A curator with knowledge of costume and textiles should carry out the full

curatorial audit
of all the collections of original items at least once every five years. This
curatorial audit is
a requirement of good housekeeping, and should not be confused with any financial
or
value-for-money audit. It should:
locate and check every item against its documentation;
confirm or reassess the historical importance of every item; and
in the light of any reassessment, identify items requiring accession from
ancillary
collections, or disposal.

Ideally, a full conservation audit of all the collections of original items should
also be
carried out at least once every five years. The aim should be to have a full
condition survey
of the collection that can be supplemented later with representative sample
surveys. Items
at highest risk of deterioration, including fur, feathers and plastics, should be
checked at
least annually. This audit should be carried out by a conservation or collection
care
specialist experienced in costume and textiles and should seek to identify any
deterioration
and its causes.
2.7 As the audit is completed for each discrete museum space, an assessment of the
overall
environmental, storage and security needs of the collections should be made.
2.8 It will often be convenient to carry out these audits as one operation. In
large collections
audits of a sample of the collections may be useful for planning purposes, but
these should
supplement rather than replace full audits.
2.9 Following the audits, the museum should draw up an action plan for resolving
any
problems or needs they have revealed.