iPRES 2025 - TUTORIAL 4: ARK persistent identifiers: affordable long-term citation and access

TUTORIAL 4: ARK persistent identifiers: affordable long-term citation and access

Tracks

Rongomātāne A

Monday, November 3, 2025

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Rongomātāne A

Speaker

John Kunze

Senior Research Associate

Drexel University Metadata Research Center | Ark Alliance

ARK persistent identifiers: affordable long-term citation and access

Summary Abstract

This half-day tutorial builds on the rapidly growing Archival Resource Key (ARK) as a flexible, affordable, yet long-established alternative persistent identifier (PID). At 24-years-old, the non-paywalled ARK identifier scheme is widely used for long-term access to cultural and scientific information, with accelerating adoption by small publishers, by under-resourced institutions, and in the global South. By the end of the tutorial, attendees will know when ARKs are appropriate to use and how to create them within their respective memory organizations. No prior experience is required.

Biography

John Kunze is a pioneer in the theory and practice of digital libraries. A former Berkeley Unix hacker, he created the ARK persistent identifier scheme, led publication of the BagIt, WARC, and Dublin Core standards, and wrote the formal recommendations that moved the first URL standard (which had stalled) across the finish line. Donny Winston works to make research organizations more effective by shifting data management practices from a lumpy, bibliographic model to a more fine-grained, query-oriented engineering model. Via GupriDB ApS, which he co-founded, he is building the research information system for angry nerds: a FAIR, decentralized, no-vendor-lock-in research data management, assessment, and knowledge organization system.