Library’s Thursday Insights: What can ephemera reveal us about our time and everyday life?
Over the years, the library has received approximately eight shelf kilometres of ephemera thanks to the legal deposit law. Ephemera are everyday prints that are often only relevant for a short time. What ephemera tell us about ourselves and our times? I conducted a research trip to the brand-new publications that had just arrived at our library. What did I discover?
What kind of new ephemera are we likely to receive?
It's Thursday morning. New ephemera, printed in 2025, are arriving at the Turku University Library's Newspaper and Ephemera Services. Two library professionals are eagerly waiting to start sorting the ephemera. The same ritual is repeated every Thursday.
Despite its repetitiveness, each time is a surprise—we don't know in advance what will be revealed from the depths of the box. This time, I will make observations: what kind of ephemera material is currently being published? Do the same themes appear as in the current social debate?
At this point, I have to make a disclosure: the contents of boxes are not a complete surprise, but my colleague and I can guess what will pop out of the box. With over ten years of experience, we should have some idea of what kind of materials are and what is currently being printed.
I predict that the new publications will deal with the same themes as those currently being discussed in society, such as artificial intelligence, self-development, and responsibility. In addition, I guess that there will be
a school brochure
a calendar
user instructions
a brochure from a large Finnish company
a shop advertisement
a municipal newsletter
learning materials
Did I get it right?
This Thursday in August, eight moving boxes full of new small prints will arrive. I will randomly select one box and examine its contents more closely using a list of guesses I have prepared in advance.
School brochure > Lahti Coeducational School elective courses 2025–2026
Calendar > Calendar 2025: Masinistit
User manual > Pöhiskö. Solar air heater installation instructions
Brochure for a large Finnish company > Metsä Company brochure in eight different languages
Store advertisement > Hämeenmaa Prisma advertisement
Municipal newsletter > Loimaa city resident magazine
Learning material > French exercise book (author not mentioned, so it is an ephemera)
The broader themes I chose included artificial intelligence and responsibility. The Finnish Broadcasting Company's Board of Directors' report to Parliament on the company's operations in 2024 includes a section on artificial intelligence. Publications related to responsibility include Antiloop's responsibility brochure from 2024, and an advertisement for the student event Pikkulaskiainen, which mentions the harassment contact person in large font. On the other hand, self-development was not emphasized this time. The result: 9 out of 10 of the publication types or topics I predicted in advance were included.
Ephemera tell the story of their time
School annual reports, calendars, and user manuals are clearly designed for a specific purpose, which is why their structure has remained the same. However, it is easy to see that these publications were produced in the 2020s: the graphic design, fonts, and images reflect the era. In addition, the language and words used indicate that we are not in the 1950s, for example: the calendar for 2024 includes Alva in the name day calendar, and there are instructions for solar air heaters.
Stores and large companies publish a lot of material. Prisma's consumer-oriented advertisement shows that new types of plant-based products continue to dominate the food sector. The Metsä brochure is available in eight languages, which reflects Metsä's internationality, as the brochures are aimed at foreign operators.
The municipal newsletter covers topics that promote the well-being of residents, such as the Alastaro self-service library and presentations of various sports facilities. Learning materials are represented by a traditional language exercise book, which is still in demand in the digital world. Artificial intelligence and responsibility were also highlighted in this small sample of broader themes.
Ephemera as bearers of cultural heritage
Ephemera reveal an incredible amount about the trends, society, culture, and appearance of printed materials of their time. With 40 shelf meters of new ephemera accumulating each year, there is plenty to explore. Fortunately, these everyday treasures are accessible to everyone. What would you go looking for?
