San Francisco Ephemera Collection, 1850-present

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Summary

Abstract:
Consists of ephemeral materials, city records and clippings relating to the city of San Francisco and its citizens. Materials date from the 1850s to the present, the bulk from the 20th century. Subjects cover a diverse array of San Francisco history and primarily pertain to: municipal government; city planning; urban policy; environmental engineering; transportation; social history; labor history; community relations; notable events; public events, fairs and celebrations; and various aspects of local popular culture. Subjects also relate to specific local entities, such as: businesses; schools, colleges and universities; political parties; and associations, groups and clubs. Specific places are also found here, including: buildings; public spaces; bodies of water; and transportation terminals.
Extent:
153 file drawers (265 linear feet)
Language:
Collection materials are in English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item/Title of folder], San Francisco Ephemera Collection (SFH 753), San Francisco Public Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Consists of ephemeral materials, city records and clippings relating to the city of San Francisco and its citizens. Materials date from the 1850s to the present, the bulk from the 20th century. Subjects cover a diverse array of San Francisco history and primarily pertain to: municipal government; city planning; urban policy; environmental engineering; transportation; social history; labor history; community relations; notable events; public events, fairs and celebrations; and various aspects of local popular culture. Subjects also relate to specific local entities, such as: businesses; schools, colleges and universities; political parties; and associations, groups and clubs. Specific places are also found here, including: buildings; public spaces; bodies of water; and transportation terminals.

The range of ephemera includes: newspaper and magazine clippings, menus, pamphlets, brochures, political mailings and advertisements, reports, maps, court transcripts, correspondence, exhibition catalogs, scrapbooks, certificates, fliers, programs, viewbooks, souvenirs and other commemorative materials.

Individual ephemera files can contain a single item or more extensive amounts of material, ranging from photocopies to handwritten documents.

Processing information:

Processed by San Francisco History Center staff; additional processing and description by California Ephemera Project staff, funded by a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, in 2009-2010.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged alphabetically.

Accruals:

Additions to the collection are ongoing.

Physical location:
Collection is stored onsite; some materials require retrieval from separate storage.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the San Francisco Public Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item/Title of folder], San Francisco Ephemera Collection (SFH 753), San Francisco Public Library.

Location of this collection:
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102, US
Contact:
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
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