Guides
Factory tour records: how owners log sources and corrections for 2027
Source-limit fields and per-claim correction logs keep factory tour articles accurate when shutdown notices, hours and visitor access rules change for 2027.
A source is not a fact. It is a page you can reopen, on a date you can name, that supports one claim and no more. Write that boundary down and the next editor inherits an asset instead of a guess.
What to take away
- Log sources per claim, not per article, with the exact page and the date checked.
- Add a source-limit fieldwhat the source proves, and what it does not.
- Give every claim an owner and a next review date before the article is reused.
- Keep the original wording when you correct a claim, so the change is auditable.
- Treat a sponsor's request as a lead to verify, never as evidence.
Per-claim fields, and what each one prevents
Per-claim fields
| Field | What it holds | Failure it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Claim | The public sentence, quoted | Drift between log and article |
| Source URL | The exact page, not a homepage | A dead end at audit time |
| Date checked | Day you opened it | Stale hours shipping as current |
| Source limit | What this page cannot prove | A calendar standing in for a program |
| Owner | One named editor | Everyone assuming someone checked |
| Change note | What moved and why | Silent edits with no trail |
| Image credit | Rights holder and licence | A photo you cannot republish |
One row per claim. A foundry's December shutdown window, its Saturday pour, and its induction requirement are three claims with three sources and three review rhythms.
Per-claim log fields
- Claimpublic sentence, quoted
- Source URLexact page, not homepage
- Date checkedday you opened it
- Source limitwhat page cannot prove
- Ownerone named editor
- Change notewhat moved and why
- Image creditrights holder and licence
Source limits: the field that does the work
A source-limit field records the ceiling of a page. A heritage railway timetable proves one departure time on one date. It does not prove that the line runs in February, that the platform is step-free, or that the same crew rota applies next season.
What a timetable proves
Proves
- Departure time
- one time, one date
- Season
- 2026 season dates
- Access
- not covered
- Staffing
- not covered
Does not prove
- Departure time
- other dates
- Season
- 2027 dates
- Access
- step-free platform
- Staffing
- same crew rota next season
Write the limit in the same row as the claim. "Proves: 2026 season dates. Does not prove: 2027 dates, access, or booking terms." A later writer then knows to reopen the operator's page rather than reuse the citation.
The Library of Congress digital preservation guidance is about keeping digital material readable across decades. The transferable habit is context: a file without its provenance is a file nobody can trust later. Apply that to a claim and the source limit becomes the provenance.
Worked example: an ironworks shutdown claim
An editor holds a line about a preserved ironworks: "The blowing engine house is open to visitors during the summer shutdown." The claim is true for one season and quietly false the next.
The log row runs like this. Claim: the sentence above. Source: the operator's 2026 visitor notice page, checked 14 May 2026.
Source limit: proves the 2026 shutdown dates and that the engine house was on the tour route that season; does not prove 2027 dates, route, or staffing. Owner: the guides editor.
Change note: "2026 notice replaced the 2025 notice; route unchanged." Next review: 1 March 2027, before the season is advertised.
When the 2027 notice appears, the editor reopens the page. If the dates move, the claim changes in the body, the summary, the table and the caption in the same edit. If the engine house drops off the route, the claim is removed, not softened. The change note records which of the two happened.
The National Park Service visitor conditions guidance is a reminder that live visitor terms are exactly the material that ages fastest. It governs NPS sites; it does not set terms anywhere else. Each operator's own published notice is the authority for its own site.
Corrections, ownership and reuse
When a correction arrives, keep five things in one place:
- the original sentence
- the source you checked
- the date
- the decision
- the replacement wording A later reviewer can then see whether the site changed, the source got clearer, or the draft overreached. A note reading "updated" tells them nothing.
Assign one owner to the next review. That person reopens the responsible page and confirms the exact claim before the article is reused in a seasonal roundup or a directory refresh. Shared ownership is how a stale shutdown window survives three editors.
The National Archives records-management fundamentals set out why traceable decisions hold their value over time. The NPS Museum Handbook is a museum reference that keeps objects, visitor terms and media records separate. Neither prescribes an editorial system, and neither should be cited as if it did.
A sponsor can point you at a site worth covering. It cannot establish an access claim, a date, or a route. Log the commercial arrangement in its own field, away from the evidence rows.
Common questions
How detailed should a source record be?
Detailed enough that another editor can reopen the exact page, see which sentence it supports, and know the date it was last checked. A homepage URL fails that test.
Should the correction log be public?
That is an editorial choice. Keep enough detail internally to explain every factual change and every commercial arrangement, whether or not you publish it.
Which field matters most on a live visitor claim?
The exact source URL and the date checked. Without both, you cannot tell whether a shutdown window or opening time is still current.
