With the election campaign in full swing, your letterbox might have begun to clog up with pamphlets and flyers spruiking your local candidate — but wait a moment before you throw them away.
While the inclination might be to put it straight in the bin, the National Library wants to take it off your hands to form part of one of its longest-running collections.
And, since the last election, it has added some pieces that are definitely not your standard election material.
"[We've got] doggy toys, they're a set of two, there's Chewlia Gillard and Bony Abbott," Fiona Spooner, the Library's Ephemera Officer, said.
"They got quite a bit of attention when they first came in because they're quite unique.
"We've had a range of other objects sent in over the years that are a bit different."
As well as the — rather unflattering — dog toys, other unusual pieces include a life-size cardboard cut-out of Bob Katter and "bean polls" by different cafe chains.
What is ephemera?
Ms Spooner described ephemera as printed materials which are designed for a short-term purpose and election ephemera as items which are directly spruiking a political party or message.
"So leaflets, flyers, how-to-vote cards, letters to constituents, we do get a range of objects and we're quite happy to take in materials other than printed sheet objects," she said.
"T-shirts are a real favourite, we get a lot of T-shirts, stickers, bags, you name it, we accept it all."
The collection contains material stretching back to federation that provides an insight into the history of the political and social landscape of Australia.
"Over time it shows the rise and fall of policies and issues, parties and careers," Ms Spooner.
"It tends to be very evocative material … it often records the colour and excitement of campaigns but also the slogans and stances of the people trying to influence us.
"I think it's important that we do have this sort of material as a reminder of what's happened in our political history."
