David (or anyone else who might know) -

Where might I find a sheet like the one you mention - silver, brass, and 
steel - for passing around on tours?  Any idea of the cost?

Jill R. Chancey, PhD
Curator
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
PO Box 1108
Laurel, MS 39441
(601) 649-6374
www.LRMA.org
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Harvey" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: Gloves for touch tours


> Erin,
>
> As a museum, objects, and sculpture conservator I'm not a big fan of
> encouraging visitors to touch art or historic objects - even if they
> have gloves on - I just think its a bad precedent except for working
> the the visually impaired. I think that it would be a bad example for
> kids - to be encouraged to touch or to see their parents touching
> objects in a museum. It may be ok with the things that you are
> planning on incorporating on your tour but what about when they visit
> another institution and think its ok?
>
> Unbleached white cotton gloves are good but then you have a continual
> cleaning issue with them. Avoid latex as some percetage of the
> population can get allergic reactions to it. Avoid powdered gloves -
> as the cornstarch or talc inside make them more comfortable for the
> wearer but the fine powder gets all over your objects. Avoid those
> cotton gloves with rubber or plastic dots - they transfer to hard
> surfaces like metals, ceramics, and glass.
>
> When I worked in a museum lab and we had contant public tours I had a
> sheet of sterling silver, steel, and brass that I passed around and
> let everyone handle - people were amazed to see all the fingerprints
> etched into the surfaces of the various metals. And they loved it when
> I told them that I would have the FBI in to check on any fingerprints
> that showed up on objects in our collections.
>
> Cheers!
> Dave
\ 

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