A French multi-media library has opened a new chapter with Guardian Clarity anti-reflective glass.
The Médiathèque Pierre Amalric d’Albi (Albi Médiathèque) houses many rare, valuable and historical books and in early 2015, the library required a 7m-long showcase to house the contents of a major new exhibition.
Albi Médiathèque director, Jocelyne Deschaux, found the solution with Guardian Clarity glass with help from Promuseum, a global designer of museum showcases that aim to ‘enhance, as well as protect and conserve’ precious collections.
“Guardian Clarity anti-relfective glass met the museum’s three conditions for the showcase: preservation, aesthetics and value for money,” said Mrs. Deschaux.
When she arrived at Albi Médiathèque over two years ago, Mrs. Deschaux noticed that the library’s showcases were in dire need of upgrading. They were made of different materials – wood, aluminium or glass – and were not suitable for preservation of the rare books. “They were not adequate for these historic collections,” she said.
Mrs. Deschaux connected with Promuseum to discuss the project. “I wanted an airtight showcase with laminated and anti-glare glass that complies with AFNOR standards to exhibit illustrations and photographic collections,” she explained.
Given the amount of natural light in that part of the library, and hence the likelihood of glare and reflection off the display case, Promuseum recommended Guardian Clarity anti-reflective glass as the ideal solution for this installation.
Promuseum built a 7m long display case mounted wall to wall, with the entire front using Guardian Clarity glass. Juliette Bourdillon, Promuseum general director, said: “The biggest challenge was the large size. Moreover, it had to be slotted in a niche. But in the end it turned out perfectly and it really met the high expectations of the Albi Médiathèque.”
Promuseum placed the glass order in July and installed the custom-made display case at Albi Médiathèque in late September. On October 6, the multi-media library opened its current exhibition of historical books, called ‘Black: the History of Color’ which ran through to January 2, 2016.
“We now propose Guardian Clarity anti-reflective glass for all showcase projects, and have started to show it to designers and architects specialized in museum displays,” added Mrs. Bourdillon.
Jocelyne Deschaux added: “I am quite satisfied with the anti-glare aspect thanks to Guardian Clarity glass. I have to say that visitors are really happy with the look of the showcase.”
