The Past in Print: Community Ephemera Project
Wall of posters at a café/bar in King Street, Newtown, 2009
You can help save the history of our communities for the future by donating pieces of the present to the City’s collection of ‘ephemera’.
Ephemera can be any short-lived printed material that tells a story, including pamphlets, lost dog posters, tickets, beer coasters, business cards, menus, postcards, badges, bus timetables, stickers and more. The Past in Print is about collecting materials that are usually thrown away or recycled.
Image galleries
The best pieces donated to The Past in Print will feature in online galleries.
Gallery 1: Ephemera can make you think
Gallery 5: The Michael Bogle Collection
Why collect ephemera?
Ephemera is a rich source of information about the diverse and changing personalities of our local areas over time, our residents, businesses, and community groups. Materials like this add colourful context to local grassroots history, making the past more real to future generations.
The Past in Print asks community members to think about what life in the City and its suburbs means to them, and collect and donate items they want to see preserved and kept as part of the City’s history. Today's junk mail is tomorrow's historical detail.
Festival of Sydney poster, 1994
If you want to help preserve your local history and heritage, please leave your donations of community ephemera in the boxes provided at the City Libraries. As the collection grows it will be made available online in the City Archives catalogue, Archives Investigator.
More information
For further information, or if you wish to donate personal items such as letters or photos, please contact the City Archives directly on 02 9265 9618 or archives@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
