Antifa For Kids zine

Cover of Antifa for Kids zineWhile updating the Zines for Kids page here at zinelibraries.info someone recommended Sasaki Family Zines “Antifa For Kids“, published by Just Seeds.

While it’s totally appropriate for some kids and their families, the Zines for Kids page is supposed to be a safe resource for parents and educators. Since that was the goal, it didn’t feel right to put AFK there, but a number of folks within the zine librarian community really do like this one, and think it’s a humorous way to look and talk about policing for parents and children.

As a compromise, we updated the Zines for Kids page without it, but still wanted to include it, so here it is. Libraries are not neutral, and zine libraries even more so. In both instances, though, we do strive to serve wide communities, and that sometimes means holding, sharing and talking about materials that might make some of us uncomfortable or might be deemed inappropriate in some circumstances. In this case we’re happy to have found a way to balance both the need for having super kid-friendly resources with the desire to further conversations that are happening in communities around the world about public safety.

Interview with three authors of “Zines in Libraries” book

Three of the authors featured in the new book, Zines in Libraries: Selecting, Purchasing and Processing, were interviewed by the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences. Check out the interview (“iSchool alumni share their zine experiences in new publication“) and get inspired to read the book; many of the chapters are available to read in institutional repositories.

screenshot of article featuring photos of the three librarians interviewed

Compendium of Zine-Related Books

Aj Michel, creator of the long-running zine Syndicate Product, has published a new site called “From Staple to Spine: A Compendium of Zine-related Books“. The site features 140 titles of books based on zines, including individual titles, multi-author anthologies around a particular topic, academic works, and how-to-guides. If you have additional books to include, get in touch with Aj to suggest an addition!

screenshot of website header

Short video about the Salford Zine Library

A four-minute video, “The Living Room Library,” was created as part of the LGBTQ+ filmmaking project, E.D.E.N. Digital 2021/22. The video shows what happened to the 4500 zines of the Salford Zine Library during COVID, ending up in boxes in a volunteer’s flat before being temporarily shifted to Salford University. It’s clear from the film what a labor of love zine collections can be.

title screen of film showing text "The Living Room Library"

virtual Zineklatsch January 26

Zine librarians and zinesters will come together on Wednesday January 26 as part of a Zineklatsch hosted by the Archiv der Jugendkulturen in Berlin. The online/Zoom event will be held at 4-8 pm Central European Time (that’s 10 am-2 pm U.S. Eastern time). The folks from the archive and Schikkimikki zine distro & library will be sharing info about what they’ve been up to in the past two Covid years. Find more details and a Zoom link at the Archiv der Jugenkulturen site.

flyer for Zineklatsch #18 featuring a black and white photo of older white people having tea

New book: “Zines in Libraries”

A new book on zines in libraries, edited by Lauren DeVoe and Sara Duff, was published this month by ALA Editions. “Zines in Libraries: Selecting, Purchasing, and Processing” includes chapters on circulation, preservation, acquisitions, collection development, and more, including information specifically about zines in school libraries and the Zine Union Catalog. Some chapters have open access copies available; we’re collecting links to institutional repositories.cover of Zines in Libraries book

 

secret zine library hidden inside a library book

Here’s a very cool story from the Greater Victoria Public Library in British Columbia, Canada: “Inside a hollow library book, a secret library.” A hollowed out book placed on a library shelf featured a zine library created by an anonymous artist and known about only via word of mouth. It’s a great detective story and a fun idea—I hope it inspires others to try similar projects!screenshot of article title featuring a photo of the secret zine library, a hollowed out book with multiple zines inside

Zine Collection at Williams College

An article in the Williams College student newspaper by Aiden Pham, “Sawyer zine collection celebrates creativity, community,” discusses the zine collection at the college’s Sawyer Library. The collection was created in 2018 in response to “flyers with xenophobic, white supremacist, and anti-Semitic messages circulating in Sawyer library.” The story quotes zinester students and discusses the power of zines to introduce diverse voices into the library.

screenshot of the title and illustrated zine from the linked story

Quaranzines collection at Ohio State Libraries

Laura Arenschield of the Ohio State News wrote an article sharing information about quaranzines at The Ohio State University Libraries: “Skeletor, poetry, hand-made art: Quaranzines tell COVID stories.” Jolie Braun, curator of modern literature and manuscripts for The Ohio State University Libraries, is interviewed about the origin of the collection and what the zines say about the experience of life during the COVID pandemic: “As soon as you open them, there’s going to be something that probably feels familiar or resonates with you, and that’s really powerful,” she said. “But I think it’s also equally interesting and significant that there are all these other zines that really show you other people’s experiences that are maybe very different from your own that you hadn’t really considered or thought about.” Read the full story at Ohio State News.

screenshot of article title and images of zines in the collection

Zine culture in Corvallis, Oregon

Corvallis Zinesters, Local Zine Culture,” a new article in The Corvallis Advocate written by Emilie Ratcliff, explores multiple aspects of the local zine scene in Corvallis, Oregon. Most striking is the zine library at Mt. Caz, a Corvallis-based renegade community art space. The tree-shaped library is maintained by Christina Tran, who also runs zinemaking workshops at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. The article also highlights the work of Kelly McElroy, the Student Engagement and Community Outreach Librarian at Oregon State University, who talks about her work teaching classes with zines and helping facilitate zines made as class projects. Read the full article at The Corvallis Advocate.paper cut-out in the shape of a tree with zines hanging from its branches

LAPL zine collections featured on KCET

New article from Liz Ohanesian, “Zine Collections Showcase and Amplify Diverse Voices Even in the Age of Social Media,” highlights the six branches of the Los Angeles Public Library that have zine collections. Librarians Ziba Perez, Angi Brzycki, and Daniel Tures share their thoughts about what zines add to LAPL.

An additional article is also available: “Want to Make a Zine? These Zine Makers Have Tips For Getting Started.”

screenshot from story featuring a photo of a zine collection at LAPL and a quote saying "with zines it's grassroots and personal"

Zine librarian meetup at Virtual PZS 2021

The Portland Zine Symposium will be held online on Saturday July 24 and July 25, and along with workshops and talks, there will be a casual, drop-in session just for zine librarians. Kelsey Smith and Aggie Burstein will host the session, which will be Sunday July 25 from 3:30-4:30 pm on Sunday July 25.

Registration is free for all and all are welcome, but you must register in advance for each session during #VirtualPZS2021 that you want to attend in order to receive the Zoom links. Find the full schedule at portlandzinesymposium.org/virtualpzs.

an image of a grumpy-looking cat eating a watermelon along with the text "Zine Librarian Meetup with Kelsey Smith, 3:30-4:30 pm Sunday"