How is museum lighting selected? An insight into current practice in UK museums

The results of a series of interviews with museum professionals on the subject of museum lighting specification and selection are reported, with the aim that this report should provide an insight into current practice. Specific attention is given to the usage of industry parameters (lux, CIE-Ra, CCT), and to investigating the level of ubiquity of light-emitting diode (LED) technology. It is found that the damage potential of lighting is considered most commonly in terms of lux dosage, that a minimum cut off in terms of CIE-Ra is used to specify lighting ‘quality’, and that LED usage is growing, primarily as a result of institution-wide energy use reduction drives.