During a survey carried out in 1973-4 on conservation facilities in the United Kingdom some of the information gathered was: 1) 51% of the museums in the survey have conservation facilities, although not necessarily operated by a trained conservator. The amount of conservation done is related to the budget, not to the quality of materials housed. Archaeological and folk life material, and applied arts have more facilities than fine art, geological, and natural history materials; 2) Most conservators don't know how much work needs to be done in their collections. The amount of work is increasing; 3) There is less than one conservator per museum; 4) 40% of museums employ untrained and sometimes unsupervised conservators; 5) Many museums rely on contracting work out; 6) Most research is done in a few specialized labs. Research labs are generally inaccessible. Regional conservation centers are the answer to most problems. -- AATA