Cookie policy
This page outlines what cookies are, how and why we use them and how you can control them.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small files which are stored on user’s computer or device. They hold information specific to that user’s activity on a particular website, and can be accessed either by the website’s server or the user’s computer or device. They allow the content of a web page to be tailored to that particular user by using the cookie to carry information from one page to the next as required to make the website function.
What we mean by 'our websites'
References to ‘our websites’ refer to https://nms.ac.uk, along with other websites managed by National Museums Scotland including our blog (https://blog.nms.ac.uk), the American Foundation of the National Museums Scotland (https://afnms.org) and affiliated sites including https://mathsweek.scot.
Our shop (https://shop.nms.ac.uk) is operated via the Shopify platform which uses cookies to ‘remember’ goods which users place in their baskets throughout their visit.
Why do we use cookies?
We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. Cookies are essential to much of the basic functionality of a website, for example a cookie helps remember which pages you have visited and allows you to click ‘back’ in your browser. National Museums Scotland also uses Google Analytics cookies to monitor and improve user journeys around our website.
Types of cookies
For the purposes of GDPR and PECR compliance cookies are categorised under the following four headings:
Necessary or Essential
'Necessary' or 'essential' cookies help make our websites usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation, (ie, the back button). Our website cannot function properly without these cookies, for example without a cookie to identify a user id, a school would be unable to submit a web form to book a school visit to the museum.
Preferences
Cookies relating to a website visitor's settings or preferences enable our website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks. This could relate to a preferred language or region that you access the site from, or allow us to respond appropriately based on a user's cookie preferences.
Statistics or Performance
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously (for example Google Analytics tracking on nms.ac.uk).
Marketing or Advertising
These cookies are used to track visitors across websites. Marketing cookies allow us to understand audience behaviour and engage with our audience on non-National Museums Scotland platforms.
How to control cookies on your browser
Most web browsers allow some control of cookies through their browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set, visit http://www.aboutcookies.org or http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
You can also manage cookies on your browser. You’ll find more information on how to manage the settings for the main web browsers below:
If you have any queries or would like more information, please contact us via info@nms.ac.uk