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Whenever parchment was handled, it was done so carefully by experienced conservators
who made sure to have very clean hands. While gloves are often worn when handling
artwork and items of high value, there are some instances when gloves can be a detriment
to safe handling because they can inhibit tactile ability and manual dexterity. The edges
of some of the Charters documents are very fragile, and conservators often worked without
gloves to ensure that the parchment sheets were handled with the greatest care and caution.
It is sometimes hard for gloved fingers to lift an edge or a small object. Even though
gloves were not always worn when working on the Charters documents, other techniques were
used to protect their surfaces. A small blotter square was often used as a barrier between
fingers or hands and the documents. The inked areas were never touched with anything but a
soft fine brush. And when it was necessary to turn a document over, it was held securely
between sheets of blotter.—Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler
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