Summit, 2018-03-21, John Kunze. Keynote address at ARK Identifier Summit video (45 mins, in French 🇫🇷) | Keynote address at ARK Identifier Summit English transcription (PDF)
- Using Archival Resource Keys (ARKs) for Persistent Identification, 2008-06-05, Mark Phillips. Using Archival Resource Keys for Persistent Identification slides