Hi folks thought I would post the line to the National Parks Services Conserve O Gram just made available entitled "How To Select Gloves: An Overview For Collections Staff"
http://www.nps.gov/museum/publicatio...gram/01-12.pdf
This is a useful publication that makes many important points.
Although I would say it is basically accurate in what it covers, no document of this type can be truly comprehensive of course.
No article of any size can provide all of the context and experience we would like have available in order to make the best choice for our specific circumstance.
That of course is what we are here for.
Please share information that you think would be helpful by posting comments on this thread.
At the same time if there are questions that arise that another member might be able to help out with please post those as well (several other people out there are probably wondering the same thing).
In that light I will start off.
In many situations found in collections work you have an alternating set of activities that at one point involve handling an object directly followed by handling materials, tools, conveyances etc... the next and then back to the object etc...
Under those circumstances there are real advantages to wearing gloves that can be easily removed and put on.
Nitrile gloves are the worst kind of gloves in use in the museum setting in that regard and as a result they are often not taken off as often as they should be due purely to logistical limitations.
An alternative solution is vinyl gloves. They vary in thickness from gloves that are easy to reuse if that is what is needed, to ones that are almost as thin and flexible as nitrile.
In addition the cost of vinyl gloves is so much less than that of nitrile that handlers can feel freer to change gloves more frequently enhancing both object and personal safety.
As I write this in the beginning of 2011 a full box of vinyl gloves cost $4 dollars a box. The best deal out there on nitrile gloves doesn't come close.
This may not be the ideal product but as far as I am concerned in the real world affordability plus being able to put gloves on and take them off easily while working under real deadlines means that handlers end up actually wearing gloves more consistently while handling the objects.
Another thing I noticed is that the table included in the article mentioned that vinyl gloves have the potential to degrade and create a residue. Presumably that is why they are not recommended for handling basically any type of material in the right hand column.
In reality however they are routinely used on a variety of objects by some highly regarded museums.
I would certainly not recommend that objects be stored with gloves attached to them (don't know why you would want to do that) but unless your gloves are old, or are exposed to a lengthy period of high humidity and/or high levels of UV radiation, danger to many objects types is minimal to non-existent.
Certainly handling framed paintings or anything in a modern wood frame - like contemporary photos or prints - (not actually "objects" anyway) is not a real concern. The same actually holds true for the majority of objects in ethnology and archeology collections.
In other words vinyl gloves are perfectly suited for much of what many art handlers find themselves handling day in and day out.
Polished metal - ok - so maybe not, but polished metal is just begging for trouble. You probably shouldn't be even breathing in the presence of polished metal.
Another topic that is not addressed is a common concern expressed that many nitrile gloves are not in fact safe for use on objects (I have heard people say that only "the purple ones" are really safe). I have no comment to make about that.
Oh yeah one other comment. When you don't wear gloves "Clean hands" actually aren't after a relatively short period of time.
Even if you don't touch a thing after washing them the oils and salts generated by your body replenish over time.
If you don't wear gloves wash your hands frequently and don't handle carts, drills, crates etc and then handle the art afterwards. There is a world of difference between the realities of a conservator in the lab and those of a preparator in the gallery.
You are kindly invited to add your own comments and/or argue with mine...
Ashley
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