Introduction to collections care

Your museum’s workforce needs a clear understanding of how to care for your collections.

Collections care involves:

• Creating a suitable, secure environment to preserve, store, and display collections, and to allow research and community engagement
• Creating a strategic plan for ongoing care and conservation, including emergency preparedness
• Establishing and applying recommended guidance on preventive and remedial conservation, and treating objects appropriately

Collections are often important resources, and visitors may come to your museum specifically for your unique collections.

Good collections care preserves what makes your museum unique. The policies you put in place should let you care for every item equally, ethically, and legally. Whether you are displaying ancient Assyrian carvings or charting the course of 21st-century technology, every object in your collection deserves the same respect.

Keep collections care in mind when planning for the future, and allocate appropriate resources and training.

Interventive or remedial conservation is a separate practice from daily collections care, also called housekeeping. We use three terms to describe different parts of preserving collections. All three work together to manage and resource the long-term preservation of, and access to, museum collections.

Collections care

A standardised, museum-wide strategy sets out the procedures for managing, documenting, and monitoring collections. Informed by an understanding of what causes deterioration and how the museum environment behaves, it balances preservation with access and storage, and minimises any practice that could cause harm. The rest of this guide explains the key elements of collections care and how to apply best practice in your care routines.

Remedial conservation

Work or interventive treatment on individual items aims to repair damage or stabilise an item’s condition so it can be displayed, loaned, or handled safely. Carried out by skilled conservators and practitioners, this work ranges from:

• passive cleaning, such as removing surface dust
• repair, such as adding non-original components
• restoration, returning items to a former state or function by adapting or replacing original components

To understand the level of damage or decay across your collections and decide your best preservation approach, carry out a condition report or survey.

Preventive conservation

Preventive conservation covers measures that avoid or minimise future deterioration or loss. It works by assessing and managing the physical, chemical, and biological factors that cause deterioration, and by maintaining museum buildings as a secure envelope. It includes anticipating problems through environmental monitoring and control, pest management, storage, display, and emergency preparedness.

Everyone plays a part, including visitors.

Caring for museum collections is a shared responsibility across the whole workforce, and should never rest with just one or two people. Responsibilities may vary according to staff roles and levels of understanding and competency. Managers and trustees hold ultimate responsibility. Plan ahead and develop a strategy for managing collections care knowledge, making training resources available and making sure the workforce is suitably skilled.

Key elements to consider include:

• Organising consistent housekeeping practices and staff rotas for basic tasks such as routine building maintenance, rubbish collection, and spot condition checks
• Creating a procedural manual so every member of the workforce knows their responsibility for care
• Hosting training sessions or developing existing skills within your team so everyone knows best practice
• Making sure procedures are in place for documenting care practices
• Devoting a separate space for inspecting, preparing, and storing collections
• Allocating a budget for collection care and emergency supplies, choosing sustainable materials where possible
• Incorporating collections care into forward and strategic plans for the museum
• Involving volunteers and the public in conservation through events, conservation in action, and educational programmes

Caring for your collections is a continual process, not a one-off procedure. For the best results, develop a collections care plan for thorough, ongoing care. Establishing routines helps prevent problems building up.

Three ways to provide year-round care:

Housekeeping

Maintaining a clean museum and object store preserves the quality of your collections and creates a healthier environment for staff and visitors. Housekeeping, or basic conservation cleaning, should involve:

• Object-appropriate cleaning using non-hazardous, environmentally friendly materials
• Maintaining a clean environment, both physically and environmentally
• Cleaning protective clothing, equipment, and dust sheets
• Taking preventive measures against pests and micro-organisms, and planning museum activities to reduce any threat

Checking and monitoring

Continuous monitoring means you can identify issues with an item early. Keep a record of routine checks throughout the building, so you can use the information to make improvements and catch problems early.

Factors to monitor include:

• Maintenance and any legislative requirements relating to the building, facilities, and equipment
• Any movement, relocation, or intervention to collection items
• Internal environments, including light and UV radiation, temperature and humidity, and dust and pollutants
• Condition of collections, support on display, and protection in storage and during transport
• Pests, rodents, and micro-organisms
• Quality of furniture, fittings, storage systems, and containers

Labelling and documenting

A sensible, long-lasting, and non-damaging labelling system is essential for keeping track of every item in your collection. Support it with a central database that records key information such as ownership, significance, provenance, and supporting details like treatment records. The Collections Trust has guidance on how to label and mark museum objects safely.

A unique identifier for each item aids asset management and makes tracking easier, whether items are on display, in storage, or moving within or outside the museum. This can be complex, especially with large collections, backlogs, missing information, or limited staff capacity.

Make sure the process works for your institution and is time and cost-effective. A system that is easily managed and updated supports accountability, reputational protection, and ethical and legal compliance. The Collections Trust has a wealth of guidance on museum documentation.

Handling guidelines

A key part of collections care is handling your items appropriately. Most damage to collections, and occasional harm to handlers, happens when objects are lifted and moved incorrectly. National Museums Scotland has guidance on object handling. Prepare and plan before any move, follow all health and safety guidelines, and make sure you have enough time and resources.

Before handling objects, make sure your hands are clean, dry, and free from bulky jewellery. Well-fitting gloves can reduce dexterity, so they are not always the best approach, but wear them if you are unsure of any possible hazards. Consult a conservator if you are unsure.

Follow these guidelines when handling objects:

• Always make a visual assessment before handling, as not all vulnerability is obvious. Use a torch if visibility is poor, and use lifting equipment, skates, or crates for awkward or heavy objects.
• Make sure risk assessments have been carried out. Carefully secure, or remove and pack separately, any part that might detach or swing open during movement.
• Consider any potentially hazardous material, and use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face masks, gloves, or spill kits. Label items appropriately for future users.
• Make sure all relevant staff are familiar with handling procedures. Identify training gaps or specialist equipment needed, and confirm risk assessment method statements (RAMS) have been completed, especially if working at height.
• Make sure all equipment has been checked before use, and that users are qualified, knowledgeable, and physically able to move the collection item.
• Create storage and work environments that suit object handling, with clear routes, workspaces, and adequate lighting.
• Photograph and document any move. Label collection parts if they are detached or separated for the move, for example clock weights or drawers from furniture.
• Develop a plan for how the public will engage with the collection during moves, including signage, barriers, or a protective screen. Begin security procedures as soon as movement starts.

Packing and unpacking

Effective, considered packing protects collections during storage or moves. Several people may be involved in packing and unpacking any one item, so make sure everyone knows the correct procedures, and that packing materials are inert and clean.

Tips to avoid damaging objects during packing and unpacking:

• Pack items according to purpose or destination. Objects may need less padding in storage than in transport, and some materials are not suitable for long-term storage. The introduction to storage and display materials has more guidance.
• Cushion, pad, and layer objects for support. You do not always need to wrap them. A single layer of tissue can act as a dust barrier over packed items in a box.
• Do not overuse masking or parcel tape, as it can stick to objects and limit the reuse of packing materials.
• Include labels with accession numbers and written unpacking instructions, noting any hazards or fragile areas.
• Label or bag small parts, or tie them to items with cotton tape, to prevent pieces being lost.

Do not pack materials together if they could cause infestation or chemical or biological damage to other items, for example silver with velvet. Follow quarantine procedures. The introduction to pest management has further guidance.

Museums have a duty of care to protect their collections and keep staff and visitors safe. Put robust procedures and security measures in place, and make sure staff are aware of them and trained to follow them.

Emergency planning means preparing in advance and identifying incidents or emergencies that could affect collections. It helps you react in the event of an incident, minimise damage or loss, and manage the aftermath and salvage.

Tailor plans to your museum, collections, and organisational needs so you can respond efficiently and reduce risks.

Develop an emergency plan for collections care alongside your institution’s health and safety procedures. Test and review it regularly, and induct new staff and volunteers so plans stay current and effective.

Access to collections can break down barriers and support engagement, but it needs careful consideration because handling and use affect the condition of items. Manage access through a clear policy covering research, display, and loans, and make sure it is compatible with your collections care procedures and related policies.

Depending on your users and the types of collections you hold, access may include:

• Items on open display or on loan, in touring or permanent exhibitions
• Collections in reading rooms or publicly accessible storage areas
• Digital or replica material
• Specialist research, library, archive, community, or educational collections
• Historic spaces or collections used for events or filming
• Handling collections used to support access for a range of community groups

The Code of Practice for Cultural Collections Management was commissioned by the British Standards Institution to create a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for collections management in 2009. It was withdrawn in 2023 and replaced with BS EN 17820:2023, Conservation of Cultural Heritage. Specifications for the management of moveable cultural heritage collections.

Use this specification to guide your collections care. It helps you to:

• Develop strategies for managing collections
• Create sustainable strategies that cover all areas of collections care management
• Understand the legal environment of museum collections

It applies to all types and sizes of cultural collection.

Accreditation standards

Good collections care is essential for meeting the standards required for Museum Accreditation. Read about the Accreditation Scheme and the criteria museums must meet to gain Accredited status.

For more collections care guidance, find our other advice guides on collections.

The Collections Trust provides a wide range of collections care advice and guidance.

The Institute of Conservation offers professional support and resources for the care of collections.

The BSI conservation standards give detailed guidance on best practice to support your approach to collections care.