Ever kept a ticket from the first concert you went to? Or found an invitation to an event you thought you'd thrown out? Or stumbled across a handout from a protest?

This is what we call ephemera.

Ephemera are everyday items that aren't considered special at the time, but may be cherished by future generations. Ephemera is something you use briefly, then get rid of (for example, a wedding invitation, a ticket or a wristband that gives you a day's entry into an event).

Today's ephemera can be hugely important to future generations. It gives an insight into how people live. They tell us the events, issues and lifestyle of that era.

Ephemera in the Library's collection includes:

• The earliest known printed document in Australia, a playbill for a performance of Jane Shore. This gives an insight into the kind of shows and cultural experiences the early Europeans were enjoying in Australia in 1796
• Dance cards, programs and menus that give us a valuable insight into the experiences of soldiers serving in the Boer War
• Ephemera relating to the 1967 referendum that gives us insight into the political debate for this referendum which allowed the Commonwealth Government to make laws with respect to First Nations people