I once worked in a university museum that had a Homer watercolor that was determined to be of such superior educational value that keeping it locked up and viewable only upon request would be a huge blow to the mission of the museum. They essentially reorganized a gallery in order to place the Homer into complete darkness, except for a reverse-dimmer, low-lux light triggered by a motion sensor. I think it was a good compromise between access and preservation, especially for the time (mid-1980s). They've since renovated the entire museum: I haven't been back to see it, and they may have an even better solution. I've seen watercolors stored flat in climate-controlled, glassed-over drawers right in the galleries: the artwork in the drawer is in the dark, and when the visitor pulls open the drawer a low-level light comes on for a specified period of time so the painting can be viewed. The drawer has a super-smooth action, a back-stop on the drawer and no vibrations when rolled out. Sorry, I can't recall right now where I saw it. I think there can be a balance if one is willing and financially able to explore technology to its fullest. Julia Muney Moore Public Art Administrator Blackburn Architects, Indianapolis, IN (317) 875-5500 x230 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).