Ephemeral material collected by John La Rose between the 1950s and the 1980s. Selected items from the 1990s are also included. The material chosen here covers political and cultural trends during the period, especially in the UK and Caribbean.

The collection consists of published material, publicity material and routine correspondence designed to be kept for a short period of time. For many, such items would quickly deteriorate in importance after receipt and be thrown away. Typical examples include leaflets, flyers, handbills, magazines, public letters and information sheets. However, John La Rose recognised the importance of keeping such material as it adds context to events, records the ongoing activities of numerous organisations and reminds us of public opinions at different points in time.

John La Rose placed the material into boxes for future sorting. The original box titles have been retained in the current catalogue structure: UK Community Relations, UK Culture, UK Society and Politics, Africa, Caribbean, Cuba, East - covering the Middle East, Asia and Australasia - and North America. Material is then broken down by country, organisation or topic.