Non Catalogued Library Materials

Books and other catalogued items are not the only resources that libraries house for the study of a neighborhood. Such materials as letters, diaries, business records, booklets, pamphlets, catalogues and other advertisements, governmental and institutional records, photographs and recordings can be found in local libraries. In most libraries these items are considered ephemera. They are not catalogued and are usually found in vertical files arranged according to topics.

Ephemera as well as the editorial and advertising content of local and regional newspapers and magazines can provide valuable resources for studying neighborhoods. Advertisements for fraternal, social, cultural events, local merchants, local news items and photographs can be found usually only in these sources. As these items are not usually indexed, a page by page search is necessary.

The use of these unindexed items requires a close consultation with librarians who best know the available collections. Probably the motto here is that no stone should be left unturned in ferretting [sic] out this kind of material.