Identifier
ARK
ARK is a persistent identifier that is free to issue, used by libraries, archives and data repositories to link stably to their objects.
How it connects
What it is
- ARK is a kind of Persistent identifier.
Who is behind it
- ARK funded by LYRASIS. The community-governed ARK Alliance is supported in part by LYRASIS.
Links
Details
Also known as: Archival Resource Key
Description
ARK is an alternative to the DOI that costs nothing to issue. It is popular with libraries, archives and some data repositories. It is governed by the ARK Alliance, a technical community that coordinates the institutions issuing identifiers and maintains the registry of institution prefixes (NAAN) and the N2T resolver, which redirects each identifier to its current object.
Attributes
| url | https://arks.org |
|---|---|
| identifiers | wikidata: Q2860403 |
| status | active |
| governance | Community |
| note | Governed by the ARK Alliance, a community-run technical body that stewards the NAAN registry and the N2T resolver. |
| type | Identifier |
| identifies | object |
| Tags | function: identification, region: global, openness: open governance |
Sources
- https://arks.org/about/(opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-04)
- https://cdlib.org/cdlinfo/2021/01/27/announcing-the-ark-alliance/(opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-04): ARK Alliance announced; governance moved away from the California Digital Library.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-04
Something wrong or missing in this entry? Suggest a change to the description or facts(opens in a new tab) · Suggest a change to its connections(opens in a new tab)