What has a 1970s guide to Bolton Abbey
in common with a scrapbook of 1980s press cuttings about anti-nuclear activities in Cambridge?
They are part of our new collections of ephemera. Such items can be fascinating and important primary historical sources and link us directly to the ideas and opinions of their creators in a way that more formal documents may not do. This is particularly true of pressure groups such as those campaigning for nuclear disarmament, who use leaflets, posters and other informal sources to reach out and spread their message.
Some of our ephemera belongs to individual archives, for instance, the J.B. Priestley Archive is rich in programmes, playbills and posters for performances of Priestley plays. But much of it does not fit into a particular archive, so we have decided to create distinct ephemera collections for key subject areas:
PEACE. Organised using the Commonweal classification (ref: Eph PAC). Mainly relating to nuclear disarmament campaigning in the UK, 1980s camps at Molesworth and Greenham, but all sorts of other interesting items are appearing. Supplementing our extensive peace-related collections of books and archives.
YORKSHIRE, particularly our special interests, the Dales and the West Riding. (ref: Eph YOR). Organised by Dale or town. Guides to towns, walks or caves, the story of a holiday cottage in Dentdale, mini maps. Supplementing our Yorkshire collections.
Former YUGOSLAVIA and the Balkans (ref: Eph YUG). Historically, the University has had close links with this region, and the Library specialises in its social and economic history. Hence interesting materials will come our way! The first chunk is a collection of manifestos and other papers relating to elections in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
