Archeological materials face even more conservation and preservation problems because they are already old and deteriorated. Active conservation measures can be costly and decisions on proper care need to be considered carefully. This is one reason why conservation and preservation should be a collaborative effort between conservators, archeologists, curators, archivists, and registrars. One of the best approaches to conservation is prevention. It may take less time, less money, and less effort to slow down or prevent deterioration than it takes to repair or replace material remains or records after they have deteriorated.
Prevention involves proper housing using long-lived and durable containers, storage, and handling.
It also involves constant monitoring and control of both the physical environment and the collections themselves, many of the measures previously outlined for packing and storage. Condition reports are another essential element of the monitoring process. These may be prepared by collections management staff or conservators and need to be readily accessible in an accessions file or similar location. Archival materials also require a condition report, however. Document the condition history and treatment of an object or group of associated records.