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In response to Angie Palmer's question about conservation costs, you should find it helpful to go to the Conservation Register website: www.conservationregister.com In addition to providing guidance about commissioning conservation, the site allows you to search by practice or by discipline, and by post-code region, for businesses offering services. The information contained in the listed practices usually includes charges/hourly rates etc. Using the Register, you should be able not only to get a picture of likely charges, but also specifically the charges you can expect from businesses within your region, or willing to work in your region, and specifically for the types of collection or objects that you are hoping to preserve. You should also be able to identify through the Register names of consultants who would offer to review the wide ranging needs of your collections and build a likely project cost. The Register is a computerised system for searching and referral in a fair manner, thus avoiding the risks of litigation associated with less objective 'favourite' lists. All practices on the Register are required to meet specific rigoruous criteria and their lead conservators must be accredited professionals. For these reasons, the Register is supported and advocated by English Heritage, The National Trust, Council for the Care of Churches, Historic Scotland, CyMAL, MLAC, the National Preservation Office and professional bodies . The Register is owned and run by the Institute of Conservation (Icon), the lead body for conservation in the UK. (www.instituteofconservation.org.uk) Web searches are free of charge. I hope that you find what you are looking for. Best wishes Chris Woods Head of Conservation & Collection Care Oxford University Library Services Bodleian Library Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG Tel: (01865) 277075 Fax: (01865) 277182