Cris Wolf wrote:

*You'll get no flak from me, I wholeheartedly agree!  Preservation
and learning should not be mutually exclusive.  And, by the way, most
children are interested to learn about preservation techniques and the
negative effects of handling, light, temperature, etc.  There are many
museums out there combining the concepts of artifact preservation and
education, perhaps we should all consider including a little bit of
this in our exhibits?*
?????????

This is very true about the public's interest (children especially)
in conservation.  We have about 30,000 school children tromping
through every year and once in awhile I'm called on to give a guided
tour to the little tikes.  Being a member of the curatorial staff, I
usually ask if they know why the light levels are so low and I'm
always surprised how many 5th graders already know (I just wish
they'd tell the adults who complain about how dark it is.)

In our current temporary exhibit we have a section of hands-on items.
  (Let it be known that they are sturdy objects from a private
collector who suggested they be hands-on).  Last week, I was
thoroughly surprised to receive notes from 2 different visitors
telling us that we shouldn't let people touch the objects, because it
might damage them.  Go figure!  They weren't museum professionals or
anything??just normal Iowans!

Christine Mouw
Assistant Curator
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum
West Branch, Iowa  52358