• What we do is secret? A study of issues relating to the collection, care, and accessibility of zines in institutional and alternative collections in the UK

    Author(s):
    Siobhan Britton (see profile)
    Date:
    2017
    Subject(s):
    Library science, Information science
    Item Type:
    Dissertation
    Institution:
    University College London
    Tag(s):
    zines, zine libraries, librarianship, Library Collections, Library and information science
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6H33Z
    Abstract:
    Fanzines, or 'zines' are self published magazines with small print runs, where the entire process from creation to distribution is done by the maker and generally not created for profit. Their subject matter can be almost anything. They are distinctly anti-commercial a, often acting as an outlet for alternative or marginalised voices, which are often ignored by mainstream publishing. The UK has a strong zine culture, and an increasing number of libraries here are developing zine collections. There are also a number of alternative spaces such as self organised zine libraries and anarchist social centres which do the same thing. The first chapter sets out the context of the dissertation, and flags up the fact that most of the research and literature about zine collections in both institutional and alternative spaces is very USA-centric. As a result the study of UK zine collections is important in terms of the focus of this dissertation. Chapter two considers the way that zines might be defined. Using a combination of face to face and written interviews with people responsible, and fieldwork in the form of visits, this dissertation examines a selection of both institutional and alternative zine collections located in UK and examines how they collect, care for, and make accessible their collections in the third and fourth chapters. The concluding chapter draws examines the issues that UK institutional and alternative zine collections face, including the argument for and against collecting zines at all. Although this study does not consider every institutional or alternative zine collection in the UK, and therefore cannot be considered comprehensive, it aims to give an idea of the range of collections that exist here.
    Metadata:
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    7 years ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
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