URL Structure

For consistency and reliability when linking to entities in Digital Collections, we recommend using URLs structured according to the guidelines below

Major Update

The structure of Digital Collections URLs changed with the redesign of Digital Collections in 2025. If you are looking for documentation of how URL structure worked prior to summer 2025, view an archived version of this page.
August 2025

Table of contents

  1. Collection URLs
    1. Finding Collection UUIDs
  2. Container URLs
    1. Finding Container UUIDs
  3. Item URLs
    1. Finding Item UUIDs
  4. Capture URLs
    1. Finding Capture UUIDs

Collection URLs

Preferred structure
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/collection UUID
Example
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/dba41b30-0ae6-0137-bfb0-4fa251ecd76a

Finding Collection UUIDs

  • On Digital Collections, find the collection UUID either:
    • By clicking See more collection information and looking in the Identifiers section as the Universal Unique Identifier (UUID)
    • In the browser URL bar at the end of the full collection URL
  • In the Metadata Management System, the collection UUID can be found immediately below the collection’s title following the uuid: label on any tab for the collection

Container URLs

Container URLs are built using the parent collection URLs. When creating links to Digital Collections containers, you will also need the collection UUID.

Preferred structure
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/collection UUID?filters=%5Bsubcollection%3Dcontainer UUID%5D
Example
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/dba41b30-0ae6-0137-bfb0-4fa251ecd76a?filters=%5Bsubcollection%3D4d66d980-0ae7-0137-4d11-7bf3d182b328%5D

Finding Container UUIDs

  • On Digital Collections, find the container UUID in the browser URL bar at the end of the full container URL between ?filters=%5Bsubcollection%3D and %5D
  • In the Metadata Management System, the container UUID can be found immediately below the container’s title following the uuid: label on any tab for the container

Item URLs

Preferred structure
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/item UUID
Example
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/60d42da0-c2ee-0139-8909-0242ac110003

Finding Item UUIDs

  • On Digital Collections, find the collection UUID either:
    • In the Identifiers section as the Universal Unique Identifier (UUID)
    • In the browser URL bar at the end of the item URL before the ?canvasIndex=
  • In the Metadata Management System, the item UUID can be found immediately below the item’s title following the uuid: label on any tab for the item

Capture URLs

Preferred structure
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/item UUID?canvasIndex=capture sequence number
Example
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/60d42da0-c2ee-0139-8909-0242ac110003?canvasIndex=8

Finding Capture UUIDs

Capture UUIDs are not used for capture URLs.

  • In the Metadata Management System, the capture UUID can be found in the capture record or Capture Inventory tab
    • From a capture record, the UUID can be found immediately below the capture’s title following the uuid: label
    • From the Capture Inventory tab on an item record, capture UUIDs will be shown in the UUID column