The following statement explains our policy regarding the personal information we collect about you.

1. Introduction
This policy covers the Museum of English Rural Life's (MERL's) use of personal information that MERL collects when you use our website at www.merl.org.uk. The policy also gives you information about cookies; MERL, the University of Reading and third parties' use of cookies; and how you may reject such cookies.

From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address) in order to receive or use services on our website. Such services include newsletters, competitions and requests for printed or further information.

By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable MERL, The University of Reading and its service providers to provide you with the services you select. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. When using your personal informaiton MERL and The University of Reading will act in accordance with current legislation and aim to meet current Internet best practice.

Please note that this policy also covers our previous website address, www.ruralhistory.org, which is in the process of being decommissioned.

2. Visitor Information
During the course of any visit to www.merl.org.uk, the pages you see are downloaded to your computer. Sometimes a short text file called a 'cookie' will also be downloaded. Many websites do this, because cookies enable website publishers to do useful things like find out whether the computer (and probably its user) has visited the website before. This is done on a repeat visit by checking to see, and finding, the cookie left there on the last visit.

3. What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a website's computer and stored on your computer's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

Many sites do this whenever a user visits their website in order to track online traffic flows.

Cookies record information about your online preferences. Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these, of course, means that certain personalised services cannot then be provided to that user and accordingly you may not be able to take full advantage of all of the merl.org.uk features. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

If you have set your computer to reject cookies you can still browse the MERL website anonymously until such time as you wish to register for MERL's online services. For further information on cookies please visit www.aboutcookies.org.

4. Use and storage of your personal information
When you supply any personal information to MERL (e.g. for competitions) we have legal obligations towards you in the way we use that data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, we must explain how we will use it (see the notices on particular webpages that let you know why we are requesting the information) and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else.

In general, any information you provide to MERL will only be used within MERL and The University of Reading. Your information will be disclosed where we are obliged or permitted by law. Also, if you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on or to us or otherwise engage in any disruptive behaviour on the Website, the Museum can use whatever information that is available to it about you to stop such behaviour. This may involve informing relevant third parties such as your employer, school e-mail/Internet provider and law enforcement agencies about the content and your behaviour.

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you use the service you have requested, and remove it in the event that the purpose has been met, or, in the case of newsletters, you no longer wish to continue with your subscription. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

5. Access to your personal information
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information MERL holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. Please address requests to the Museum of English Rural Life in the first instance (address at the bottom of the page).

6. Users 16 and under
If you are aged 16 or under, please get your parent/guardian's permission beforehand whenever you provide personal information to our website. Users without this consent are not allowed to provide us with personal information.

7. How to find and control your cookies
If your Internet browser is not listed here, please check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

If you're using Netscape 6.0 or above:
  On your Task Bar, click:
    Edit, then
    Preferences
    Click on Advanced
    Click on Cookies

If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0 or above:
  Choose Tools, then Internet Options
    Click the Privacy Tab
    Click on Custom Level
    Click on the 'Advanced' button
    Check the 'override automatic cookie handing' box and select Accept, Block or Prompt for action as appropriate.

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5:
  Choose Tools, then Internet Options
    Click the Security tab
    Click on Custom Level
    Scroll down to the sixth option to see how cookies are handled by IE5 and change to Accept, Disable, or Prompt for action as appropriate.

If you're using Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or above:
  Choose Tools, then Options
    Click on Privacy
    Click on Cookies
    To disable all cookies, remove the tick from the 'Allow sites to set cookies' box;
    To disable third party cookies (cookies from sites other than the site you are visiting), place a tick in the 'for the originating site only' box.

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:
  On your Task Bar, click:
    Edit, then Preferences
    Click on Advanced
    Set your options in the box that says Cookies.

8. How do you know which of the sites you've visited use cookies?
If your Internet browser is not listed here, please check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to view existing cookies.

If you're using Netscape 6.0 or above:
  On your Task Bar, click:
    Edit, then Preferences
    Click on Advanced
    Click on Cookies
    Click the View Cookies button

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or above:
  Choose Tools, then Internet Options
    Click the General tab
    Click Settings
    View Files

If you're using Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or above:
  Choose Tools, the Options
    Click on Privacy
    Click on Cookies
    Click on View Cookies

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:
  Netscape bundles all cookies into one file on your hard drive. You'll need to find the file, which it calls Cookie.txt on Windows machines.

9. How to see your cookie code
Just double-click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.

10. List of merl.org.uk cookies
This is a list of the main cookies that www.merl.org.uk sets, and what each is used for:

hash
Normally used for staff only. A randomly generated Pivot session ID.
(Pivot is our news publishing system)

mode
Normally used for staff only. Stores your Pivot login preference - 'stayloggedin' or 'nothing'.

sLogin
Normally used for staff only. Stores your Quick.Cart user name.
(Quick.Cart is our online shop system)

user
Normally used for staff only. The 'user' cookie stores your Pivot user name.

We regularly monitor this website and will update this list of cookies when necessary. For further details, please contact us:
The Museum of English Rural Life
The University of Reading
Redlands Road
Reading
RG1 5EX

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