This technical manual is intended for the maintenance staff of the collections and monuments, as well as for their scientific managers. It is made up of technical sheets, regularly updated, provided during theoretical and practical courses. It is strongly advised to take the corresponding course before using these sheets to prevent them from being misinterpreted and applied in an ineffective or dangerous manner.

Each of these sheets presents a level of general information and operational instructions strictly intended for technical personnel undergoing specialization in the field of maintenance and upkeep of cultural property. These technicians carry out their mission under the guidance of a scientific manager (for museums this is generally a Heritage Curator). The field of maintenance and upkeep begins at the most basic level represented by the current household and stops at the limit of the conservation-restoration services which must normally be carried out by specialists graduates from internationally recognized training centers. .

The limit between conservation-restoration and maintenance of cultural property is sometimes fluid. While preventive conservation services essentially concern the surrounding environment, many maintenance operations (such as dusting of collections) or curative conservation (such as insect control) require direct action on objects. The shortage of resources and skills often leads to entrusting some of these delicate missions to technicians who must then be duly trained and strictly supervised to avoid any drift towards wild catering services.