> Does this sound like safe light levels for this period of time? Otherwise,
> I would probably shoot an image of the open page and lay that image on top
> of the open diary, separated by acid-free paper. But it would look better
> and be more authentic to just be looking at the diary page itself.

The advice others have given are spot on in that you need to limit the
long-term exposure of the pages to light. You also need to take into
consideration the paper itself. Old rag based paper (pre-1880s-ish) is
much more stable than late 19th and early 20th century wood pulp paper,
which is highly acidic and seriously prone to eating itself and becoming
rapidly brittle when exposed to light for periods of time.

Your own alternative of shooting an image of an open page is one we have
used almost exclusively at sites with which I have been associated. Rarely
have we needed to display open pages or actual documents from the
collections. When we did, we limited the light as much as humanly possible
as Marc has suggested.

Unless you can really limit light exposure to an absolute minimum, then do
really need to expose the pages to it.

Look at it this way - what's the most important thing about the diary? The
book itself or the information it contains? If it's the book itself, then
you don't need to display the pages, just feature the book, closed, in a
central display with a sample or two of what the diary contains on acid
free paper. If it's the information within the diary that's of the most
value, then do you even need to display the actual diary? If you feel that
you do, just present the diary closed and pick pages with the most
fascinating or exhibit critical entries and display them as enlarged, easy
to read color copies on acid free paper. That way you can create a nice
display emphasizing what gives the diary life without potentially harming
it in the long run.

My experience has been to leave books closed and make color images of
select pages and display them next to the book. If you can't limit the
light, this is an archive-preferred way to do it.

Just my 2 cents.

Scott Peters

Jersely Speaking,  Minister of trivia, errata and miscellany --
 Founding Trustee, The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County
 ------------------------
 "The ordinary distinctions in society are often vague, and imply no just
pre-eminence: rank and titles are adventitious
 things and instead of designating merit or virtue, are frequently the
baubles of imbecility, or the sparkling decorations of meretricious
pageantry" William Griffith, 1803

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