With a virtual consensus between librarians that ephemera is "difficult", categorisation has burdened the field of library science and is similarly difficult for historiography due to the ambiguity of ephemera. Rick Prelinger noted that with greater value granted to ephemera, thus reducing ephemerality, the general definition may itself be short-lived.
"veryday life" establishes a connection to popular culture and social history ephemera is an important aspect of said life, which, according to Henry Jenkins, showcases the immaterial nature of culture arising in daily life. This definition ascribes ephemera's presence within the greater context of printed materials: ostensibly trivial mundanity. Įphemera, ambiguous in nature, has been noted to have had a history of assorted applications, the presently most common definition being: "the minor transient documents of everyday life". Comic books, for example, were once considered ephemera however, that perception later faded. The degree to which ephemera is ephemeral is due in part to the value bestowed upon it and the passage of time has seen the ephemerality of certain ephemera decrease generally. Ephemera and ephemerality have mutual connotations of "passing time, change, and the philosophically ultimate vision of our own existence". Ephemeral, by the mid-19th century, began to be used to generically refer to printed items. This application of ephemera has been cited as the first example of aligning it with transient prints. In 1751, Samuel Johnson used the term ephemerae in reference to "the papers of the day" – and is frequently cited as the term's creator. The initial sense extended to the mayfly and other short-lived insects and flowers, belonging to the biological order Ephemeroptera. This combination generated the term ephemeron in neuter gender the neuter plural form is ephemera, the source of the modern word, which can be traced back to the works of Aristotle. The etymological origin of Ephemera ( ἐφήμερα) is the Greek epi ( ἐπί) – "on, for" and hemera ( ἡμέρα) – "day". Ephemera has seen academic interest as a beneficial prospect to humanities and for its own sake, illustrating or providing insight into diverse matters, such as those of a sociological, cultural, or anthropological background.Ī piece of ephemera circa 1749–1751, around the time Samuel Johnson may have coined the term Literature by collectors and societies has contributed to a greater willingness to preserve ephemera, which is now ubiquitous in archives and library collections.
Virtually all conceptions of ephemera make note of the matter's disposability.Įphemera has long been collected by the likes of families, hobbyists and curators, with certain instances of ephemera intended to be collected.
Some ephemera are ornate in their design, acquiring prestige, whereas others are minimal and notably utilitarian. Since the printing revolution, ephemera has been a long-standing element of everyday life. Ambiguous in nature, various interpretations of ephemera and related items have been contended, including menus, newspapers, postcards, posters, sheet music, stickers and valentines. Its etymological origins extends to Ancient Greece, with the common definition of the word being: "the minor transient documents of everyday life". Ephemera are transitory creations which are not meant to be retained or preserved.
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