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Ephemera and Uncatalogued Prints

The Gothenburg University Library has a large collection of ephemera and uncatalogued prints, including materials from political parties, theatre programs, plant and seed catalogues, postcards and many other things.

About the collection

The Gothenburg University Library is one of seven libraries in Sweden receiving legal deposit materials. This means we receive everything that is printed in the country, and the majority of the materials in the collection of ephemera and uncatalogued prints have come to the library as part of the legal deposit.

The collection is sometimes referred to simply as the UNCAT, short for uncatalogued, but since this moniker says nothing about the actual contents, and part of them are actually catalogued, it may be clarified by the term ephemera.

When it comes to older literature issued as books, most of what has been issued in Sweden is also available at the Gothenburg University Library. The ephemeral prints, however, has been subject to repeated, heavy weeding through the years, frequently due to lack of storage space.

The ephemeral prints are arranged by subject, and sorted chronologically or alphabetically. Several of the larger Swedish libraries have similar collections, but currently, only the National Library in Stockholm along with Lund University Library are saving all printed materials received. The National Library has the largest collection of this kind, consisting of some 16 million prints.

The materials that have not been catalogued cannot be found in our manual catalogues either. Sometimes, there are plain collection posts in Libris. These describe a collection, but not its individual materials.

Ephemera and Uncatalogued Prints at the Humanities Library

Ephemera, small prints and uncatalogued prints are all terms for materials that were not originally intended for preservation. Frequently, this means thin brochures, pamphlets or leaflets, such as advertising or information materials from companies, institutions, organisations and associations. This includes phone books and theatre programs.

This is an important source material for research and studies.

The oldest materials in the Ephemera and Uncatalogued Prints Collection of the Gothenburg University Library is from the 17^th century, but the majority of the collection is from 1850–1950. Newer materials feature to some small extent, and a few sections are still growing, with new materials still being added. If no other information is specifically stated for a particular collection, it is no longer growing.

As mentioned above, the material is divided into various sections and categories, all presented on the library website.