Collection development policy

LAST UPDATED: August 2024

1) Introduction

The Hydrogen Knowledge Centre is a resource provided by the Institution for Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM). The objective of the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre is to establish and maintain a high quality, industry recognised, comprehensive and searchable repository that advances hydrogen learning and the study of hydrogen in helping achieve a decarbonised future.

A strong technical evidence base is an essential enabler of a move towards building a hydrogen economy and a net-zero carbon emissions future. A digital repository of research and data that can be stored, easily explored and retrieved is a valuable resource for individuals and organisations working on hydrogen solutions and policy development.

Through the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre’s ongoing collection of resources, IGEM members will be able to access a wealth of current and retrospective hydrogen research documents and project information to inform their own learning, research and development.

2) Collection Content, Scope and Selection Criteria

Documents and materials selected for inclusion in the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre should meet the research and technical needs of IGEM members. The Hydrogen Knowledge Centre is anticipating contributions from academia, research institutes, government, energy and engineering organisations and consultancies in the main.

Content types will include:

Audios/ podcasts
Books
Conference papers
Data sets
Editorials
Journal Articles
Policy reports
Project documents
Research papers
Risk Assessments
Specifications
Standards
Training materials
Videos

Content that resembles marketing or promotional materials is out of scope and will not be included.

IGEM anticipates receiving content as individual electronic files and uploading them to the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre individually, however we are actively working towards the functionality for bulk upload of content. to the knowledge centre and automatic ingestion from collaborating institution’s own repositories.

The Hydrogen Knowledge Centre’s scope is not limited to the gas transmission and distribution industry. It includes content from contributors working across power, transport, industrial processes and domestic applications.

Future scope includes the publication and storage of IGEM’s own library of books, journals and other resources based at IGEM’s head office. This content will require digitisation which has now begun.

The following considerations are made during the content inclusion process:

A) Subject Area: Content must relate to the following subject areas:

Applications & Pathways
Education, Training & Lessons Learned
Hydrogen Blending
Policy & Socio-Economics
Production & Supply Chain
Project & Initiatives
Regulations, Codes & Standards
Safety
Transmission, Distribution & Storage

B) Format:

Files will be stored in the following formats as standard. Written documents will be in .pdf format. Audio files will be in .mp3 format. Video files will be in .mp4 format. Data sets will be provided either through .sav, .dta, .xlsx, .csv, .tab - or through a web link to the relevant data-sharing site. Links to external websites will be provided in standard URL web-link format.

C) Language:

The main language of the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre is English. However, foreign language materials may be included in the future based on demand.

D) Locality:

The collection gathers research and project information from around the world so there are no locality limitations.

E) Chronology:

The Hydrogen Knowledge Centre will collect, retrospective content from the year 2000 onwards and future content that meets the scope for inclusion.

F) Access:

Content will be remotely accessed through electronic means, through the MyIGEM log-in portal on the IGEM website or directly on the platform www.h2knowledgecentre.com using a pre-existing username and password combination.

Content that is submitted to the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre for inclusion will undergo a series of checks for quality, relevance, copyright rules and formatting/structure before being added to the platform. The requirements for these checks are outlined in the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre’s Content Inclusion Guidance. In summary, the requirements include consideration of the following:

Whether the content has been produced by an established, trusted source.
Whether the content has been published in reputable industry or academic journals.
Whether the content has been peer-reviewed, widely cited or formally presented to industry for review.
Whether the originating institution, organisation or author adheres to established quality or research standards.
Whether the originating institution, organisation or author has provided details of their Data Access Statement.
Whether the originating institution, organisation or author has provided details of who has funded the research.

3) Community Statements

Access to the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre will be available as a membership benefit to all Members of IGEM. New users wishing to access the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre will need to subscribe by enrolling as an Associate Member of IGEM and paying the relevant fee.

Being a digital only collection, the classification scheme is determined by each item of content being allocated a subject name and relevant key words, which will form part of the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre’s metadata.

4) Subject Profiles

The Hydrogen Knowledge Centre divides its contents into 9 searchable collections, each containing a variety of subjects and subtopics. The following is an outline of the scope and coverage of collections for the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre:

A) Applications & Pathways: Hydrogen for Industrial/ Commercial Uses, Hydrogen for Electricity generation, Hydrogen for Domestic Applications, Hydrogen for Transport, Hydrogen for Agricultural Use, Hydrogen for the Military, Hydrogen in Energy Systems, Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier, Methanation of Hydrogen, Hydrogen for Ammonia Production

B) Education, Training & Lessons Learned: Training Approaches, Training Materials & Specifications

C) Hydrogen Blending: Production, Distribution, Metering, Applications

D) Policy & Socio-Economics: Future Gas Policy & the Hydrogen Economy, Government publications, Consumers & End-users, Employment & Skills, Technology, Hydrogen Value Chain

E) Production & Supply Chain: Electrolysers & Electrolysis, Natural Gas Reforming, Biochemical Conversion, Shipping, Carbon Capture Use & Storage (CCUS), Natural Hydrogen, Biohydrogen Production

F) Projects & Initiatives: Hydrogen trials and demonstrations

G) Regulations, Codes & Standards (RCS): Quality, Standards, Regulations, Codes (of practise),

H) Safety: Risk Assessment & Mitigation, Lessons Learned case studies, Detection & Measurement, Combustion, Ignition & Flammability, Release & Dispersion, Detonation & Deflagration

I) Transmission, Distribution & Storage: Compressed Gas, Liquefied Hydrogen, Gas Pipelines/Grids, Storage, Materials & Components

5) Copyright and Access Licensing

The contents of the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre is under the copyright of either IGEM or the third-party licensors of the content.

Details of the copyright/access status for each item will be included within the repository’s metadata, and will therefore be viewable to users when accessing a publication. However, it is the responsibility of the user to verify copyright permissions for all publications before copying, distributing, editing or building on.

IGEM provide access to the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre’s contents for educational, technical and research purposes only. IGEM do not permit use, distribution or reproduction of these publications for commercial purposes, unless otherwise specified under the originating licence terms.

Please refer to our Terms of Use Licence for more information.