The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America publishes guidelines for recommended levels of library lighting. In general, the existing lighting system does not meet these guidelines. For example, the guidelines recommend lighting levels in the range of 20 to 50 footcandles for effective browsing and searching in bookstacks. Background on which the details are seen. Computer aided design tools have helped to produce a revolution in interior lighting products during the past decade.
Contemporary fixtures produce significantly more light while using less energy.