White Gloves

Peter Rukavina

From this week’s Cool Tools podcast: Rebecca Romney, rare book dealer, blows the lid off the need for white gloves in archives:

White Gloves — The “Anti” Cool Tool — “I would love to take a moment to debunk the myth that I should be wearing white gloves when I handle printed books. From the British Library to the Houghton, none of the major conservators and rare book curators recommend these. And for good reason: with gloves, you lose your tactile sensitivity and are much more likely to damage the book while handling it. Just wash your hands first and you’re fine.”

Comments

Submitted by Laurent Beaulieu on

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We were invited a few years ago while living in Rome to visit the Vatican Library, they have quite the collection of rare old books and documents. I was surprise to see them handle without gloves.I can understand the wash your hands idea, problem is most people do not wash their hands, thus the problem.

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Photo of Peter RukavinaI am . I am a writer, letterpress printer, and a curious person.

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