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Setting lighting at that level encouraged museums to think it is safe to leave objects exposed without thinking of the cumulative effect. 

Nowadays we are much more aware of the need to consider the whole exposure - the intensity (in lux) multiplied by the time (in hours) which gives an exposure value in lux-hours. 

For light-sensitive materials it’s generally agreed to have a MAXIMUM of 150,000 lux-hours per year. This means light levels can be above 50 lux, as long as the object is exposed to light for shorter periods to balance out. 

Museums generally also agree that it is not appropriate to allow unnecessary damage to objects - eg exposing them to light when no-one can see them. Galleries which are exposed to natural daylight are notorious for this - in some cases objects are exposed to more light damage when the museum is closed (in long summer days) than when it is opened. Protecting objects from light when the museum is closed also needs to be included in the plan.

Finally, some museums also plan to keep light-sensitive objects in the dark for 3 times as long as they’ve been on exhibition unless there is a really important reason (eg an anniversary) to put them back temporarily on display.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes

Hi

 

Does anyone have any institutional guidelines or policies about light levels for the display of taxidermy specimens?   We are currently working on display specifications for our new museum development at Perth City Hall which might include a large amount of open display.  Our existing gallery has been in place since the 1980s and has displayed taxidermy in light levels  of typically 100-300 lux and occasionally even higher. I suspect many of us have taxidermy displayed in higher than 50 lux.

 

Best wishes

 

Mark Simmons

Perth Museum & Art Gallery

 

 

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