Your Collection

Should gloves be worn when handling rare books and collection items?

This is one of the Collection Care team’s most frequently asked questions!

While the wearing of white cotton gloves has long been synonymous with handling rare and valuable collection items, recent studies have shown they do not offer significant advantage, and in some cases can cause damage.

Libraries have changed the way they approach the handling of collection material. In fact, the use of gloves is not routinely required at State Library Victoria. Instead, and most importantly, we ask staff and patrons to wash and dry their hands regularly.

Why not white cotton gloves?

The mandatory use of white cotton gloves is quite the misperception. As well as reducing our sense of touch and dexterity, cotton gloves can cause damage to fragile or brittle pages and transfer dirt. We have phased out cotton gloves in our reading rooms on this basis.

Why not latex or rubber gloves?

Not only are latex allergies very common, latex and rubber can damage metals. We don’t recommend latex gloves for this reason.

When are gloves appropriate?

Of course, there are still instances when gloves should be worn. These include:

• when handling any photographic material
• when handling metals
• when handling toxic materials

The type of glove will depend on the material being handled. In most cases nitrile is recommended.

Author credit: Jane Hinwood, former SLV Conservation Manager