Declaration of Independence

[usnationalarchives]

Paper conservators are often asked if one should wear gloves when handling books and documents. Wearing gloves reduces the dexterity and tactile "feel" required to safely handle fragile records or turn pages in a bound volume and can actually increase the risk of damaging a record.

[usnationalarchives]

Conservators have a better sense of what we are touching and are better able to avoid catching vulnerable projecting edges when we work with bare hands. Paper conservators wash their hands thoroughly and frequently throughout the day to keep them free of dirt and oils as an effective alternative to wearing gloves.

[usnationalarchives]

The main exceptions to using clean bare hands to handle archival records is in handling bare photographs, bare audio and video tape, and metal artifacts. Photographic emulsions, magnetic tape, and metal are so vulnerable to damage that we only handle them with gloves. Most other types of artifacts, including textiles, baskets, frames, and jewelry, are also handled with gloves.

[voiceforveterans]

Awesome! Artifacts like these should be preserved and maintained so that future generations will never forget how our veterans fought for our country and without their courage, we will never experience the freedom we are enjoying right now.

[openmindedozzie]

Too bad the current government doesn't recognise this beautifully written piece of legislation.... :-/

[usnationalarchives]

@Elliehorselover100 The original parchment of the Declaration is at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Institution does not have the Declaration, but it does have the portable desk on which Jefferson drafted the document.

[Elliehorselover100]

Is that at the Smithsoian Museum? Cause the original is at that museum.

[appletree37]

i'd rather watch Leif Garrett Special excerp w/Brooke Shields

[hex00002]

nice

[RWRamo]

Well, someone got thier little bit of immortality. I'm glad it wasn't a technitions blurp of big mac goo.

[OD533]

The hand print is from the Doctor.

[RockDoctorLV]

@OD533 Kitty Nicholson needs more training. You never handle an ancient document with a bare hand. We notice it's not "Dr." in front of her name and it shows with her lack of handling expertise.

[hyelin25]

@RockDoctorLV I'll have you know that Kitty is my aunt, and she's millions of times smarter than you'll ever be. So lay off of her, and stop criticizing her for simply making a mistake.

[PhantomPhan1332]

@OD533

Doctor: Uh oh....