Heritage Recording and Information Management as a Tool for Preventive Conservation, Maintenance, and Monitoring: The Approach of Monumentenwacht in the Flemish Region (Belgium)

It is common knowledge that—with the exception of calamities such as fire, earthquakes, and floods—monuments decay in a gradual process and very often major damage is the result of minor damage that has not been repaired in due time. Regular attention and maintenance can slow down the process of decay or, in specific cases, even partially prevent it. That is why an organization was founded in the Netherlands, in the Flemish Region of Belgium, and elsewhere in Europe with a goal based on the very elementary belief that prevention is better than cure, but in this case applied to cultural heritage. Monumentenwacht offers a systematic inspection system focusing on maintenance and preventive conservation and has developed a database for member, object, and inspection information. After almost twenty years of experience, the organization is now in a phase of professionalization of applied technology to develop an integrated condition-reporting database. The question is whether this new system will reach its goals and generate the necessary benefits for users and stakeholders.