Ontology, in this department, is a technical discipline. Some objects exist in conditional states: present under certain conditions, absent under others, or in a form of existence that a standard accession record does not adequately describe. Presence research is treated as a branch of conservation science rather than philosophy, and is reviewed under the same governance as analytical chemistry. The survey was established after the register identified three accessions that appeared to be conducting their own survey.
Presence research treats existence as a property that can be monitored, lost, and regained. Objects that are present only under certain conditions — a temperature, a sound, the category of their most recent witness, the resolution of a dispute — are held under targeted restrictions and re-evaluated when those conditions change. Several are re-evaluated continuously.
The quarterly presence audit compares object states against the register, records new cases of ontological drift, and notes any accession that appears to be tracking the audit. The audit does not resolve such cases; it records them, and refers resolution to the Registrar and, where indicated, the Ministry of Grace.
Objects whose existence is conditional on temperature, sound, observation, the category of the most recent witness, the resolution of an ongoing dispute, or proximity to specific other accessions are catalogued under targeted access restrictions and re-evaluated when conditions change. Several are re-evaluated continuously. One has requested that the re-evaluation intervals be disclosed to it in advance.
The register includes objects that are partially dematerialised, in the process of becoming something else, in a form of existence not previously catalogued, or whose register entry is itself conditionally accurate. A separate ledger records objects that appear to have altered their own ontological condition without disclosure. Both lists are reviewed quarterly by the Conservation Committee and, where located, the relevant custody partner.
The quarterly presence audit compares current object states against register entries, identifies new cases of ontological drift, notes objects that have changed location or classification without recorded authorisation, and flags any accession that appears to be tracking the audit. The audit does not resolve these cases; it records them. Resolution is referred to the Registrar and, where indicated, the Ministry of Grace.