I agree in principle with Dave Harvey's comments about lighting in
collections storage areas.  It does depend upon the types of materials
that are stored.  However, since light damage to collections is
cumulative and irreversible, if your collections contain any
light-sensitive materials, then it will be prudent to limit light and UV
exposure to the extent possible.  

There may be options for eliminating or reducing UV depending upon the
type of lighting used in the collections storage space.  I recently
worked on the conversion of a windowless basement office suite into a
collections storage and workspace for one of my clients.  We were
required to re-use U-shaped fluorescent fixtures recessed into the
dropped ceiling that had been installed in the offices.  The fixtures
have an "egg-crate" type of baffle between the room space and the
fluorescent lamp.  Since we couldn't place UV sleeves on the lamp, we
placed a sheet of UV filtering acrylic between the lamp and the
egg-crate.

A good UV filter should meet the following specifications:

Transmission curve normalized at 500 nanometers with less than 11%
transmission at 320 and 350 nanometers and less than 50% transmission at
400 nanometers.

There are many filters on the market which meet this spec.  These
filters can bring the proportional amount of UV emitted by a light
source to under 10 microwatts per lumen.  This is far better that the
previous "standard" of "less than 75 microwatts per lumen" published in
the literature.  

I hope that this helps.

Wendy Claire Jessup
President and Conservator
Wendy Jessup and Associates, Inc.
1814 N. Stafford St,
Arlington, VA 22207
(703) 522-2801
FAX: (703) 522-2802
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 11:11 AM
Subject: Lighting in Collections Storage

I am looking for UV requirements for collections in storage
(nanometers)?
If anyone could recommend a book or website with this information.  In
the
past we have used UV sleeves for all are lights but this is not longer
working in our new storage area and now we are looking for alternatives.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,

Melinda Frillman
St. Louis Science Center
5050 Oakland Ave
St. Louis, MO  63110
314-533-8285

C

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