Junk as heritage:
The collecting of printed ephemera on a national scale
It is a great privilege and pleasure to be asked to contribute to such a significant forum as The Library Lecture at James Cook University. On this occasion it has rather boldly turned its attention to a difficult and neglected area of library material, one which hovers around the outer fringe areas of heritage collecting, namely ephemera.
This paper will cover printed ephemera, its nature, the status of its collecting by the National Library and a consideration of some issues relating to regional and local collecting.
I wish to start on a negative note, or rather discuss some negative perceptions of a particular genre of ephemera, namely junk mail, the advertising items received in your letter box or inserted in the daily newspaper. Fast food advertising, store sales catalogues, real estate notices, appeals for charity support etc., are all potential heritage material and as such are added selectively to the National Library's Ephemera Collection.
However, on the same humble letter box which yields this heritage material there can also lurk a sinister element- "NO JUNK MAIL" signs. Is it perhaps evidence of a reaction that suggests a simmering anti-heritage movement in the wilds of suburbia?
The distribution of junk mail is growing. In The Australian of June 19 there was a front page article headed, "Why your mail's mostly junk". This reported on the continuing downturn in personal mail, the high increase in the use of electronic communications, and the continuing growth in the "lucrative junk mail market."
Junk mail also assumes political dimensions. On the front page of the Brisbane Courier mail of May 26 there was a small piece headlined "Junk mail's last post". On page 2 the headline changed to "Laws to hit the deadly and annoying". The article concerned a leaked copy of the Queensland Government's draft Environmental Protection Policy which included hazardous waste, toxic materials, as well as street litter. Junk mail was included in the litter category. The report suggested that the delivery of junk mail to letter boxes would be outlawed.
On June 19 the Darwin suburban, a local community newspaper, had a front page banner "Mayor declares war on junk mail". Littering of streets was again the problem. The mayor suggested that people should "... gather all the junk mail on the streets and stuff it in a garbage bag and send it back to the perpetrators at a cost to them". As a counter to this drastic suggestion the mayor of Palmerston, a new suburb of Darwin, asserted that it wasn't a great problem in his suburb and that "...a lot of people in Palmerston enjoy looking at all the different brochures to see what's on offer now that we have a few shops of our own". The distributors of junk mail also joined the fray with a denial of littering and encouraged people to place "No junk mail" signs on letter boxes. They added that they would still deliver "... other things such as the newspaper, electoral brochures and power and water outtage notices... because they are 'need to know' things."
Another example of an unfriendly reaction comes from popular culture historian Dr Barry York from the Victoria University of Technology. He recently coined the term SPUWW - Stuff Put Under Windscreen Wipers. If I did not know of Dr. York's passion and devotion to ephemera and its preservation, I might have feared the emergence of a car park culture almost as hostile to ephemera as "No junk mail" signs.
It is reassuring to speculate that in the cases I have cited, the hostility to ephemera in the form of junk mail is to the means of distribution and not necessarily to the items themselves. The nuisance factor has to be recognised as resting in the attention-getting marketing and distribution.
Embedded in these stories are several perceptions which are critical in the consideration of all printed ephemera, not just junk mail. Features such as mass production, wide distribution, the answering of perceived information needs, and the realm of advertising.
Junk mail is but one type of ephemera. Other examples of genres and formats which are included in the National Library's collecting of ephemera might help in the understanding of the ephemera phenomenon. Information brochures and pamphlets, single sheet flyers and handbills, advertising cards, programs for performing arts, sport, as well as events and celebrations, schedules (eg. shipping), invitations, press releases, menus, and trade catalogues.
To try and reach a definition covering all the formats and genres of ephemera listed above is not easy. In the Library's Collection Development Policy for Australian materials (available on the Internet through the Library's Home Page) a definition is given as "...publications of fewer than five pages are generally treated as ephemera..." However this is soon modified to accommodate the diversity of ephemera with "...items of more than five pages that fall into the categories described below will be assessed on a case by case basis for retention as serials or monographs, but, for reasons of consistency and convenience, it is sometimes considered more appropriate to treat these as ephemera also". The categories referred to in that statement include national organisations and associations, issues of public debate, geographic areas, specific events, art gallery catalogues, book publishing, Federal elections, the performing arts, trade catalogues. This list is not exhaustive and, indeed, needs revision in the light of two years' collecting since the Collection Development Policy was written.
An important inclusion in the Collection Development Policy is a statement on what is NOT collected, realia, artefacts and three dimensional objects. There are some examples of artefacts in the
Library's collections associated with personal papers and manuscripts, but the Library does not actively seek to collect them. In the market place for ephemera and collectibles there is usually a mix of print material and objects and the Library's collecting position needs to be made clear.
The overriding important fact embedded in the policy is that ephemera is seen to be part of the national imprint and liable for collecting by the National Library. As such, it takes its place alongside the more standard printed materials such as monographs, serials, newspapers, etc.
To assist in coming to terms with the nature of ephemera, it is perhaps useful to indulge in some word association. Ephemera can be -
transitory |
(meeting an immediate need which passes) |
disposable |
(thrown away, hence the litter problem) |
purpose driven |
(eg. public education, dissemination of a policy, of facts, advertising) |
event based |
(performance, festival, celebration on all scales) |
crisis conceived |
(eg. a hastily called protest meeting) |
vulnerable |
(an item which initially is widely available quickly becomes fugitive) |
pervasive |
(everyday impact to some degree either meeting immediate personal information needs or part of the daily environment) |
Over and above are two key elements, the combination of which make ephemera the unique and delightful phenomenon that it is - information and advertising. They can be considered to be two points of the one spectrum. The gradation is from the communication of basic, bare facts at one end (eg. schedule, price, dimension, floor plan, cast list) through the application of imagery, textual description, language and design, to the world of persuasion and blatant advertising.
It is this combination which can make ephemera such a rich resource, by providing a documentary record of facts, by echoing the cry of the propagandist or the appeal of a noble cause, by revealing individuals or groups through portraiture and imagery. It can suggest relationships (eg. the role of women and men as depicted in domestic advertising), it can reveal patterns of popular culture, and of course it can carry a strong nostalgia factor in reanimating the past.
The world of ephemera is rife with lists, examples, exceptions, categories. In a way ephemera is its own worst enemy. For, in spite of all the positive factors and potential as a research resource, ephemera remains a fringe attraction in libraries governed by perceptions which range from outright hostility to benign neglect to grudging acceptance to open embrace.
Cynics amongst the library profession might have gained the impression that ephemera is something the cataloguers will not touch with a barge pole because it is just too difficult and too voluminous and won't conform to the rules of bibliographical description. In addition, it is published with a deliberate intent for a short term life - ie. it does not carry the same sense of permanency as a 'book on the shelf'.
There is of course a large element of truth in those perceptions which derive from the very nature of ephemera.It does represent an element of chaos in the naturally ordered library mind set. And, once the decision has been made to collect and preserve ephemera, the library administrator is confronted with difficult questions and problems in the acquisitions and processing of ephemera.
The National Library continues to confront those questions and problems, to seek answers and solutions. By no means has it succeeded in solving them all. The current situation regarding ephemera in the National Library will be considered briefly under the following topics - further policy developments, accommodation of new formats, acquisition practices, processing, access and staffing.
Policy
Some details in the Collection Development Policy have already been discussed. The following points need to be stressed -
- Although ephemera is undoubtedly published material the application of legal deposit to ephemera has never been pursued due to realistic reasons of logistics. Thus, instead of relying on a regular intake of deposited items as is the case with books/monographs/serials, the development of the ephemera collection has to be based on a focussed selection policy and on the appropriate sourcing of the material.
- There are four basic elements governing the selection of ephemera (in whatever format or genre) for inclusion in the Library's collection -
- a significant amount of factual or descriptive information
- significant visual elements such as design, portraiture
- material has to be generally on a level which has wider applicability, a resonance beyond the local source
- material is an exemplar of its type for reasons of design, language, topic, or origin.
A further development in policy considerations is the examination of Australian popular culture and the Library's collecting of materials (both special and printed) relating to it. It is the subject of an internal policy committee. Ephemera of course bears a strong relationship to popular culture. Out of the large lists of aspects of Australian culture which have been discussed, several projects involving the acquisition of ephemera have been identified and activated. These include sport (wrestling and boxing, horse racing), pets, alternative lifestyles (eg. Mardi Grass at Nimbin), and popular music.
New formats
Since the Collection Development Policy was finalised a scant two years ago, developments in information technology have moved rapidly. The Internet has arrived with a vengeance and impacted on collecting activities. In 1995 the Collection Development Policy included a tentative paragraph concerning electronic publishing in Australia. Now, in 1997, there is a unit in the Library dealing with major advances including establishing guidelines for the selection of online Australian publications (SCOAP) and the operation of a project to preserve and access networked documentary resources in Australia (PANDORA). (Details of both SCOAP and PANDORA are available on the Internet through the National Library's Home Page)
The Internet is a new element of chaos to enter the ephemera cycle. Perhaps the Internet represents the Ultimate Ephemera, the Ultimate Junk Mail, as it displays characteristics of print ephemera to an intense and heightened degree. The sheer amount of information and advertising available on the 'Net' is vast and the boundaries between the two are even more indistinct. The information, the data, is of an even more transitory nature, even more volatile than the print equivalent. When it disappears it is permanently gone. (There is no chance of finding a copy of the text at an Ephemera Fair in Melbourne at a later date!)
The Internet is a source of original publishing in that the online information is not necessarily available in parallel print form. Detail and completeness of information is also potentially greater due to the immediacy and ease of manipulation of data. For example, the site for a major event (eg. the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney, the National Folk Festival in Canberra, the Melbourne International Festival) will most likely contain complete daily programs, more complete than any printed source. However, once the event is over that site disappears.
In current affairs, matters of public debate, the Internet provides a forum for all shades of opinion and policy. We have found it productive to monitor sites in the gun control debate, euthanasia, the racism debate, and native title. Key groups can be identified and contacted for other printed material. As well, selected documents such as press releases, policy statements, biographies, etc. are printed out and added to the print ephemera collection.
Acquisition practices and sourcing
The combination of print and electronic sources is a feature of the Library's in-depth collecting approach applied to a number of targeted areas including major socio-medical issues (eg. AIDS), national or international events (eg. the Bicentennial, Expo '88, and the 2000 Olympics), Federal elections, major protests and public debate.
Other areas which receive emphasis in collecting (though not necessarily involving electronic resources) include aspects of popular culture, and Australia as represented overseas in the performing arts, literature and tourism.
Sources of ephemera are as varied as the material itself. It can arrive through serendipity, through what is received in the Library unsolicited which may be part of the daily mail intake, or through serials and newspapers for example. Active collecting by staff takes place, through focussed field visits and trips, and through depositing junk mail from letter boxes. Donations of material are received from the public. As well, collecting of overseas ephemera is assisted by the use of a contract Acquisitions Officer in London. Acquisition campaigns approaching targeted bodies and groups involve telephone contact, letter writing and field visits.
The sources described above are predominantly for current ephemera. The Library acquires retrospective ephemera as part of the routine collecting of out of print Australiana not already in the collection. These sources include public donations (or 'the cleaning out the cupboard' syndrome), print leftovers from acquisitions in the Library's Manuscript Collection, ephemera fairs and auctions (notably in Melbourne which is the ephemera capital of Australia), and the antiquarian book trade and second hand book sellers.
Processing
Once selected for the collection, ephemera is stamped. If appropriate the item is accorded preservation treatment. No items are individually catalogued.
There are five components to the Library's ephemera collection the control of each component differs.
The Performing Arts collection, known as the PROMPT collection is accessible through minimal level entries on the Library's On Line Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) based on the individual files in the collection. The basic arrangement is by the name of the company, the solo performer, the name of a touring production, or a festival or event name. The OPAC is accessible through the Library's Home Page. A project has commenced to prepare detailed listings of selected files for significant individuals or companies. The lists are finding aids as well as checklists of holdings and are being made available through the Internet on the Library's Home Page.
The General Subject component of the ephemera collection is controlled by a subject thesaurus. This is in the process of being revised after several years of use and trial and error. The thesaurus must respond to the collection as it develops and as new material reflects new trends, eg. eco-tourism, theme parks, llama farming etc.
An adaptation of the subject thesaurus is also used for the Trade Catalogue files (eg. clothing trade, domestic appliances). For the Programs and Invitations files, and the Geographic files there are shelf lists of the collection which act as guides.
Access
Access to the collection is via the Petherick Reading Room, a special reading room used by longer term researchers and users of special materials when security is a factor, which is the case with ephemera. With assistance, readers consult the appropriate access point (thesaurus or list or the OPAC) and call for a file, not for individual items. They may receive a file with one sheet in it or several copious files with hundreds of items. Use of ephemera is basically a browsing, research task, always with an element of the unexpected!
Staffing
Staffing for the selection and processing of ephemera is spread across several multi-function work teams in Technical Services. Under the guidance of the Manager, Australian Collection Development, a senior, experienced Library Technician is responsible for organising the searching, processing and filing of ephemera. This system of using several staff on a part time basis for a range of tasks is new and still settling down but it probably represents one to one/half full time positions.
As an indication of the size of the collection an average of 13,000 per annum have been added to the ephemera collection in recent years. A total count has not been made, but it would be in the vicinity of 250,000 separate items.
Large as the collection is, the Library is collecting selectively and selection means rejection of items. The Library has an active discard policy for ephemera. Unwanted material of a general nature is sent to the relevant state library : nearly all art ephemera to the National Gallery of Australia Research Library : local Canberra ephemera to the ACT Heritage Library : and duplicate theatre programs to performing arts museums in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Contained in this scenario is the seed of an operational mini distributed national collection for ephemera. In fact the model of a distributed national collection would seem to be the most appropriate, indeed the only one for the national ephemera collection. There are two basic reasons -
- the material is voluminous and difficult to collect
- no single institution can achieve a truly comprehensive collection for its constituency whether it is at the national, state, regional, local or specialist level. The size and space and geography of this country militates against any such ambitions and in fact places a significant onus on the regional, local and specialist institutions. It is at those levels that local or specialist knowledge resides, networks and loyalties can operate positively, and the community can be seen to have a vested interest in the outcome. In practical terms it means that you don't go to Canberra to collect a wide range of Townsville ephemera or vice versa! All these factors should potentially enhance the selection, sourcing and acquisition of ephemera at the local and regional level.
We in the National Library have had to confront these issues in relation to the city of Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory in which Canberra is situated and further afield to the nearby south eastern region of NSW.
Until recently the National Library collected as comprehensively as it could on Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory with limited collecting on the wider region. With self government for the A.C.T came the establishment of a local heritage collection as part of the public library system. A large part of the National Library's Canberra/A.C.T ephemera collection was transferred to the new library at the time. Subsequent funding cuts have meant that the Heritage Library has not developed as rapidly as might be wished. However it does actively collect Canberra/A.C.T. ephemera.
In the wake of this development, the National Library has opted to collect ephemera comprehensively which reflects Canberra's role as the national capital and as a planned, created city. Ephemera published in Canberra and the region is also collected as broadly representative of trends for the rest of Australia, for example in the case of retailing and consumer goods, or on a subject basis when it has wider application. However, ephemera which is of a very local, suburban, community-based nature is passed to the A.C.T. Heritage Library.
The process involved is basically an exercise in identifying and defining the make-up of the local and regional environment and the relationship of the institution involved. The ingredients that characterise that environment are all potential sources for ephemera and other minor publications such as newsletters and suburban newspapers. These materials are all more appropriately collected at the local level.
In the Australian league of medium size cities over 100,000 population, Townsville is close to Geelong (145,000) and Newcastle (131,000) but smaller than Wollongong (183,000). Canberra (290,000) is larger than all of these centres but is comparable in the scale of the environment and local heritage collecting.
Population size differences aside, an interesting coincidence amongst this grouping of cities is the fact they have developed strong library based local heritage collections. In Geelong, it is at Deakin University, a situation similar to James Cook University. In Wollongong and Newcastle it is in the form of strong Local Studies Collections within the public library system funded by the city government, which is mirrored in developments Canberra.
The range of materials in these collections both print and non-print, is extensive and includes ephemera.
In each case also, the ambit of the collecting extends (in varying degrees of comprehensiveness) into geographical or economic regions - the Western District of Victoria beyond Geelong, the lower Hunter Valley north of Newcastle, and the Illawarra region surrounding Wollongong. In comparison, the region around Townsville extends to north Queensland, and the A.C.T. Heritage Library takes in contiguous areas of south eastern NSW.
Each of the libraries involved have had to strike a balance between their existing roles and responsibilities as a university or public library with that of the role of a heritage collecting institution.
A common element with medium size cities in Australia such as the ones being discussed is the structure of the social and political environment. Whilst complex and inclusive, it is probably of more manageable proportions than the larger capital cities, where the equivalent scale would be on a suburban level.
It is more than likely that all the following will be present in a medium size city to some degree-
- education (tertiary, college, secondary, primary, pre-school, special, technical, adult)
- retail trade in all sectors
- local industry
- representation of commonwealth or state government services
- local city government and surrounding shires etc.
- the tourism sector (attracting tourists to the region in which case the sources are probably distributed interstate: the local infrastructure of accommodation, transportion, attractions, tours)
- sport (apart from the major sports such as football and cricket the whole range of sports in which the community participates, amateur and professional)
- politics (parties and representatives at the local, state and federal level)
- the indigenous community
- leisure and recreation (clubs, hobby groups)
- the rural, farming, agricultural sector
- architecture, housing, town planning
- health sector (hospitals, doctors, dentists, specialists, alternative medicine, health insurance, drug rehabilitation)
- religions
- food (restaurants, food production)
- alternative life styles
- the visual arts scene (art galleries, art schools)
- performing arts (local amateur companies, local professional companies, touring companies)
- grey power (retirement facilities)
- the defence forces presence
- specialist research institutes
- transportation (rail, air, bus, sea links)
- libraries (public, special, institutional)
- ethnic communities
- genealogy and family history
- the heritage sector (eg. National Trust, private museums, national parks)
This list is in no particular order and there may be omissions. However, it outlines a complex mosaic representing a typical medium size Australian city and its region. All the sectors and groups in the mosaic produce publications of some sort, in order to answer information needs, to promote, to record and document, to influence, to advertise. Books, pamphlets, newspapers, newsletters, ephemera, the Internet are all potential heritage materials which need to be recognised and, if possible, accommodated by a heritage collecting agency endeavouring to reflect the complexity and richness of the environment.
There is a strong sense of responsibility and awareness here at James Cook University Library in the need for heritage collecting for Townsville and north Queensland. The Library's Special Collections of archives, manuscripts, rare books, newspapers and ephemera is an impressive aggregation of heritage resources on the city and the region. The Special Collections will be significantly enriched with the finalisation of plans for a project for the year 2000. This creative initiative will take a snapshot of Townsville and the region through targeted collecting of ephemera and other minor publications. Such a sampling of the social history of north Queensland at the end of the millenium as reflected in ephemera could well serve as a model for other cities of comparable size and for smaller communities, suburbs and towns. The development of this project will be observed with great interest. It is a fine example of a large library extending due recognition to the challenges and rewards of collecting printed Australian ephemera.