Jelena Jovin
Biblioteka Matice srpske, Novi Sad
jovinj@bms.ns.ac.rs

doi: 10.19090/cit.2021.39.81-87
No. 39 (November 2021), p. 81-87

Zine Publications

Summary

As a reflection of the subculture, amateurs, and fans of comics, punk music, science fiction, film, sports, etc., independently create, publish, and distribute shorter publications. These are zine publications. Photocopiers play a big role in their production, and their authors follow do-it-yourself philosophy. Applications for creating e-zines are available on the Internet. As for the shape, they may be the handmade accordion-shaped leaflets, publications in the form of short newspapers resembling A5 notebooks with collages on the cover, as well as small publications placed in a matchbox, large poster-sized zines, etc., or digital zines that quickly take primacy over paper forms. The goal of making such alternative publications is to emphasize the values of socially marginalized groups (dark-skinned people, women, immigrants, LGBTQ + people), activists, music lovers, fans, etc. Unlike publishing houses, zines are not focused on profit but more on creative expression in limited editions and emphasizing togetherness. The paper presents examples of good practice from several renowned American libraries that preserve this type of material, provide services for their use and work on their popularization. The Library of Congress and the Los Angeles Public Library organize zine festivals, which include workshops for making zine publications, as well as exhibitions and sales. The New York Public Library encourages users to write creatively and create a common zine for all age groups, and the Barnard College Library affirms the use of zine in teaching and learning. The cultural and academic value of zine publications is confirmed in all the above ways.

Keywords:

zine publication, do it yourself, themes, shape, fanzine, library, festival, exhibition, user involvement, amateurism, fans, subculture

Submitted: 13th September 2021
Correction to the manuscript: 3rd October 2021
Accepted for publication: 8th October 2021

Zine Publications by Jelena Jovin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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