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3 to 5 July 2024

Wednesday, 3 July 2024: The old technology reading room is closed due to the construction work.
On 4 and 5 July 2024, use of this reading room and WiFi access may be affected by construction work. The computers in the reading room are not available.

DNB Glossary

Have you ever been asking yourself what “Germanica” is? Or what is meant when we talk about “online publications”? With our glossary, we offer you the possibility to look up these and many other terms commonly used at the German National Library. Please note that the terminology collection is under construction and does not claim to be complete.

Are you missing a term? Then feel free to contact us at webredaktion@dnb.de.

Uniform Resource Name (URN)

German: Uniform Resource Name
Abbreviation: URN

In the internet, this is an identifier with which – unlike URLs – online resources can be permanently and uniquely identified and retrieved regardless of where they are stored. The URN of a resource can only exist once in each namespace; the German National Library manages and assigns URNs from the namespace “urn:nbn:de”.

More about Uniform Resource Name (URN) on our website

URN namespace

German: URN-Namensraum
We also say: namespace

In the internet, this is a collection of unique identifiers (Uniform Resource Names, URNs) that show the context in which a resource (e.g. an e-book) is embedded. The German National Library manages and assigns URNs from the namespace “urn:nbn:de”; “nbn” stands for National Bibliography Number and is a namespace specifically intended for national bibliographies and managed cooperatively by the national libraries.

More about URN namespace on our website

Contact: webredaktion@dnb.de

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