Conservation Register

The Conservation Register is an online database which helps you find a conservator and find out more about conservation. It is searchable by type of object and geographical location, and each of the businesses included is led by an accredited conservator. The Conservation Register is operated by Icon, the Institute of Conservation.

• Find a conservator

Working with independent conservators (MGC)

Detailed guidelines are also available from the MGC publication ‘Working with independent conservators'. These guidelines for good practice aim to assist collection managers in developing their services to a high standard. Each set of guidelines is produced with the assistance of appropriate specialists with extensive museum experience. The guidelines are advisory and are designed to support curators and managers when they are seeking to develop their services beyond the basic minimum standards required by the accreditation scheme for museums and galleries. Although the Guidance was originally written for museums, the information is equally applicable to library and archive collections.

Contents

• Introduction
• General advice on working with conservators
• Remedial conservation projects
• Collection condition surveys
• Other types of survey useful for collections management
• Tendering
• Glossary of terms
• Appendix 1: Conservation - Restoration - The options
  These two approaches have similarities as well as differences and the article below outlines these and suggests circumstances in which each may be appropriate. It also offers a helpful overview of the often controversial debate between the two. This work was originally published as a leaflet by the Conservation Unit of the Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC).
• Appendix 2: Finding a conservator: The conservation register
• Appendix 3: Professional organisations
  
• Working with independent conservators (MGC) 
  (download complete document and retain for reference)

Guidelines for the preparation of conservation information for funding bids

Some organisations, particularly funding bodies have their own guidelines for the preparation of conservation surveys or preliminary information. It is well worth checking with your funding organisation before commissioning a survey.

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund support conservation work carried out on buildings, landscapes, townscapes or parks. Any funding application for this type of work must be accompanied by a Conservation Management Plan.

Read the HLF Conservation Management Plan booklet

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