Why we ask for some basic information from registered users of vHMML Reading Room

As a “library of libraries,” HMML serves as a trustee for manuscripts shared by institutions and families throughout the world. They have allowed their manuscripts to be photographed and made available for scholarly and educational use, but typically retain the right to publication and commercial use of the images. This arrangement is made in a written contract that requires HMML to monitor use of the collections and to deal with instances of misuse of images available in vHMML Reading Room. To do this, we need to know a few basic facts about you, just as any major library would ask you to register before providing access to their collections. This will also help us track which resources are being utilized so we can report usage statistics to funders. This information will be presented in a way that does not reveal the identity or details of any individual user. A few of the libraries have the contractual right to ask who has consulted their collections. Upon their request we will provide them with the names of those who have viewed manuscripts from their collections, but we will not supply them with any other personal information.

If we have evidence that you have violated the terms of use by copying or redistributing images without permission, we will contact you by email about the problem, and if it is not resolved, we will provide your contact details to the owning institution so that they can communicate directly with you if they wish to do so. Misuse of images in v Reading Room may lead to suspension of a user’s account.

We also reserve the right to email you about vHMML.org applications and services. You can stop receiving these emails by following the unsubscribe instructions.

Please see our Privacy Policy. Feel free to contact us for more information or with questions.

Why do we ask if you are a computer or human?

This is a commonly used filter to prevent computer-created bogus accounts, which typically check all boxes on a form. We consider this a user-friendly alternative to Recaptcha and similar validation methods.