Let There be at Least Half-Way Decent Light: How Library Illumination Systems Work—And Don't Work
By Fred Schlipf and John Moorman Summary of a Presentation at The Public Library Association 2002 Conference in Phoenix
The original presentation was heavily illustrated with color slides and had a number of running jokes, both of which are omitted from this outline. You would have had a lot more fun (and perhaps found things easier to understand) if you had been there in person. The program was repeated at the 2003 conferences of the Illinois Library Association and the Virginia Library Association.
INTRODUCTION
Many libraries have serious problems with lighting. Because most of these problems are easy to prevent if you start off with the right premises, bad lighting is an avoidable evil.
Sometimes major lighting problems can be corrected after your building is constructed, but many cannot. By far the best time to avoid evil in lighting is when you are first designing a building.
Lighting is not an arcane subject. All we need to do in libraries is to provide uniform, high-quality light while avoiding glare and not wasting money.
To deal effectively with architects and engineers, you'll have to understand some basic lighting concepts, particularly so you'll to know when and why to shout "no."
This outline is divided into eight parts:
