KY Site Requirements & Guidelines

Content and Contributions

• Material contributed to a KYGenWeb county site may be removed only at the request of the submitter.
• When a coordinator steps down, they must ensure that a complete copy of all contributed material remains with the project for use by the incoming coordinator.
• The outgoing coordinator may decide whether their page formatting, HTML coding, graphics, backgrounds, and general presentation style may be reused by the incoming coordinator.
• At a minimum, the underlying data (such as transcribed text, photographs, and documents) must remain available to the project even if the design or layout is not reused. The copyright on the presentation format remains with the outgoing coordinator unless they explicitly grant permission for its reuse.

Prohibited Site Content

The following are not permitted on any KYGenWeb county site.

• Solicitation of funds.
• Advertising of any kind.
• Using the site for personal financial gain.
• Browser scripts that automatically redirect a visitor’s web browser to an external site. (Scripts used internally for navigation or enhancement are allowed.)
• Links to political parties or to non-government political organizations.
• Sites that consist primarily of links to non-KYGenWeb or non-USGenWeb sites. Each county site must contain enough on-site information that off-site links are clearly a minor part of the overall content.

Conditional Allowances

Some types of content and linking are permitted under specific conditions to protect the non-commercial nature of the project.

• Coordinators may acknowledge their web-hosting service, but may not use the county site to ask for contributions to support hosting costs.
• The site may include listings of research materials or services available for sale or hire (for example, a list of books for sale or researchers available for hire), provided that all actual arrangements and transactions are handled outside the KYGenWeb site. Contact information and prices may be listed.
• Links to subscription-based or otherwise fee-based genealogy sites are permitted if those links are clearly labeled as “for-fee” or “subscription.”
• Providing links to other non-commercial genealogical websites relevant to the county is encouraged, as long as the KYGenWeb county site itself remains a substantial resource and not just a link list.

Additional Guidelines

These optional features are not required but are strongly encouraged to improve the usefulness of each county site.

Coordinators are encouraged to keep their websites updated and active on a continuing basis, and to seek assistance if needed. Updating can be as simple as adding or fixing links or posting new material. Useful additions may include:

• Information about other local resources, such as libraries, historical or genealogical societies, and contact details for county offices that provide records.
• County formation and boundary information so researchers know where to look for earlier or later records.
• A link to KYGenWeb Special Collections.
• A listing of published research materials about the county (books, CDs, etc.) and, where possible, how to order them.
• A guest book.
• A simple site counter, if desired.
• Local photographs and other visual material.
• Notices of family or community reunions related to the county.

Coordinators are encouraged to explore the Resources page, where you’ll find tools, guidance, and helpful information for maintaining your county site.