The Museum Environment

Machine generated contents note: Light Part I Surface deterioration -- Light and heat energy -- The spectrum -- The basic light sources -- Colours and materials which change -- Damage caused by UV and visible radiation -- UV radiation and how to deal with it -- Measuring UV and visible radiation -- The reciprocity law -- Controlling visible radiation -- Reducing illuminance -- 50 lux - artificial light -- Diffusion of light -- 200 lux - daylight and artificial light -- Conservation lighting specifications -- Treatment of windows -- Angle at which light falls on exhibits -- Reducing time of exposure -- A suite of exhibition rooms -- Heat -- Control of temperaturet S -- Lighting for professional photography, television -- and restoration -- Electronic flash -- Colour rendering -- The measurement of colour -- The lighting situation and the process of seeing -- Humidity Part I The importance of humidity -- Measuring the humidity in the air -- The wet-and-dry-bulb hygrometer -- Electronic hygrometers -- Non-mechanical hygrometers -- linderstanding the hygrometric chart -- Response of museum material to RH -- Best RH for moisture-containing absorbent materials -- Climate inside anld outside the museum -- Condensation and the dew point -- Humidity control -- RH control in a room -- The humidistat -- Humidifying equipment -- Dehumidifying equipment -- Room RH control: maintenance and air circulation -- Packaged air-conditioning units -- Ducted air conditioning -- RH control in a closed case - buffers -- Silica gel in packing cases -- Exhibition cases -- The buffered case: towards a practical solution -- RH control in a closed case - use of salts -- Mechanical RH stabilisation in cases -- Future development of exhibition case stabilisation -- RH is often a matter of compromise -- Historic buildings closed in winter and churches -- Improvisation and RH control -- Humidity control in archaeology -- Air Pollution Part I The problem -- Particulates -- Particulate concentrations today -- New concrete buildings -- Removal of particulates -- Electrostatic precipitators (electro-filters) -- Gaseous pollution -- Sulphur dioxide (SO2) -- Damage.caused by sulphur dioxide -- Glass and sulphur dioxide -- Effects of sulphur dioxide on lichens and mosses -- Ozone -- Effects of ozone -- Nitrogen oxides -- Effects of nitrogen dioxide -- Levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide likely to be -- encountered -- Chlorides -- Pollution through storage conditions -- Removal of gaseous pollutants -- Fire extinguishers -- Sound and vibration -- Light Part II Spectral curves -- Sun and sky -- Lamps and control equipment -- Measuring UV -- Luminous efficiency and the light meter -- Some basic light units -- Visual performance -- Luminance and subjective brightness -- The Blue Wool standards -- Damage versus wavelength -- Heat radiated from light sources -- Activation energy -- The primary photochemical reaction -- Placing a colour on the CIE Chromaticity Chart -- The colour rendering calculation -- Colour rendering and the black body convention -- Choosing a fluorescent lamp -- Dimming -- Humidity Part II The standard hygrometric (psychrometric) chart -- The classical air-conditioning operation -- A museum air-conditioning system -- Control -- Heating and cooling loads -- Sensors -- External design conditions -- Dimensional changes caused by RH variation -- Outdoor climate and response of objects indoors -- Does constant RH keep dimensions unchanged at all -- temperatures? -- Effect of people on RH and temperature -- Use of the air moisture-content scale -- The closed and buffered museum case -- Hygrometric half-time -- Materials useful as buffers ,. -- Penetration of oxygen and water vapour through -- plastic films -- Air Pollution Part II Plotting the size distribution of particulates -- Choice of particulate filter -- Efficiency of activated carbon filters -- Room air cleaners -- Measuring concentrations of pollutants in museums -- The fate of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere -- The formation of ozone -- Computers in environment control -- Data logging -- Future trends in environmental control -- Appendix: Summary of specifications -- References -- Index