Ephemeral Materials as a Source for Research on Polish Emigration Culture Illustrated with the Example of the Collections of the Library of the Polish Social and Cultural Association in London

Abstract

Ephemeral materials are increasingly appreciated as a source for research. The content preserved in ephemeral prints is either the most fundamental or supplementary source of knowledge for scholars studying the history or activities of a community. In recent years, we have observed an increased number of studies devoted to collections of non-standard publications kept in libraries. However, the holdings of libraries organized by Polish immigrants abroad are still relatively little known. The current paper describes the form and content of the collection of ephemeral materials preserved in the Library of the Polish Social and Cultural Association in London. As a significant source, the collection attracted the attention of researchers investigating the social and cultural life of Polish émigrés in Great Britain during the post-war period. It has been pointed out that ephemeral materials can contribute to various areas of research into immigrant culture. Among them, ephemeral publications related to theatre life are an invaluable source on the history of Polish theatres in London from the period immediately after the Second World War until the present. In the expectation of various strands of preliminary research and studies involving ephemeral materials, the authors conclude that it is a vital task to produce detailed descriptions of all documents in the form of a database of factual and bibliographical information (a library catalogue).

Keywords

• biblioteka polska posk w londynie
• dokumenty życia społecznego
• polska kultura emigracyjna
• polski teatr emigracyjny