Ephemera refers to everyday printed items like posters, programmes, invitations, tickets, postcards, leaflets and flyers.
Big Day Out event ticket, Auckland, 2001. Ephemera: Music – Big Day Out – 2001.
Though intended for a short lifespan, these pieces capture the details of local issues, activities, events, products and services that have shaped Aucklanders' day-to-day experiences throughout the years.
View ephemera collections
Some subject folders and ephemera samples can be found online while others can be accessed in person by appointment with a specialist librarian.
Contact us about viewing specific items via our
research enquiry form or via the comments section at the bottom of each item record on Kura Heritage Collections Online.
The ephemera index
The ephemera collection at the Central City Library contains over 370,000 items of printed material from the 1860s to the present day, with a particular strength from the 1970s onwards.
The collection index is organised into subject folders such as:
- comedy
- music
- clubs and societies
- festivals
- carnivals, pageants, and regattas
- tourism
Featured collections
Heritage posters
Auckland theatre posters from 1972 and 1995. Hair, Ephemera: Posters - Theatre - 1972.
Eph-Post01950. Aunties, Ephemera: Posters - Theatre - 1995.
Explore the evolution of Auckland's performing arts scene. Vibrant poster designs not only advertised captivating shows, but now offer glimpses into the social and cultural landscape of their eras.
‘HAIR: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical’ (1972) embodies the counterculture movement of the 1960s, while ‘Maui’ (1995), presented at the Pumphouse by the popular local group Aunties, dives into Māori legend.
Social movement posters from 1981 and 1989. Stop The Tour Poster: Ephemera: Posters - Race - Apartheid - 1981.
Rainbow Warrior Poster: Ephemera: Posters - Nuclear Issues - 1989.
Historical moments were once current events. Public print materials often reflect a society's concerns and emotions, making these posters a unique window into the causes close to Aucklanders’ hearts.
A 1981 poster (left) promotes a public march protesting the Springbok rugby tour amidst the apartheid happening in South Africa at the time. Later, in 1989, a Rainbow Warrior poster (right) captures public anticipation of a new Greenpeace ship, four years after the original ship was bombed and sunk ahead of its planned protest against French nuclear testing at sea.
Telegram communications
Telegram between Whangarei and Wellington, 1962. Ephemera: Telegrams 1962.
Before email and fax machines, the fastest way to send a written message was by telegram. Telegrams were charged by the word, so short phrases were preferred.
In 1880, when New Zealand’s population was only 600,000, more than one million telegrams were sent. The Post Office provided the telegram service for 125 years until it ended in 1987.
Event materials
Ball programme, 1896
Ephemera: OCM Ball Programmes, 1896. Eph-OCM9091.
A ball programme is better known as a 'dance card'. This intricately designed Oddfellow's Ball dance card served as a memento and record-keeping tool for attendees of the social event held in Warkworth, Auckland, in May 1896.
Ephemera: OCM Ball Programmes, 1896. Eph-OCM9091.
The pages inside the programme list dances for the evening, such as the polka, waltz, mazurka, and quadrille. Men would write their names next to the dance they would like to have with the woman holding the dance card.
Arbour Day
Arbour Day is an annual nationwide event that brings people together to plant New Zealand native trees.
Ephemera: Tickets – Functions and exhibitions – 1892. Eph-OCM 2384.
This illustrated Arbour Day ticket was handed to those attending a tree-planting event hosted at Parnell Public School, Auckland, 1892.
Ephemera: Posters – Environment – Conservation Week/Arbour Day – 1978, 1979. Eph-Post01916, Eph-Post01915.
Many years later, an Arbour Day poster from 1978 (left) and another from 1979 (right), show us the evolution of print, especially in using nature illustrations to promote the event.
Intrigued?
These ephemera pieces, and many more, are available to view in person - just
book an appointment at the Central City Library.
Want to donate to the collections?
We welcome discussions about potential donations to our collections. Find out what kinds of material we accept, how to contact us and what to expect from the process.
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