A particularly valuable part of the Library's collection are the 260 posters that come from most of the war recoveries, the subsequent confiscations, or the deposits made when our city was the capital of the Republican Spain.

This obviously left-wing collection, if the historical circumstances in which it arose are taken into account, is a valuable material with which to study aesthetic values, political aspects, personal implications, etc., as well as the development of our graphic arts. The poster explosion that took place during the war was the response to the need for propaganda and stimulus in an eminently popular confrontation that required adequate means of artistic expression.

These posters, from the Civil War, remained intact in the "hell" of the Library for many years, a circumstance that has favoured their conservation.

Important poster artists such as Antonio and Arturo Ballester, Amster, Bardasano, Padial, Monleón, Wila and Renau, among others, are represented in this collection.

Their styles are varied, from those that introduce the maximum possible pictorial characteristics, such as Dubón, to those that represent the avant-garde trends of the moment, such as Contreras.

The subject matter is varied, related to the needs of war (such as political or trade union propaganda, anti-fascism, stimulating production, etc.), an expression of the priorities in the politics of the Republic (culture, health, etc.).

Edited by political and trade union organisations (UGT, Socorro Rojo, CNT, etc.) or government organisations (Ministry of Public Education, Directorate General of Fine Arts, etc.), most of them were produced in Valencian printing houses (Gráficas Ortega, Litografía J. Ariño, etc.).

This collection has been studied, among others, by Professors Facundo Tomás, Javier Pérez Rojas and José Luis Alcaide.

In 2002 the University organised an exhibition entitled "Art and Propaganda", in which a large part of the collection was shown; there is a database, with a documentary appendix, of that exhibition.

In addition to this collection, the library has an important collection of posters made in Valencia, from the years when it was the depository of the Legal Deposit.