If you were to ask the question, “What is ephemera?” the answer you would get would depend upon who you asked. A researcher, archivist, librarian, collector and a dealer would all have different opinions about what constitutes ephemera. Ephemera is usually discarded quickly unless there is sentimental value attached.

If you look in a common dictionary, ephemera is defined as printed and written matter that is transitory. Examples of these are baseball or trade cards, tickets to a concert or a sporting event, greeting cards and postcards as well as a wealth of other materials that were created with a short term life in mind. Catalogs, store receipts and church programs are all considered ephemera as are personal letters.

The word ephemera is derived from the Greek word “ephemeral”, and it means things that last no more than a day. In our modern world, we create tons of ephemera on a daily basis. Ephemera is becoming recognized among scholars as a way to research and track popular culture through the ages. They are just finding out what collectors have long known, that ephemera contains important information about the daily routines and lives of the people who have come before us.

Collectors find worth in pieces of paper that were meant to be thrown away. A concert ticket can

recall memories of a youth that has long passed. A store catalog can contain goods and products that were considered the “must haves” for their time and the printed ads and posters can give us a peek into what our great-grandparents considered vital and meaningful at that time in their lives.

Ephemera is finding its niche among those who study social sciences. There was a survey that was done a few decades ago that identified 39 ephemera categories. They ranged from circulars for advertising to calendars of universities. Ephemera was once prized more by collectors than serious researchers and scientists, but more scholars are realizing the wealth of information that ephemera can offer. Ephemera is truly a window to the past of the common people as well as that of the elite and those who shaped history.
Alana Morgaine

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