The University of California Curation Center (UC3) at the California Digital Library (CDL) is pleased to announce the formation of the first discussion group for ARKs (Archival Resource Keys) at http://groups.google.com/group/arks-forum The group is intended as a public forum for people interested in sharing with and learning from others about how ARKs have been or could be used in identifier applications. The forum is also intended as a mechanism for the CDL/UC3, in its role as the ARK scheme maintenance agency, to seek community feedback on a number of longer term issues and activities, including - publishing the ARK specification as an Internet RFC, - clarifying local and global resolution options, and - understanding metadata retrieval in a linked data environment. The number of institutions that have registered interest in assigning ARKs [1], currently over 100, has grown steadily in ten years. The ARK scheme specification [2] was recently renewed as an Internet-Draft [3] and has been stable since 2008. A few small changes are expected before proposing it as an Internet RFC. We hope you will consider joining in the discussion about these topics and others. -John [1] http://www.cdlib.org/services/uc3/naan_table.html [2] http://www.cdlib.org/services/uc3/arkspec.pdf [3] http://www.ietf.org/id/draft-kunze-ark-16.txt =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= John A. Kunze [log in to unmask] +1-510-987-9231 Associate Director, UC Curation Center, California Digital Library 415 20th St, #406 skype:jeznuk dot.ucop.edu/home/jak/ Oakland, CA 94612 USA University of California =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=