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UV Light Filtration.



Good morning everyone,

        Our museum needs your expert help.
        The head of maintenance came to me to discuss UV filtration and proper
light levels for a temporary exhibit of original framed paintings (some are
oil, some are acrylic) we're planning to mount soon.  He told me that there
was a problem with the temporary exhibition space lighting...the special
"plastic" covering on the museum's fluorescent light bulbs had bubbled,
burned and broken off in places.
        Without seeing it, I voiced the opinion that, perhaps, the light levels
might have been too high and that our museum/archives, which sits on top of
the highest point in Harrisburg, might have been struck by lightening once
too often which might have caused the thing to bubble and burn.  I had
assumed the maintenance chief was talking about the THIN UV filtration tubes
you place over the bulbs.  (No "assume" jokes, please.)  But the head of
maintenance looked puzzled and said "thin?  These things are thick."
        To shorten the story I told him that I had to see it for myself so we went
down to his office and I found, not the expected thin film covering you put
over the flourescent tubes, but what looked like a heavy plastic, outer tube
attached to the inner flourescent bulb.  The end was broken, melted and
bubbled.
        My went back to my office to check my CCI notes...which mentioned the
availability of soft and hard UV filtration devices that fit over
fluorescent tubes.  The CCI notes also state that both types of filtration
last for approximately 10 years.  Our museum opened on February 12th,
2001...a whole lot less than 10 years ago.

        Have any of you experienced this type of thing?

        The second query concerns light levels on original works of  Civil War art
that will be on public display for about 9 hours a day, 7 days a week, for
the entire summer.  My best best guess is light levels of 100 lumins,
maximum, but how much less than the 100 lumins is best for the framed art?
To make things even more interesting, the temporary exhibit area has a glass
wall that faces North-West.  The glass isn't UV filtered.  There are no
curtains.

        YOUR HELP IS REALLY NEEDED!

        Any and all suggestions gratefully accepted.
        Sincerely,
        Elayne Dobel Goyette, Archivist
        The National Civil War Museum (Harrisburg, PA)
        (717) 260-1861, ext. 1211
        fax:  (717) 260-9599
        egoyette@nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

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