Tombstone provides a persistent landing page for withdrawn content, helping repositories maintain DOI and URI resolution even after an object is removed.

Features

The Tombstone module provides a way to preserve URL persistence and metadata context for content that has been withdrawn or deleted from a Drupal/Islandora repository. Instead of a 404 error, users and machines are directed to a tombstone page that explains why the content is no longer available.

Features:

Automatically redirects withdrawn nodes to a configurable tombstone page.
Allows administrators to customize the tombstone message per content type.
Maintains DOI and URI resolution for compliance with repository standards (e.g., DataCite).
Supports administrative logging of tombstoned content.

Use cases:

Institutional repositories needing to comply with long-term access standards.
Supporting CoreTrustSeal and other preservation frameworks requiring DOI resolution even after content removal.
Enhancing user trust and transparency when withdrawing content due to copyright, ethics, or policy violations.

Post-Installation

After enabling the module:

Go to Configuration → Tombstone Settings.
Set the content type to be used for tombstoning
Define the default tombstone message (HTML supported).

When tombstoned content is accessed, users are redirected to the custom tombstone page.

No new content types are added. The module typically works with existing repository object types.

Additional Requirements

Pathauto (optional, for better URL control)
Recommended for use in Islandora or custom repositories managing persistent identifiers

Similar Projects

HTTP 410 Gone – sends HTTP status but lacks user-friendly pages or DOI context

Tombstone differs by supporting preservation best practices and user-facing messaging.

https://www.drupal.org/project/tombstones - Creates a separate content type for tombstoned data

Tombstone differs by only storing urls and info to be displayed in the DB rather than the entire content.

Tombstone