diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/auth/identifier/SelfEditingIdentifierFactory.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/auth/identifier/SelfEditingIdentifierFactory.java
index f50ef247c..dddc4c26e 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/auth/identifier/SelfEditingIdentifierFactory.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/auth/identifier/SelfEditingIdentifierFactory.java
@@ -215,6 +215,10 @@ public class SelfEditingIdentifierFactory implements IdentifierBundleFactory {
     }
 
     private IdentifierBundle getFromSession(ServletRequest req, HttpSession session ){
+    	if (session == null) {
+    		return null;
+    	}
+    	
         NetId netid = (NetId)session.getAttribute(NETID_IN_SESSION);
         SelfEditing sed = (SelfEditing)session.getAttribute(URI_IN_SESSION);