Surveys & Reports

Survey information from the Expectations and Realities session at the 2024 Annual Meeting.

Explore Data about the Field

You can find our official surveys and reports here that address member perspectives on compensation and salary, the current state of the field, collections care, membership, accessibility, and professional development.

Compensation

Compensation Survey 2022

This research explores a wide range of compensation and benefits metrics, along with data on work and business practices in the conservation profession. The 2022 survey builds upon similar studies conducted in 2014 and 2009. The survey collected data from January to March 2022.

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Compensation Survey 2014

This research is based upon an online survey conducted of the AIC membership from September to December 2014. The survey builds upon a similar study in 2009, collecting data on a wide range of compensation and compensation-related issues including benefits, work setting metrics (e.g., staffing levels, clients served, etc.) and respondent demographics.

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Compensation Survey 2009

This research is based upon an online survey conducted of the AIC membership in July through September 2009. The survey examined a wide range of compensation and compensation-related issues including benefits, work setting metrics (e.g., staffing levels, clients served, etc.) and respondent demographics.

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State of the Field

Held in Trust

Held in Trust was a cooperative agreement between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC), which culminated in a National Convening and the Held in Trust: Transforming Cultural Heritage Conservation for a More Resilient Future report.

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Expectations & Realities: A 2024 Condition Report of Conservators

A survey report presenting information from surveys conducted to inform the Expectations and Realities: The State of Emerging Professionals in the Field session at the 2024 Annual Meeting. The data assesses the realities facing emerging conservators, educators, and established conservators.

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Conservation Profession Overview Survey 2009

An overview of data collected from AIC members, recent members, and non-members to better understand changes in the field.

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Charting the Digital Landscape of the Conservation Profession

In 2014, FAIC conducted a yearlong series of activities (research, a community survey, discussion forums, interviews, and an analysis of online resources) to map the digital landscape as it existed then and identified strategic investments in the environment that would serve the community and help it flourish as a profession.

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Collection Care

Collection Care Staff Survey Report

In 2013, the Preventive Care Network (then Collection Care Network (CCN)) conducted a survey of museum professionals targeted to gauge the demographics, responsibilities, challenges, and training needs of collection care staff.

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Collection Care & Management Staff Titles & Responsibilities Survey

In 2017, PCN surveyed respondents to better understand the roles and responsibilities of collection care and management staff to inform prospective changes to membership designations.

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Connecting to Collections Care Needs Survey 2018

The Connecting to Collections Care (C2C Care) Online Community offers a variety of information resources and services for those in the museum, library, archives, conservation, and related fields. As part of its continuing efforts to address users’ needs, C2C Care surveyed users in 2018.

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Connecting to Collections Care Needs Survey 2021

As part of its continuing efforts to address users’ needs, C2C Care implemented the 2021 C2C Care User Survey. The 2021 survey is highly similar to the 2018 C2C Care User Survey to allow for trend tracking and benchmarking.

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Accessibility

Professional Development

Accessibility in Conservation Report

The Equity & Inclusion Committee (EIC) conducted a survey in 2021 to provide baseline data on disabilities and accessibility in the field of cultural heritage conservation. The areas covered by the survey and report include demographics, disability awareness, personal experiences of those with disabilities, disability rights and accommodations, and experiences accessing conservation information and events.

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2015 Continuing Education Report

As part of its Professional Development Program, FAIC periodically conducts surveys to assess the educational needs of the field. This research is based on an online survey conducted of the AIC membership from August to September 2014.

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Membership

Conservation K-12 Outreach Programs Survey Report

The AIC K-12 Outreach Subcommittee, now part of the Outreach Subcommittee of the Communications Committee, conducted research about outreach programs in which conservators are engaged, specifically programming targeted for K12 audiences (students ages 5–18 and educators).

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2019 Membership Satisfaction Survey Summary

This membership survey covered opinions on the value of membership, benefits, and outreach, and covered a variety of demographic topics, such as employment and identity.

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2018 Member Designation Survey Preliminary Report

The Membership Designation Working Group (MDWG) developed a survey that was sent to all AIC members in January 2018 to provide suggestions on how to improve the peer-reviewed member designation process.

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Annual Meeting Themes Survey 2019

This survey asked questions about potential Annual Meeting themes, programming types, and conference format.

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Archaeological Discussion Group Survey Report

This 2014 survey sought data to clarify interest in archaeological materials and sites.

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Green Task Force Survey Report

In 2008, our Green Task Force (now the Sustainability Committee) performed two surveys to better understand sustainable practices and needs in the conservation and preservation field. 

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