ABSTRACT
The first step in collecting ephemera is to decide what subject, or what geographical area, or what type of ephemera is to be the subject of the collection. Antiquarian booksellers often have items of ephemera in their catalogues. It is important to cultivate a select number who know one's requirements in book titles and in ephemera. The local studies librarian particularly will already be aware of the problems which emerge when handling a wide range of types of material, a problem not unknown to museum curators. Ephemera, by their very nature, do not usually conform to any cosy librarian's requirements of being in standard book sizes. Some collections of ephemera are part of a larger collection, for example a local studies library, where a classification scheme already exists, and there is a normal catalogue. Ephemera had a high profile in Great Britain during the 1970s.
