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During a two-week fellowship to research his book, "Branding the Totalitarian State," Steven Heller interviewed Frank Luca, the chief Librarian of the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami, Florida.

The library is a rich resource for propaganda and other applied arts, and Mr. Lucca holds the key to its riches. How many riches? Well, in this interview they discuss the 25,000 pieces of ephemera in the library—comprised of fly swatters, fans, razor blades, etc. (Don't worry, they don't talk about all of them.) But the big question is: How do you preserve something that wasn't meant to last?

Frank talks about the collection as "the persuasive art meant to move the masses," and Steve offers design as a way of "changing the complexion of a country." Nice. So you can either get on a plane and go to Miami, or you can listen in and learn one of the reasons why you should.

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