DiscoverGrammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.Inside the life of a curator (and the myth of white gloves), with John Overholt.
Inside the life of a curator (and the myth of white gloves), with John Overholt.

Inside the life of a curator (and the myth of white gloves), with John Overholt.

Update: 2026-04-16
Share

Description

1177. This week, we look at behind-the-scenes of being a curator at Harvard's Houghton Library with John Overholt. We look at why 18th-century paper is surprisingly tough, how John managed the high-stakes transport of a George Washington book, and why curators actually prefer bare hands over white gloves. This bonus discussion originally ran for Grammarpaloozians back in January.


Find John Overholt on Mastodon.


Houghton Library's website


🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Take our advertising survey

🔗 Transcript available on QuickandDirtyTips.com.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books


| HOST: Mignon Fogarty


| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

  • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
  • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
  • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
  • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
  • Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb


| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.


| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTubeTikTokFacebookThreadsInstagramLinkedInMastodonBluesky.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Inside the life of a curator (and the myth of white gloves), with John Overholt.

Inside the life of a curator (and the myth of white gloves), with John Overholt.