 Ephemera is a term for printed material with a limited life-span – tickets, flyers, cards, programmes, posters, etc – which is produced to pass on details about specific issues, activities, events, products, and services.
Ephemera is generally discarded once its immediate use has passed. However, it is collected by libraries because it enhances information found in longer-lasting documents to give us a more “complete picture of life at a given point in time“. Some of this “throwaway“ material has considerable visual appeal because it often combines text with images and photographs.
Ephemera in the library’s three ephemera collections (see below) date from the 1840s to the present day; items can be located using the Ephemera index.
Old Colonists’ Museum Collection
A collection of items from Auckland's colonial days, which came to the library after the Old Colonists' Museum closed in the 1950s.
Freida Dickens Programme Collection
A collection of music, dance and theatre programmes from 1911-1976 donated by Miss Freida Dickens who worked at His Majesty’s Theatre.
New Zealand Ephemera Collection
A growing collection divided into two sequences, one according to type, the other according to subject matter, with items from 1860s to the present day. Types of ephemera in this collection include advertising flyers, cards, calendars, catalogues, invitations, menus, orders of service, posters, programmes, and tickets. Subject areas currently collected include entertainment, performing arts (especially dance and theatre), social and community issues, recreation, food and drink, fashion, war, local and general elections, sports, and the environment.
Below are some examples of items in our collection. Click on a thumbnail to view a larger image.
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