Ephemera is the term given for items that weren’t usually expected to last. Usually printed items, they had only a limited shelf-life and were generally expected to be thrown away when they had been used. Inevitably such things tend to become interesting to collectors because they often illuminate some aspect of social history that might otherwise be lost. Our new Very Rev William McMillan Library is rich in ephemera and this latest video explores two items held by the Library:

In 1924 and 1925 the congregation of York Street Church, Belfast, under the leadership of Rev Dr A.L. Agnew, produced a calendar to sell to the denomination. Over the two years they included a picture of all the churches in the denomination in Ireland and they make for interesting documents. Many of the pictures date from a bit before the mid-1920s but it makes for an interesting collection of early twentieth-century photographs. Some images are quite well-known and have often been published. Some are quite rare like this picture of Ballymoney:

There’s also a reminder of an attempt at outreach in Bangor which lasted for a few years, and seemed to be successful for these years at least:

But altogether they are interesting documents. They must have captured a lot of interest at the time but at the end of the year what do you do with an old calendar but throw it away? Which is why so few have survived. You can find out all about it by watching the video.