Declaration of Independence

In time for the National Archives July 4th celebration, the first two-minute video features Catherine Nicholson, National Archives supervisory conservator, discussing the conservation of the original Declaration of Independence. The videos will be hosted online on the National Archives YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/USNational Archives and the National Archives website, www.archives.gov.

"Inside the Vaults" will cover a host of topics including highlights from the National Archives in the Washington, DC, area and from the Presidential libraries and regional archives nationwide. Created by a former broadcast network news producer, these shorts will present "behind the scenes" exclusives and offer surprising glimpses of the National Archives treasures.

These videos are in the public domain and not subject to any copyright restrictions. The National Archives encourages the free distribution of them.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Declaration of Independence
• preservation
• charters of freedom
• national archives
• nara
• inside the vaults

[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.

[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.

[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.

[PhantomPhan1332]

@OD533

Doctor: Uh oh....

[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.... :-/

[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

[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.