Ephemera: MARC-Formatted Cataloging Records

Abstract

THE PROBLEM OF CATALOGING EPHEMERA

The word “ephemera” is not liked or accepted by many curators of ephemera collections, but there seems to be no other term which covers the territory as well. When we use the word “ephemera,” we are not expressing a judgment or value but specifying a large number of genres.

The bibliographic control of ephemera is now in its infancy with the exception of the major ephemeral genres: broadsides and the graphic arts (woodcuts, engravings, drawings, and lithographs), book-like pamphlets, and major manuscript materials such as letters, diaries, journals, and ledgers. Some photographs or photographic materials . . .