In 2008 the Horniman Museum is holding a major exhibition of musical instruments that were collected from rural areas of India between 2001 and 2007. Three fieldwork projects were organised jointly by the Horniman Museum and the British Library Sound Archives, and carried out by two ethno-musicologists on behalf of these institutions. In India they also liaised, for example, with the Khalsa Heritage Memorial Museum in Anandpur Sahib, and Dr Alka Pande of the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The fieldwork information for each instrument consists of written documentation, collected from musicians and instrument makers by means of a questionnaire, and of photos, broadcast quality videos and audio recordings. Copies of these are deposited with the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology, New Delhi. Drawing on specific examples, this poster illustrates how conservators used the information when making decisions on the conservation and preservation of the instruments. Particularly valuable was information that was extracted from the questionnaires, which includes data on construction materials, techniques and tools and in some cases is complemented by material and tool samples. The questionnaires also document previous use of the instrument; whether the instrument was acquired new, second hand from a retailer or directly from active use; and information on traditional maintenance and cultural context. The poster evaluates the limitations of the fieldwork information when employed for conservation and preservation related purposes and suggests improvements when planning future projects with a similar scope.