Industrial History Online (IHO) - Code of Practice for Contributors

Version 1.0 - April 2021

1.0  What is the Code of Practice

The Code of Practice details the policies and practices which apply to everyone who uses or contributes software, site records, images, audio or video or PDFs to the Industrial History Online (IHO) web site.  In the following software, site records, images, audio and video recording and PDFs are referred to collectively as Material.

Participation in the IHO project is conditional on your acceptance and compliance with this Code of Practice.  If you have any questions about this Code of Practice or are unsure about any of the Material you wish to contribute please contact the IHO Administrator on:- support.iho@yahs.org.uk

The Code of Practice is not designed to be restrictive in any way but to provide clarity for contributors to the project.

The Code of Practice should be read in conjunction with other YAHS Policy Documents, which it is intended to augment not supersede, and the IHO on-line manual - How to use IHO. Help Index

2.0  What is IHO

IHO is a database and collection of images, and audio and video recordings and documents relating to Industrial Heritage sites.

Further, if any individual or organisation believes that any Material is incorrectly attributed or credited please contact us at support.iho@yahs.org.uk and the Material will either be removed or the acknowledgement will be corrected.

3.0  Who created IHO

IHO was created and is maintained by an extensive group of volunteers who freely donate their time and expertise.  Our collective objective is to create a resource that is free from commercial exploitation.

4.0  Who owns and funds the IHO web site

The IHO web site is a constituent part of the Industrial History Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society who provide funding for the web site.

Due to the specialist nature of the web site and at the discretion of the YAHS Management Board, IHO reports directly to the Board through the IHO Management Representative.

Day to day administration of the software, web site and data is proved by the IHO Administrator.

Direction, development and data management of the project is provided by the IHO User Group.  Whilst the IHO User Group has a high degree of autonomy all key policy and funding decisions have to be agreed, in advance, with the IHO Management Representative and ratified by the YAHS Management Board.

5.0  How is IHO Managed

IHO has a simple Management structure, which cosists of:-

IHO Management Representative:-

IHO Administrator:-

IHO User Group:-

6.0  Do you have to join IHO to access the web site

Anyone can become an IHO User and search the web site for details of individual sites.  IHO can be accessed either via the YAHS web site at:- https://www.yahs.org.uk/  or directly using:- https://www.industrialhistoryonline.co.uk/yiho/  You do not need to join YAHS or IHO or have a password to access the system.

As an IHO User you can only view those sites that have been Moderated and have been flagged as Public records.  IHO Users can however comment on but not amend any of the Publicly available records.

All comments are Moderated before being made available on the web site and this process may take up a month and we may need to contact you to clarify the points you make.

7.0  How do you become an IHO Contributor

Whilst anyone can become an IHO User, only a member of YAHS, or its sections and affiliated societies can become an IHO Contributor.

If as an individual or as a society you wish to contribute data to IHO please contact us via the IHO web site or on support.iho@yahs.org.uk and we will be happy to discuss with you how you can participate.

If you are not a member of YAHS, Membership of the Industrial History Section is open to all and costs £16 per annum. (current December 2020)  

Should a society decide to apply to become an Affiliate Society YAHS for the purpose of contributing Material to IHO, applications should initially be made to the Secretary on Office@yahs.org.uk  If approved the cost of affiliation is £45 per annum. (current December 2020) All members of affiliated societies can apply to join IHO as contributors at no additional cost. Full details of YAHS membership can be found at:- https://www.yahs.org.uk/The-Society/Membership

Special provisions for affiliated societies contributing large blocks of Material are outlined in Section 16.

7.1  IHO Contributors – Membership Permissions

There are 3 grades of IHO Membership and most people initially join as a Member:-

Members may:-

Moderators – are experienced uses whose role is to ensure that data standards are maintained and they may:-

User /Data Administrators – are responsible for the day to day management of the Contributors and the Data and are appointed by, and report to the IHO Administrator and IHO Management Representative and they may:-

7.2  How do you get a User Password

When you become an IHO Contributor the IHO Administrator will issue you with a User Name and Password. You will need to use this to log in with every time you wish to create or edit Material on the web site.  You must ensure that your password is kept secure.

You also must not share your User Name or Password with others as it is used to uniquely identify the records you have created and Material that you have uploaded. 

7.3  Can you change your User Name and / or User Password

Whilst User Names cannot be changed as they are linked to the records you create, all users may change the password that they are issued with.

Passwords must include a minimum of 10 character including both capital and small letters and numbers.  It is recommended that you do not use a Password that you also use on another system and that you change your password annually.

7.4  What happens if you do not use your IHO account

Where an IHO Contributor is inactive and does not log into IHO for more than 6 months the software will automatically suspend their login permissions.

In the event that the Contributor subsequently seeks to log in the software will advise them to contact the IHO Administrator to have their account reinstated.

8.0  Does it cost anything to use IHO

IHO is provided free of charge for personal research purposes only.

IHO may only be searched via the Home Page and searches must be made manually.  The use of front end programs to automatically enter search parameters is strictly forbidden.

9.0  Who owns the copyright to the Material on IHO

The copyright of all software, site records, images, and audio or video recordings and PDFs is held by the person who created it.  We require all contributors agree to all the Material they contribute to IHO being made available under the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial – Share Alike licence agreement (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0)

 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

This extends to the digital copyright on any scanned material that you upload to IHO.

The CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence agreement allows others to use the Material on IHO for Non Commercial purposes in return for attribution.

If anyone wishes to use the Material held on IHO for commercial purposes they need to apply to the Copyright Holder for permission.  In the first instance enquiries should be made via support.iho@yahs.org.uk The Copyright Holder may charge a fee for granting such permission.

Note:- Unless YAHS is the copyright holder it cannot enter into negotiations on the Copyright Holders behalf.

10.0  Who Developed the IHO Software and Database

The IHO, Software and Database Design was developed and is maintained by Dr John Suter and is Licensed to YAHS under the GNU General Public Licence (GNU GPL or GPL).  Dr Suter asserts his right to be named as the author in any implementation of the software or database.  Details of the GNU Licence can be found at:- http://www.gnu.org/licenses/

10.1  How do you make suggestions for Software Changes and Enhancements

Suggestions for software and database changes and enhancements should be made to the IHO User Group at support.iho@yahs.org.uk who will consider each suggestion on its merit.

10.2  How do you report a Software Error or Bug

Software errors and bugs should be reported to the IHO Administrator on:- support.iho@yahs.org.uk

11.0  What Material can be contributed to IHO

IHO has adopted a broad definition as to Industrial Heritage and includes:-

11.1  Are there any categories of site that should not be added to IHO

There are no specific exclusions, but as Military and Railway sites are well documented elsewhere only such sites associated with industry should generally be included.

11.2  Are there any limits on the age of sites that can be added to IHO

There are no limits on the dates of the industries that can be included in the data base and pre Roman sites are considered to be just as important and those from the 19th C & 20th C.  We would however caution care when recording modern industrial sites as these may be commercially or otherwise sensitive.  If you wish to contribute such sites please discuss this with the IHO Administrator.

11.3  Can Pre-Existing data sets be added to IHO

If you wish to upload a pre-existing data set please contact the IHO Administrator so that we can discuss the possibilities with you. support.iho@yahs.org.uk

12.0  What do we require from people who contribute Material to IHO

We require that anyone who contributes Material to IHO

IHO requires that this permission is obtained in writing and that you forward a copy for our records.  You should also retain a copy for your own records.

Further guidance of the use of Copyright Material is given in Appendix A

In return YAHS undertakes to:-

13.0  How are the records and images added to IHO managed

All IHO records, images and other Material is Moderated or Reviewed to ensure that it meets minimum standards before it is made available on the web site’s public pages.

This review is however not a detailed check of the accuracy or completeness of the Material which remains the responsibility of the Contributor.

The review considers but is not limited to:-

Administrators and Moderators may edit any entry as necessary for the purposes of ensuring data quality, they may also delete or ask the contributor to remove any inappropriate text or images.

Records that have been Moderated may be marked as either Queried, ie needing further work or Reviewed in which case they are available on the Web Sites Public Pages.

14.0  What happens if you upload inappropriate Material or make inappropriate changes to the entries made by others.

Where the IHO Administrator’s attention is drawn to any inappropriate material including inappropriate changes to entries made by others or infringements of anyone’s copyright or other rights, the offending Material will be removed from the Public pages of the web site, and the contributor will be given opportunity to modify or remove the said Material.  If the contributor declines to make the necessary alterations their IHO Membership Permissions will be suspended and the issue will be referred to the IHO Management Representative.

Notwithstanding, the above YAHS/IHO reserves the right to remove any Material with immediate effect if it considers that such action is in the best interest of the web site.

14.1  What happens if you upload Material that is libellous, defamatory, obscene, blasphemous or illegal

Where an IHO Contributor adds any Material that is libellous, defamatory, obscene, blasphemous or illegal, it will be deleted and the contributor’s, IHO Membership Permissions will be suspended.  Following consultation with the IHO Management Representative, and unless there are extremely mitigating circumstances the Contributor will be removed from the project with immediate effect.

14.2  How do you appeal the decision to modify or remove material that you have contributed or having your IHO Account suspended?

If you disagree with modifications made to or removal of any material that you have contributed, in the first this should be raised with the IHO Administrator.  If you are unable to resolve the issue thorough these discussions, you can appeal the decision to the IHO Management Representative.

If you feel that your IHO Membership Permissions have been unreasonably suspended you should in the first instance raise this with the IHO Management Representative.

The IHO Management Representative will investigate as they consider necessary and the matter will be referred to YAHS Management Board whose decision will be final. 

15.0  What happens to any Material that you have uploaded if you cease to be a member of YAHS or an Affiliated Society

If you cease to be a member of YAHS or an Affiliated Society for any reason, including your death, your Material will remain on the web site and will be accessible to both other IHO Contributors and members of the public.

16.0  Special Provisions for data contributed by Affiliated Societies

It is appreciated that where an Affiliated Society contributes a large block of data that special provisions need to apply.

17.0  Server, Web Site and Data Security

17.1  Web Site Hosting

The IHO web site, including all software, other Material is hosted on secure severs managed for YAHS and access to these systems is tightly controlled.  As a matter of policy YAHS only permits the web site host and the IHO Administrator to have the passwords that allow access to these systems.

With the permission of YAHS the IHO Administrator holds a backup copy of all IHO data on a secure external system solely for the purposes of data security.  A subset of the data is also held for the purposes of web site development.

17.2  Web Site and Data Security

IHO uses the Google Recaptcha software for web site security.

The IHO software, data, images and other Material is held on secure servers and automatic code or systems that link these servers to Third Party servers must not be used.

If you require a copy of the data and other Material that you have contributed please contact the IHO Administrator on support.iho@yahs.org.uk.

18.0  What Data do we hold on IHO Users and Contributors

IHO values the privacy of its Users and Contributors and holds the minimum data commensurate with the efficient and effective management of the web site.  IHO operates under the YAHS Data Protection Policy and the following details how that policy is implemented by IHO.

Whilst the IHO web site does not as of, December 2020, use cookies or similar tracking technology this policy is kept under review.

18.1  IHO Users

IHO does not hold any data such as names or email address of IHO Users who only access the Public pages of the web site.  It does however capture the email address of anyone who makes a comment, or who enquires about becoming an IHO Contributor or raising any other query about the IHO web site.  In all cases the information is held solely for the purposes of responding to the comment or query.

18.2  IHO Contributors

In the case of IHO Contributors, IHO holds the minimum data commensurate with the effective and efficient management of the web site.  This is limited to:-

The fields marked with a * must be provided by all IHO Contributors.

This information is held by YAHS/IHO to facilitate the effective and efficient management of the web site and sending you communications and other information about the IHO project.  It will not be used for other purposes or shared with third parties. 

Should you leave the project, YASH/IHO will continue to hold this information solely for the purpose of resolving any queries that may arise on entries that you have made to the web site.

If you have any questions or comments on this Policy, please contact us on support.iho@yahs.org.uk.

19.0  Does IHO collect any data on the IHO records you search or the IHO images that you view

IHO values your privacy and does not use Cookies or record any information on which Site Records or Images that you view when you are not logged into the web site.  It does however use Google Analytics to collect anonymised data on Web Site Usage.

Data on how IHO Contributors use the site after they have logged in is however collected but this is limited to the minimum data considered essential to ensure the integrity of the Material on the web site.  This includes:-

Additional data may be collected, for short periods, following the release of new versions of the software to enable monitoring of software performance.  This data is not retained.

20.0  Legal Issues and Dispute Resolution

This Code of Practice shall be governed by English law and in the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved through arbitration the contributors agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.  The President of YAHS or a person appointed by him will act as arbitrator.

Definitions

YAHS – refers to Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society and its successors.  YAHS is the legal entity under which IHO operates. https://www.yahs.org.uk/

IHO – refers to the Industrial History Online web site and the constituent software, databases and images. https://www.industrialhistoryonline.co.uk/yiho/

IHO Management Representative – the person who represents IHO on the YAHS Management Board – as of December 2020 this is Gill Cookson.

IHO Users – refers to anyone who access the data or other Material held on IHO.

IHO Contributors – refers to all the people who have contributed data to IHO.

IHO User Group – refers to the group of experienced active users who are responsible for advising on the overall direction of the project.

IHO Administrator – refers to the person responsible for maintaining the software and database – as of December 2020 this is John Suter.

IHO User/Data Administrators – refers to the individual(s) appointed to manage specific groups of Users or Data sets

IHS – refers to the Industrial History Section of YAHS

Material– refers to the site records, images and audio and video recordings and PDFs that are held on IHO