> I think the biggest problem in public perception these days is > something like the "History Dectives" program on cable, where every > time an old document or book is produced on screen, it is handled > with white gloves, and the narrator says that that is necessary for > preservation. Groan ....
In defense of the HISTORY DETECTIVES--which airs on PBS, not a pay cable channel--the white-gloved scenes you have seen may have come: (1) at the behest of the institutions that they were visiting, or (2) when they were handling artifacts other than books and papers.
In fact on their website they address the controversy, saying:
"If you're allowed to touch the actual materials, don't quibble if asked to use gloves. Some archivists believe gloves keep document-destroying oils from harming the originals. There are other archivists who believe that gloves do more harm than good."
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/diy/archives_check.html
And finally I recall one episode where they handled letters from John Brown and his family members without gloves. There's even a picture here:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/106_johnbrownletters.html
One of my family members watching the show with me objected to that practice, but I pointed out the disadvantages of gloves.
William M. Klimon william.m.klimon.c87@alumni.upenn.edu