Before starting a survey of the collections themselves, the local environmental and storage conditions are examined in detail. These factors usually have the greatest long-term impact on the longevity of individual objects, and all collections should be examined in this context. When an environmental assessment is combined with considerations such as the age, diversity, and quality of the original material, along with their past usage and care, various broad hypotheses can be drawn about the condition of the collections prior to detailed examination. If the examination of individual items confirms the initial suppositions, they may be accepted as conclusions. However, if the survey analysis disproves them, a larger proportion of the collection must be examined so that patterns of decay can emerge organically from the survey.

In general, art, archive, and library collections follow recognised patterns and processes of use and decay. Within most modern collections—or those that have benefitted from past conservation—it is easier to identify such patterns. For example, large collections of journals or loose sheets of paper generally conform to predictable forms of degradation. Older collections have usually experienced a more varied and inconsistent approach to care and are therefore more difficult to assess, and patterns of decay are typically harder to predict. When surveying historical collections, it is usually necessary to examine a larger sample in detail in order to understand the patterns of decay.

Surveying a medium-sized collection typically takes approximately three weeks, with at least one week spent on site. I aim to return a draft report to the client within three weeks of starting, allowing a further ten days for discussion, during which any changes can be made to the final report. It is therefore possible to compile and present a full survey report in just over a month, enabling the client to meet the tight timetables required by most external funding bodies.