Zines in storytelling

Friday July 19

Breakout session 1, 10:15- 11:30am

Session name: Zines in Storytelling

Facilitator: rebecca

Note taker: ella

present: jennifer, lauren, rebecca, stephanie, kelsey, stephenie, 

participant interests/ideas:

Making zines bigger part of job

Intergenerational learning and programming

spoken word to written word

storytelling vs. art zine community

students reading/creating

teen librarians, queer youth

sharing zines with people that need them most

Discussion:

Experiences working with patrons, getting them to tell stories through zines?

  • Storytelling for college-age freshmen
    • found it challenging, storytelling feels unfamiliar to the group
  • getting past the barrier of “i would never tell somebody this,” or the visual tropes of zines
    • use creative writing prompts
    • allow free exploration of zines
    • access to materials
      • zine clubs: magazines, glue sticks, everything you need; plus examples of zines
        • materials budgets/photocopying: what can you get away with? what can you ask for from your institution?
          • setting up a parameter, ex: once a month bring in what you’ve finished and we’ll make ten copies for you. This also allows for your institution to know what to expect
          • the importance of the final product
  • Students intimidated by the process
    • scaffolding in experiences
    • community zine (workshop at acrl)
  • Respect for the power dynamic
    • being vulnerable, but also being at work
    • not asking students to put themselves at risk through the assignment
  • With teens but would also work with freshmen: 
    • list of expectations – stories stay in the classroom, not grading them on the story told, but on the effort
  • Intergenerational activity – interview elders and those with various life experiences
    • teen homeless shelter creative writing workshop – participants wouldn’t talk about themselves, but interviewing others in the workshop was very successful
    • youth and elders communicating
  • Not just consumers of media, but also creators
  • How to make storytelling safe for “at risk” creators?
    • list of expectations, signing a behavior contract (both facilitators and participants)
    • takes time to build relationships
    • For teens: no parents allowed
    • Public librarians have facilitator roles, not as much authority figures – more neutral figures
  • Full storytelling safety is not really possible in a classroom
    • But conveying to students that “its ok to care about a subject” is helpful, combats detachment and challenges with academic voice
  • Student run clubs (may be unsanctioned)
    • useful for expression, can also be risky depending on content
  • Safety of having community member-created zines out in a library where the rest of the community has access
    • pseudonyms, identity, anonymizing oneself
    • internet and information privacy talks relevant here
    • pre-internet zines vs new zines
    • “A Story” vs. “That specific person’s story”

Storytelling Prompts:

  • have you ever seen a ghost
  • have you ever seen a ufo
  • grossest food you’ve ever eaten
  • most exotic place you’ve ever traveled to
  • Collaborative dis-orientation guide: What do you wish you had known when you started?

Passing around samples of zines, storytelling

Sharing your story, your story is your own and no one can take it away

Storytelling is something that makes zines powerful and magical

They can be anything, and your story fits into the format

Digitization and Ethics

Friday July 19

Breakout session 1, 10:15- 11:30am

Session name: Digitization and Ethics

Facilitator: Milo Miller

Note taker: Honor Moody 

Twitter threads: https://twitter.com/SpookyColbert/status/1152254325965479936?s=20 

https://twitter.com/GinaMurrell1/status/1152254947041267712

  • Framing: ongoing topic of interest in zine library community
  • Original edition of code of ethics (ages ago); we’ve been trying to revisit this living doc at zine librarians unconference
  • Last year decided to do a special appendix re digitization; Kelly Wooten/Milo Miller on it, but life happens, passed on torch recently to Kathryn La Barre (UIUC); Jeremy Brett : [get the link to the draft they’ve developed] Here it is ! >> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c5YtSToyntGXDslG8euQLE9v27aH4J19HUkx_-LA5QI/edit?usp=sharing 

Call to reserve 15-30 minutes to discuss take down requests

QZAP’s primary focus/mission is digitization, so likely has different concerns/approach than others

Two main reasons for dig: 1. Preservation 2. Wider access

Cons: [more complicated, see draft] privacy; unanticipated use for material created in pre-internet  world; alters experience of resource designed for analog use; respecting rights/desires of zine creators

Sales of zine when digitization makes access?

Currently onus on creator to set limits for reuse, not really possible for older zines;

QZAP tries to ask permission at point of permission

Do we have an obligation/desire as zine librarians to do community education on rights statements/specific framings for digitization

Best practices? Alex Wrekk’s Stolen Sharpie Revolution has good stuff (but not online!)

Suggest instead zineibrarians.info or appendix to code of ethics

Why are we treating zines differently than other published work?

Many zines are orphan works, QZAP does research to find creators, but also broadly interprets fair use, has very clear take down policies, 

For orphan works, some decisions based genre (no for perzines, yes for cookzines)

Code of ethics evolved to protect the creator as much or more than an institutional needs

Ethics for digitization can be contextual: community embedded zine libraries have different responsibilities/expectations than big institutions 

Slight shift: 

An individual is contacting libraries requesting that their zine (from the 90s) requesting that they be shredded or returned (zinester provides postage)

Also, what about folks who zines are donated by a person other than the creator

MM: Strong feeling that once you release a creative work out into the world, you lose control; lacking a statement this zine is for jane schmo, if not held by her destroy or return:

Archives have tradition and best practice for sensitive material/take down

Does the cultural memory of zinekind live and die on any single zine? Probably not

Attitude of person sometimes affects response (if feeling like one is bullied less responsive than if apologetic)

Can policies be analogous to public library book challenges policies

May also depend on relative openness of collection

Q: do the same concerns apply if the zine is created not for sale, but academic event?

Ingest forms are a real thing that we should use:

Action: develop appendixes to appendix: sample forms: ingest for zine created at zine making event; at time of purchase; for donors (are you the creator? Do you have contact for the creator, etc.)

Moratoriums: Need date attached to rights and restrictions for 

Distinction between moratorium on access to material vs. moratorium on access to metadata

Personally identifying information: current issue with atomization of data description

Some of this is tied to ethics of data/technology 

 Ethics in linked data as part of Linked Data for Libraries community: https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/LD4P2/Ethics+in+Linked+Data+Affinity+Group (minimal info)

June meeting notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYRnBxMOuyfsMK6hP38FwMtT4_IUAQFVZU12IAYYKgg/edit#heading=h.nzjy1x2ztkpx

Email Itza Carbajal to request slack (confirming with Itza that this is ok)

Complete vs partial/cover: anyone have thoughts on this

Teal Triggs we make zines cover image usage controversy, see 

https://alexwrekk.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/fazines-by-teal-triggs-and-why-you-should-not-buy-the-book/

Digitization doesn’t mean providing access to digital copies

 

 

Schedule

Friday July 19, 2019- J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah 

9:00am- 9:30am: Coffee, Doughnuts, and Conversation- Level 1, Gould Auditorium (Parking info here. It is cheapest to buy a day pass, instead of using the pay lot.)

9:30-10:00am: Planning Breakout Sessions- Level 1, Gould Auditorium 

*AV in all rooms*

  • Breakout Session 1: 10:15- 11:30am
    • Room 1140: Digitization and Ethics
    • Room 1170: Zines in storytelling
    • Room 2008: Creating a zine collection
  • Breakout Session 2: 11:45- 1:00pm
    • Room 1140: Local histories
    • Room 1170: Zine Union Catalog- Yak
    • Room 2008: Instruction
  • Lunch! 1:00-2:30pm  (on your own, see see/do/eat in the program for recommendations)
  • Breakout Session 3: 2:30-3:45pm
    • Room 1140: Zine Union Catalog hack
    • Room 1170: Outreach and promotion-
    • Room 2008: Archives, primary source documents with zines, zines as primary sources
  • Rare Books Show and Tell (capped at 25, sign up at morning session) 4:00-5:00pm
  • -or- Browse the zine collection on your own, level 1

7:00pm-9:00- Zine reading, featuring local zine makers. Fellow Shop (217 E. 300 S.)

Saturday July 20, 2019- Salt Lake City Library Main Library

(Pay parking under the library, enter on 400 South, $1.50/ hour. The library is also located across the street from the Red line Library station. )

9:00am- 9:30am: Coffee, Bagels, and Conversation- Level 4 Conference Room 

9:30-10:00am: Reviewing schedule and adjusting as needed

*AV in all rooms*

  • Breakout Session 1: 10:15- 11:00am
    • Conf. Room A: – Programming, incl. exhibits, programming with people with limited English skills – without teens
    • Conf. Room C: Zine fests!!
  • Breakout Session 2: 11:15-12:00
    • Conf. Room A: Zines with young people
    • Conf. Room C: Social Action
  • Breakout Session 3: 12:15-1:00pm
    • Conf. Room A: Zinelibraries.info
    • Conf. Room C: Diversity and Inclusion
  • 1:00-2:30pm LUNCH! (provided– Level 4 conference room. Copyright bingo!)
  • Breakout Session 4: 2:30-3:45pm
    • Debrief all together: (talk about ZLuC 2020) Level 4 Conf room
  • 4:00pm-5:00pm: Alt Press Collection tour, Meet on Level 2

Social: Bingo fundraiser, benefiting Grid Zine Fest (21+, $3/card suggested donation, great prizes!) Handlebar (751 N. 300 W.)

Code of Conduct

The Zine Librarians unConference (ZLuC) is a safer space, which means that it is intended to be a welcoming, engaging, and supportive environment free of oppressive actions, behaviors, and language. Participants are asked to consider how their language and behavior impacts others in attendance.

Harassing or abusive language or behavior will not be tolerated at ZLuC, including:

  • racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and all other forms of discrimination
  • sexual harassment, stalking, or intimidation
  • inappropriate physical contact
  • disruptive or disrespectful behavior
  • action or language that makes other participants feel unwelcome or unsafe

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Should an issue arise with a participant before the event, ZLuC organizers will listen to concerns and find a solution that is in the best interests of the community and the event being a safer space. ZLuC organizers reserve the right to limit attendance to the event for any reason.

Should an issue arise with a participant during the fest, ZLuC organizers will be available to mediate on-site and attempt to find a solution. ZLuC organizers reserve the right to ask any participants who are violating the safer space policy to change or address their unsafe behavior or language, or to leave the event. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please notify one of the ZLuC organizers immediately.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all ZLuC event venues, including social events.

Schedule

Schedule overview:

  • Friday July 19
    • 9 am- 4pm, Marriott Library, University of Utah
    • 7pm- 9pm, zine reading
  • Saturday July 20
    • 9 am- 5pm, Salt Lake City Public Library Main Branch
    • 7pm- 9pm, bingo night fundraiser to support Grid Zine Fest

 

ZLuC 2019 Salt Lake

The 2019 Zine Librarian unConference (ZLuC) will be held July 19-20 in Salt Lake City!

What: ZLuC is an inspirational, informative, and fun gathering of people who care deeply about zines and their ability to change lives for the better.

Where:

  • July 19 University of Utah Marriott Library, 9am- 4pm (meet in the Gould Auditorium, level 1)
  • July 20 Salt Lake City Public Library, Main Library, 9am- 4pm (meet in the level 4 conference room)

View archived session notes here

Schedule

Action items! Sign up here!

Post-ZLuC survey

Social events:

  • Friday July 19 Zine reading at Fellow Shop (217 E. 300 S.) 7:00pm-9:00pm
  • Bingo night fundraiser! Benefitting Grid Zine Fest. Handlebar 751 N. 300 W. (21+, $3/ card suggested donation) 7pm- 10pm

Who: Everyone is welcome! The primary audience is workers and volunteers from academic, public, and special libraries, as well as community-oriented independent libraries and archives. If you’re interested in zines in libraries and archives, we’re happy to have you join in the fun. List of registered attendees!

Why: To share the zine love!

Registration is free for everyone.

Questions? Send us an email! zluc.saltlake@gmail.com

Last updated: July 31, 2019

notes

Abstract and review writing for zines

(notes by clint)
In this session we discussed abstract and review writing for zines. We compared the two styles and discussed the uses of each.

Abstracts
•Must be completely neutral
•Should be brief–1-3 sentences is a good size.
•Take care not to use value-loaded words
•Should mention ephemera/design/binding/packaging aspects, as they, as well as the words and art, are part of the object “zine”

Reviews
•Length matters. Make sure the length of your review is appropriate to your medium. Some publications want lengthier reviews, some want 2 or three sentences.
•Know your audience and adjust to them. Reviews are specifically audience-driven. Your audience should be your primary context, that’s why we write reviews. Examples mentioned were Jenna’s zine reviews for Library Journal vs. Jerianne’s reviews for Zine World. Jerianne is writing for people who know and read zines, while Jenna’s audience is librarians who may or may not be zine friendly. Read a few of each for comparison and contrast.
•Being personal helps sell a product.

We practiced having everyone in the room write a review and an abstract for the split-zine “How to be a Good Library Patron/How to be a Bad Library Patron,” edited by Jerianne Thompson. We noted that in every abstract, similar aspects were described by all authors, like “split-zine”, “illustration”, “single-panel (comic)”, “instruction”, and “librarian’s perspective.” While they were all described with different words, they nearly all made it into every abstract in some form or another.

The same was not true of reviews. Reviews are encouraged to be more subjective and allow more for value terms. The reason a person reads a review is to hear a subjective opinion before they read the zine. Credibility as a reviewer matters more than objectivity and fair treatment.

As an example, I’ve included my abstract and review of “How to Be a Good Library Patron/How to Be a Bad Library Patron” edited by Jerianne dThompson from the session. These are intended as working examples only, not standard-setting.

Abstract: A single-panel comic zine that highlights examples of many contributing librarian’s perceptions of good and bad behavior in the library. Presented as comics with the intent of levity. Packaged in a library circulation envelope and includes ephemera.

Review: Anyone with experience on the back side of a library reference desk will be able to appreciate the cultural commentary of HTBAGLP/HTBABLP. As a zine it captures many essential elements that make great zines great: simple and clear illustrations, strong opinion, focused content, interesting layout (flip-flop) and freebies. Highly recommended.

Zine anatomy & zine preservation

session notes by Jenna Freedman. Some of the notes are based on my perceptions (and misperceptions), so comments and corrections are welcome. Also, please add in other notes or links to notes if you took them.

Heather Davis led a discussion on Zine Preservation—mostly theory, but a good bit of practice, as well. Alycia Sellie‘s Zine Anatomy was a show and tell and discuss on some of the different art techniques used in zine making.

Zine Preservation

  • Gave out copies of Zine Capsule zine
  • Store zines spine down
  • Zines resist preservation, due to their ephemeral nature
  • Does anyone consider preservation when creating their zine?
    • A resounding “no” from the zinesters in the room.
    • We learned later that Abby Bass prints her zines on archival paper.
  • Disaster preparedness
    • Few of us seem to have a plan, or if we do, they aren’t known or followed
    • We need to prove the collection is worth saving sometimes to get a disaster plan in place
    • Irony of Sarah Dyer donating her collection to keep it safe, but are our libraries really safe? (I bet Duke has a disaster plan in place, this was just a general question.)
  • There will always be a tension of preservation vs. access as a priority. You can’t be good at both at the same time. Basically, if you want to something to last, you shouldn’t allow people to handle it.
  • Archival copies
    • Not allowed to be accessed at all?
    • Make a copy of the master for general usage.
  • QZAP‘s preservation practice: zines arrive and are immediately stored in archival bags and then filed. They are scanned page by page, color zines reproduced in color at 150 dpi and made into a pdf. A lower res version is also made for reading via earlier editions of pdf readers. There is not much handling of physical collection.
  • Barnard keeps one copy in the climate controlled, acid free archive, and a second (if there is one) in the browseable stacks and makes them available for circulation and ILL.
  • Good idea to collaborate on preservation standards
  • Interest in preserving zines digitally? (question for print collections)
    • Not so much.
    • Also not necessarily something the zinesters would want.
  • Photocopying is not good for zines
    • The light as well as the folding and flattening.
    • Recommend photographing instead, preferably without a flash. But would you still be able to OCR the zine if it was an image file instead of a pdf?
    • You can create a cradle or camera stand to make folding zines unnecessary
    • Use a special scanner, rather than a photocopier
  • How does microfilm get made?
  • Is removing staples worse than having them? No–remove them.
  • Light and moisture, cardboard boxes, wood shelves–all dangerous.
  • Hugo House was a mortuary before this. ZAPP was where the bodies were stored.
  • How bad are cereal boxes for storage? Bad, because of wood lictin (acidic)
    • Alternatives? Follow library discussion lists for giveaways, cultivate relationships with local libraries
  • Fundraising idea for preservation, “adopt a call number range”
  • document your process for future reference
  • ZAPP keep seconds and thirds of zines, thirds are what they use for tabling, make copies of first/rare copies for people to handle
  • What to do with zines with add-ons
    • Separate them, but keep them associated
    • CD–move content onto a hard drive or print it out
  • Creating copies for people that are visually impaired (recording them or something)

Zine Anatomy

  • Alycia distributed a digest sized zine and a folding zine as handouts
  • The idea of this workshop was to help catalogers identify and describe the various techniques used to create art covers and content in zines. We don’t do as good a job at describing the visual elements of zines in our abstracts and reviews as we do text content.
  • Relief prints: ink is thick, you can feel it
  • You can tell visually if the image was carved (linoleum or wood cut)
  • Wood print on thinner paper, rubbed
  • Letterpress–impression in paper, paper thick and higher quality
  • Screenprinting–gocco, silkscreen
  • Stencil–mimeograph (vs. ditto, ask Alex). Also spray paint
  • Cartoneras (cartons), bound and painted, user created content a la mimeo
  • Original vs. photocopy
  • Differentiating between art zines and artist’s books
    • Intention of creator, content?
    • Class and political differences (same with chapbooks vs. literary zines)
    • Community, who you’re making the zine for
  • LCSH to define rare books and stuff? What are their criteria? Graphic Materials Standards distinguish between print and photocopy, intaglio
  • Fine letterpress–colophon at the end identifies type, paper, press, etc.

Collection development & intellectual freedom

Location: ZAPP, Upstairs Classroom
Date: Sunday, March 15, 2009
Time: 3:30-4:15PM
Facilitator: Milo Miller @ QZAP
Note Taker: Heather Davis

The session was broken up into the following categories:
•Collection Development Policy (CDP)
•Methods/protocol for turning away donations
•Challenge policies
•Access policies and age restrictions

Collection Development Policy (CDP)
Milo and Jenna Freedman discussed a CDP challenge that involved accepting Milo’s zine, Gendercide, into the Barnard zine collection. Barnard’s CDP is focused on zines made by and for women. Gendercide was about queer femininity. Freedman talked with other faculty members and opened up a discussion about gender in a zine collection made by and for women. Freedman stated she did have to review and revise the CDP, but believes it is good to do this periodically.

Milo talked about QZAP and the range of materials collected. There are zines included by queer zine writers who are both publically and non-publically identified as queer, as well as zines written by queer writers on various topics such as food, etc.

Lily @ IPRC stated that CDP is by instinct and there is little control over the volume and types of materials that flow into the IPRC. The IPRC receives huge volumes of donations. Interns, volunteers, and staff who create zines take precedence in the cataloging process over someone who dumps their zines. Lily stated that IPRC is a zine and comics library and while there are original runs of mainstream publications (e.g., the original Bust issue), this is the overarching CDP they use when administering donations. With this informal CDP in place they have been able to stop some materials before they come in the doors.

Those present agreed that some sort of definition of a CDP was critical for determining what was an acceptable addition to a zine collection. Space limitations often come into play if a CDP is not in place to control the volume and types of materials flowing into and out of the zine collection. Small press publications such as Eat the State, Covert Action Quarterly, and various fan and rock zines were discussed as possible types of materials to turn away since these materials are widely available in other libraries and/or repositories.

Emily Grayson is working with others at ZAPP to develop a CDP at ZAPP and is looking at CDPs at other organizations to guide the writing.

Methods/protocol for turning away donations
The CDP is a key tool in dealing with both desired and unwanted donations. It is important to have a CDP in place and not just take a donor’s collection because they may come back to check for their materials.

When dealing with collections of zines that have been donated there was some discussion of transferring unwanted zines to other zine libraries instead of discarding of them. Most felt it was important to be up front with the donor if you plan to dispose of unwanted materials or what the course of action is for unwanted items.

ZAPP has a form for zine donation and it records the zinester’s contact information so they can connect with them later (if address and information is current).

CDP and regionalism (collecting zines from a particular region) was discussed as a way to narrow the flow of materials coming into a zine library. Assigning hierarchies was another method that was discussed for limiting the flow of materials into a zine library (e.g., turning away comics, which is a genre that stands between mainstream print media and mini comics). Lily @ IPRC stated that local zines definitely take precedence over those zines from other areas. Beyond regional collections there was discussion that special genres within zine collections should be supplemented and built accordingly for scholarly purposes. It was discussed that there be some sort of communication amongst zine librarians to see what zines are out there. Cooperative collection development was discussed as a goal to which we should all aspire.

Challenge policies
Tyler Hauck discussed a situation he faced when working at Papercut in Boston. A patron objected to content found in a zine in the queer section and brought it to this attention. The CDP was presented and reiterated to the patron and when the patron insisted Hauck offered to have the patron write up a formal complaint and then file this with the zine on the shelf.

Abby Bass relayed a situation in which an intern objected to content found in a zine, True Porn, and raised a complaint on the grounds of feminism. The intern felt the zine created an unsafe space and Bass attempted to set up a time to talk with the intern about the complaint. The zine was also found in the trash, but the intern left permanently before any further discussion could take place. Previously there had been a sensitive section, but these materials had been reintegrated into the Adult section.

Freedman framed zines as primary source material, a reflection of the creator. Milo emphasized that zines by their very nature are unsafe by virtue of their self-expression.

Policies for working with and being in a zine collection/archive was discussed.

One attendee discussed her experiences in dealing with a collection challenge. First, you present the CDP and the challenge policy. The challenge goes through the arbitration process and can go all the way to a meeting of the director, librarian, and patron during a review committee hearing. During this phase of the challenge process the attendee emphasized that the material will be defended by the Librarian and it is critical that the material be used and discussed as an educational tool.

Tyler Hauck stated that often challenges arise from an issue of power, and sometimes it is simply a matter of finding some way to make the patron feel like their voice has been heard.

Access policies and age restrictions
Milo @ QZAP stated their policy is that patrons must be 14-16 years of age must be accompanied by guardians. Other attendees felt that queer youth needed to have access to the collection at QZAP. Milo said QZAP did once have a 14/15 year old volunteer from an area high school, who was not queer, but into zines, come in and work with the zines. Milo and others at QZAP screened out sexually explicit materials for the high school student simply as a safety measure for QZAP.

Lily @ IPRC stated that adult zines are stored on the top shelf (also alphabetical arrangement), which makes it difficult for younger people to access these materials. IPRC currently has no age restrictions access policy in place. There was discussion of a situation where the FBI came to IPRC to request zines and the membership records associated with the collection. The statement of non-compliance was referred to.

Possible action items:
•Shared collection development, access and age restriction, and challenge policies
•Shared policies for intern/volunteers/staff working with zine collections
•Shared disposition/deaccession policies
•Cooperative collection development initiative

Additional notes from Jenna

Zine catalog project brainstorm

Ideas for Catalog Records:
•Cover Image
•bibliographic information (zine title, author, format, pages, pub date, etcetera)
•description / summary. what about table of contents if it has one?
•marc record
•list of zine libraries that carry it
•link to electronic download, if there is one
•LOC subject headings
•tag suggestions (for library thing?)
•zine thesaurus tags (based on the anchor archive zine library)

Other Content:
•Authority File for zine titles and publishers (includes real name and nickname)
•Zine Thesaurus (based on Anchor Archive Zine Library)

Possible Content Platforms:
•Drupal (Clint will give a demonstration on this)
•Media wiki (out of box install :http://zinelibraries.info/w/index.php5?title=Main_Page)

catalog name ideas:
•ZineCatWiki

Questions to Consider:
• Zine Abstracting (?)

Catalog via Drupal

Title: Creating a Zine Catalog with Open-Source, Content Management Software like Drupal (or Joomla.)

Name and Bio: Clinton Watson, Salt Lake City Public Library, Alternative Press Materials Selector. New to the zine world and library work in general. Strong proponent of using sensible and powerful web technology to organize, access, and promote all independently published materials. Built SLCPL’s Alternative Press Catalog.

Summary: An introduction to the convenience and ease of content management software (CMS) for the non-programmer librarian. Drupal has become one of the most used CMS packages around the world because it is free, open-source, popular and well-designed. This workshop has two components: 1) a discussion of the advantages of a CMS package for a budding or established zine library’s website/catalog over other types of software; and 2) a brief, visual walk-through of how the software works.

Tools and Equipment Required: A digital projector for a laptop would be great. Otherwise, nothing.

Digital collections

Facilitator: Milo of QZAP
Note-taker: Kelly

QZAP and how it came into being
(In which Milo gives a detailed overview of the history and day-to-day functioning of QZAP)
– QZAP got its start in 2001 in San Francisco, when Milo met Chris. As queer zinesters with big collections, they wondered, “How are we gonna share this?”
– In 2003, in Milwaukee, with help from a straight, military-involved co-worker, they started the first iteration of QZAP, run on a Pentium 3 computer in Milo’s home office, then out of a local cyber cafe.
– Basic process is: scan zines and make pdfs.
– First version of QZAP was all manual: upload by FTP, creating thumbnail images individually, and handcoded.
– About 35 zines were uploaded in the first year or two.
– They then began using Mambo, a content management system running on a MySQL opensource database, PHP/html as front-end.
– Mambo forked, into the paid commercial version (Mambo) and the open source version, Joomla! QZAP stuck with Joomla! On the server side, all the tools are open source. This reflects the zine community, as people should be able to use the tools created. This fits with their anarchist (“with a little a”) philosophy.

Day-to-day operations
– Basically, it’s scanning zines, page-by-page!

Funding
– QZAP currently is without an IT geek, and Milo noted that, if they had funds, that is where he would like to put money.
– Money for QZAP is paid out of pocket, in addition to some money coming in from sales of t-shirts, from grants, from a silent benefactor…they have not become an incorporated non-profit, and are not associated with any umbrella organization. This is partly due to concerns about hierarchical issues.

Copyright/copyleft/ethics/other issues
– Someone asked about contacting authors of zines. Milo explained that they use “due diligence” in contacting authors (for example, if there’s an email address available). QZAP’s aim is not to take money away from folks selling their zines: the project falls under fair use, as far as copyright is concerned. We also looked at the Fair Use Info area of the QZAP’s webpage. (They snagged parts of their fair use policy directly from the Cornell University’s law pages: perhaps this or that.)
– Some creators will mail in a bunch of zines, and request that certain items not be posted to the website.
– Sometimes someone requests removal of zines, and the QZAPers have a conversation about it. They will remove items, if that’s what it comes to.
– Sometimes, QZAP will ask for permission to post zines, and the creators will refuse. This can be frustrating! However, some creators just want, for example, that their name be taken out of the record.
– Adding zines to the site makes folks’ materials reproducible.
– It can be hard to make the correct attribution to a zine (this is also true for cataloging, more generally)
– QZAP had a meltdown, and had to rebuild from scratch. In this process, they switched over from having a bunch of metadata fields to just 1 big one (including title / name / year / location / number of pages / language / keywords /notes). Some files got missed, so all that shows up with the thumbnail is the file name.

Technical details of scans
– Scans are made at 150% dpi
– Not made as flats, but page-by-page. This protects the author’s works, as it is harder to just copy the whole zine. (It’s also easier to read on the screen, too.)
– The time to scan and process a zine varies, although Milo guessed that it was about an hour or two for a typical 24 pg zine. Depends, in part, on who is doing it.
– Don’t do a lot of clean-up on scans: they automatically open in Photoshop, and they’ll often adjust the levels and the color (if necessary). If the originals were muddy photocopies, there’s not anything you can do about it.
– Poor condition of a zine may either make it higher or lower priority (for example, it may require a lot more work.)

Workflow
– Zines come in, end up at the QZAP work station, move from pile to pile, and eventually get filed.
– There are no weekly goals.
– Each intern finishes each project; if you don’t finish a zine one week, you’ll just pick it up the next week.
– Someone asked if backlog is overwhelming. Milo noted that, although they don’t have money, they also don’t have rules!
– The most recently uploaded zine shows up on the front page of the site, and it may stay for weeks and weeks.

Volunteers
– QZAP has interns who, in addition to learning about zine culture and zine-making, also spend time scanning in zines.
– As Nora put it, “interns are amazing.”
– IPRC is volunteer-run, and Lily noted that staff-volunteers are all really committed, in part because they get great benefits (like having all-hours access, or just a rad place to call your own).
– Generally, every agrees that it can be hard to use volunteers well. For example, at the IPRC, there is only q computer with access to the database, so only one person can catalog at a time.
– It’s important to accommodate for particular interests or issues that a volunteer wants to avoid (for example, violence, pornography, etc.)

Physical AND digital collections
-QZAP is trying to do both physical and digital collections. After Milo and Chris renovate their house, they hope to have a circulating collection. Currently, physical collections are held in three 2-drawer filing cabinets in their dining room.
– IPRC gets about 2 boxes of donations per week — they have a 10,000 zine backlog! (Even though they already have 6000 zines cataloged, adding barcodes to all of them could be a hassle.)
– QZAP has purchased a barcode reader and $45 Athenaeum software in the hopes of getting their circulating collection together. This software can connect both parts of the database (item records and patron records).
– IPRC membership database is currently separate from the zine database…but hopefully will be reconciled soon!
– Issues with circulating collections — barcodes getting lost, items getting stolen, etc.
– Having a union catalog, which identifies what is needed to catalog zines and comix specifically, will be good for justifying zine libraries in every community. It could also ease ways to move zines to fill gaps in various collections, and assist with fulfilling reference requests (through some sort of shared reference services, perhaps).
– Ideas for cataloging included cataloging parties/races, catalog sponsorships (like Run for the Arts)

“Outsider” librarian caucus notes

For the purposes of this discussion “Outsider” Librarians are those who probably do not have a MLIS/MLS, and are not affiliated with academic or public (or other institutional) libraries.

Issues that Outsider Librarians face:
•Accessibility AND Autonomy
•Financial Issues◦Fundraising
â—¦Grants/grant writing
â—¦Donation

•AUTONOMY!!!
•Validation
•”Library Work”â—¦How to explain to patrons the need for lib. skills
â—¦How to explain to institutions (grantors, non-profits, other library types) the need for zines in the collections

•Re-inventing the wheel
•Not burning out

How can institutional librarians support us?
•Develop programming with indy librarians and zinesters
•Professional librarians can volunteer with indy zine libraries and librarians teaching anf working (i.e. cataloging, MARC, sytems development)
•Consulting and giving validity to indy librarians
•Disaster preparation

Union catalog sampler

Lillian Karabaic of the IPRC was the notetaker for this session, but she didn’t start until after we discussed Drupal.
Drupal.org (presented and added to this page by Clint)
+ Open source
+ Highly customizable
+ Strong web-based support (documentation, forums, free downloads)
+ Many taxonomic functions and possibilities (this means tags and other options for describing materials)
+ More than a catalog, could be developed to cover all of the needs of the catalog/website with one tool (or a combination to accommodate MARC)
– High learning curve (but that’s mostly for the site developers. Once the site is in place, it could be highly user friendly and intuitive, plus I’m willing to do more work with Drupal or another similar CMS than I would be with more limiting software.)
– No acquisitions module (as such…can easily be created)
– No circ module

Biblios.net (presented by Jenna)
+ Open source
+ All Marc records are compatible- possible to upload our catalogue entries
– There’s quite the learning curve for non-librarians, as it is all in MARC
+ but we might be able to make it more user-friendly with some programing
+ Exports and Imports of various formats are compatible
+ Documentation is extensive and non-geek friendly
+ Company is really open and interested in our project
– Currently does not display holdings, but maybe within the next year
– Right now it’s a closed catalog; can’t view data without being logged in (no front-end / discovery portal)

Informative blog entry all about Biblios.net
And Youtube Tutorials
Example is the Slash fiction catalog

Zinewiki– Jerianne
+ Great resource with 2500 entries and been around since 2006, included lots of related subjects
– Not convinced this is the solution to our woes
+ Depending on the quality of the information entered you get the publisher and publication years
+ Can include issue information
– Not a catalog record but this is a good tool in conjunction with biblios.net
– Not compatible with MARC records

Athaeneum– Milo
He’s using the Light Edition, which costs about 45 bucks. The commercial version costs $450 and works with MARC
+Has a circ module
CMC’s (drupal, django, etc) allow us to catalog but not to circulate
+ Runs on a single computer
– Not open source
+ Up in running in 5 mins, takes about 20 mins for Milo to train interns on it
+ Works with barcode reader
+ Lots of places to fill in cataloging
-To make it web-based you need filemaker (also proprietary)

Milo thought that other cataloging options were too much of a learning curve for indy libraries

Librarything.com – Sonya
+ Gets lots of calls from small libraries
The developer built it for himself
+ Very easy to use interface
– If a book doesn’t have doesn’t have an ISBN you can’t duplicate the record- this might be fixed soon
+ Can pull in MARC records
– Private company
+ No evil motive
+ Can use for circulation by putting user # in comment field
– The circulation methods are pretty much a hack
+ Tags
+ Interested in our project

What We Want & Need
Biblios seems to be the most comprehensive, but it is intimidating for non-librarians
It is important to us that
-we can communicate with each other
-that there is a circ module
-that it is open source
-free or cheap
-Jenna is afraid that if it is too much effort no one will use it
-Can it solve all of our group needs? We need something to meet the needs of public, academic, and community libraries (like the IPRC< QZAP and ZAPP) OCLC & MARC. Do they suck? Are they dying? Jenna is currently working in MARC and would probably need to continue. She's willing to dual-import records. But is anyone else? It makes sense for everyone to have name authority records (eg JK Rowling versus JoAnne Rowling) There's "ownership" issues for public libraries that currently use OCLC We want to eliminate some of the big hurdles to starting a zine collection at an existing library Is cataloging via MARC essential? Clint says that it is easy to create a MARC record template for Drupal. Allison from ZAPP wants MARC to die There is No Out-Of-The-Box Solution. It seems that a drupal/filemaker front end with Biblios might meet all our needs Jenna says she relies on Drupal wizards for help and finds it a little difficult with non-geeks Union Catalog and Interlibrary Loan We need this to work with MARC as well as the records of places like the IPRC (which uses filemaker) that wouldn't touch MARC. Would need a circ module to be successful at ILL Money, Money, Money We discussed the fact that this probably wouldn't be free. We discovered that half the room that had tech spouses that could be paid with alternative currency. Lily brought up getting grants for unique technology infrastructure. Importing records is the key to getting moolah from existing institutions. What happened to zinewiki? As far as Jerianne can tell, it was possibly hacked, and then revived and made worse, then died again, and once again revived by current admins. We wondered if it could be made compatible with MARC. We like that zinewiki is all meta-data friendly. Lots of Foresight is Necessary We need to think about what we really want 10, 15 years from now and about what web 3.0 will look like. Replicating and Mirroring is necessary in order to make sure things don't die. Documentation must be kick-ass and if it isn't, we are failures as librarians and zinesters. Milo says: Make a zine about MARC! Oh The OCLC, Again Alycia stresses that we need to figure out work arounds for OCLC sooner rather than later in order to make this project work Here is information on why they are evil.

To sum up: There’s no out of the box solution and MARC records will be around for a long time, so we need to cater to them.

A working group will be established by the leads Lillian and Clinton

Here are some supplemental notes from Jenna.

Closing session notes

Closing Session Notes, as transcribed by Jerianne (please correct any errors!)

First we did a recap of all the sessions:

Timberland Regional Library’s Story – how it started, how she got admin to buy in, what programming she did, looked at examples of how she’s built interest in the community and within the structure of the library. Slideshow presentation w/ lolcats. Patron idea for blank zines with subjects on front to have people fill in info – great program, popular with people at the uncon. Good info, well rounded.

Ethics of zine collecting / feedback from zinesters – We discussed what to do if a zinester requests removing his/her zine from the collection: difference actions based on where the zine came from (publisher, distro, third policy), potential solutions instead of removing (redact personal info, closed archive). Sometimes you need to respect wishes, decide on case by case basis. What’s the reader’s rights? Write policies so we are prepared to respond. Are we more beholden to zine community or history? Potential for use of zines as evidence (Ted Kaczynski). Please don’t bind zines like you would a magazine. Also discussed dealing with weeding, photocopying, giving out personal info. We should collaborate on a zine libraries code of ethics, should include zinesters in that discussion. Digitizing – ok to scan cover, but beyond that you should try to get permission. Libraries want publishing info and copyright statement within zines.

Digital collections – QZAP, great to get perspective on how it works, reflection of digital collections vs IPRC/ZAPP, some ethics discussion (putting things online, copyright/fair use, contacting zinesters, some people don’t want things online). Discussed the technical process.

Union catalog sampler – Included presentations of five different options. Talked about pros and cons of each, what we need to cater to public, academic, and special libraries. What do we all need to get out of this resource? We did not reach a conclusion. Discussed the idea of creating a non-evil alternative to OCLC (with explanation of the problems in OCLC). Decided that zinewiki is something we’re can use in the interim while we discuss options. Could be authority for zine titles and author names, could track zine library holdings. We won’t find an out of the box solution, will need to define what we need and want and develop a solution. Use tech spouses or others for assistance.

Sustainability – ZAPP and IPRC members talked about issues we shared. Talked about board politics. Classes that could be fundraising possibility. IPRC makes money from outreach, membership, workshops. Outreach, write grants, go to schools and give presentations. July = International Zine Month. Possible partnership between ZAPP and IPRC = Cascadia Zine Coalition. Issue: the structures of nonprofits, boards don’t get what we’re doing, ways to communicate to them what we are doing, the value of having a zine library.

Caucuses:
Special libraries (aka ‘outsider’ libraries): How can institutional libraries support independent libraries? Public libraries: What happens when you have a champion who gets removed from or leaves the collection — Importance of documentation
Cataloging catchall – discussed subject headings vs tags.

Introduction to cataloging for non-librarians – Presented the history of cataloging, talked about how catalogs work. Some examples of zines, identifying the author, what information goes in which fields, how the searches work based on that. Importance of putting multiple categories so computer searches can find in more than one way. Authority on how the author is written. Comparison between what we should have for zine cataloging and IMDB when you search for actor’s name (aliases, etc., so you get full filmography), a way to understand why it is so difficult.

Advanced cataloging – We talked about our best practices and how can we coordinate. Volunteer management and using volunteers to help with cataloging. What should be in record, how can we describe zines. Subject headings vs tags. Clint & Jerianne talked about how their catalogs worked; Jerianne showed sample records. What are areas where we need improvement, issues that come up often? Author, description, physical description. Project to create a controlled vocabulary. Gathering information from experts in various fields related to zine discussion to get vocabulary to use in tags to search/describe content. Discussed how to zinewiki as an interim tool (holdings in the article, other metadata attached).

Bookbinding – We made books, it needed to be longer. No one finished in the allotted time. Skillshares are a great idea for next time. Didn’t record the whole session because of technical difficulties.

Zine anatomy / preservation – Discussed preservation issues, how to store zines, if any zine publishers consider preservation when making zines (no, they use what materials are at hand). We can’t count on zinesters to help us there. Disaster preparedness; we don’t have a disaster plan at most places. Zinesters will donate collections to a library to protect it, but we aren’t safe either. We need to think about that. Different people talked about what they do. Digital preservation (QZAP). Implications of using digitization of print zines, most not into it. But digitizing could make them accessible to people with visual impairments. Is it ok to store in cereal boxes? – not for preservation purposes. Showed examples of different types of print (relief, screen, stencil), letterpress, explanation of mimeograph vs dittos. Useful for people doing cataloging who want to do physical description.

Zine programming – (I didn’t take notes on this recap, but I can say: We discussed a variety of ideas of zine programming in libraries, including zine workshops, zine readings, using zines in outreach, zines 201, zines with seniors. David Lasky showed us how anyone can draw a cartoon character using just circles, triangles, and squares.)

Meta discussion:
We make zines – zine libraries group (using that as a common space)
Zine yearbook – possibly take that on as a project. Having one editor, different people to take charge of a specific area (genre) of zines, allow us to group edit although geographically aprt. Biannual project? Could coordinate with the zine librarian (un)conferences.
Idea that a zine librarian central fund that people can donate to, to use for specific projects (union catalog, pay for zine yearbook, updating domain fees, disaster recovery) so we’re all looking out for each other. Open ended – how much, who to keep it, lots of questions. Should we get a legitimate account, treasurer? Then donations from institutions more likely. Maybe use existing organization as umbrella group?

Collection development and intellectual freedom – Talked about policies, developing policy, some do some don’t, and the ramifications for that. Techniques for turning away donations, want to be sensitive to turning away. Challenge policies, how to deal with challenges. Access policies, age restrictions. Using zinewiki – on the entry for a zine library, have link or something to their collection policy. Or at zinelibraries.info. (Also: Owen’s survey – will share results, which includes collection development policy.)

Review and abstract writing – We practiced writing an abstract and a zine review, talked about the differences in style and content. One big distinction we made was that an abstract should use neutral language, whereas reviews need opinion. Also important to keep in mind your audience when you’re writing.

Based on these recaps, we decided that we need to set up work groups to follow-up on some of these discussions. Participants at the closing session volunteered to coordinate each group; will solicit participation from other zine librarians via the yahoo group and we make zines:
•Code of ethics – Kelsey
•Union catalog – Clint & Lily (this includes cataloging norms, controlled vocabulary/thesaurus, using zinewiki in the interim)
•International Zine Month – Alex
•Cascadia Zine Coalition – Nora & Marc
•Preservation standards – Heather
•Zinelibraries.info / we make zines – Alycia & Milo
•Zine Yearbook – Clint
•Central zine librarian fund – Jessi
•Collection policies – Abby & Emily (this includes zine ethics and challenge responses)

We also went around the room and each provided feedback on what worked and what didn’t. (Some comments were repeated; I’ll skip over those.):

Milo: Really liked the combination of conference & unconference, having some pre-planned programs, then brainstorm & go, didn’t waste a lot of time on consensus building. Every conference will have time conflicts (interesting sessions scheduled for same time), not a lot we can do about that.

Abby: Liked how we used different methods to communicate when planning, still learning which modes work best. We should pat ourselves on the back, this all went smoothly. Thanks to Nora & the ZAPP volunteers.

Elaine: It’s been a wonderful experience. The bookbinding session needed to be longer, but the flexibility of the conference allowed us to finish later in the day. Was easy to register.

Clint: Impressed with the conversations we had.

Nora: It was very helpful to hear how you’ve done it (at your libraries), had so many questions coming in.

Jerianne: The wiki had some flaws in how it was set up (difficult navigation). Where do we go from here, let’s keep it going.

Kelsey: Happy with the planners, we worked well together, shared the weight. Liked how the format let different people step up and go with it. Needed more time between the conference and the reading.

Marc: It’s hard to believe that this was the first zine librarian conference, it went so smoothly and was well-planned.

Lily: I’ve been to some unconferences that have sucked, and this didn’t suck. Would be good to email the registered participants a couple of days before the conference to remind them.

Alycia: Was a remote planner, had conversations with people here, but had no idea how amazing ZAPP is. The space helped us to be flexible, the volunteers who filled in made it run smooth.

Heather: Liked the social, participatory nature. It was completely different from professional conferences – not stuffy – being around people excited with what we’re doing, doing it for altruistic reasons. We should equalize the labor – we didn’t have to pay to be here, wasn’t required, but we should have a labor exchange to make it fair. Likes to get updates via RSS feeds (to know what changes have been made to the planning site; the wiki didn’t do that).

Emily: Need to do more PR, more on library listservs. Did everyone on the zine librarian yahoo group hear about the conference?

David: Found everything really interesting, having people come from different places was great, knowing we’re not alone in the issues we face. The conference was well-documented. Too bad more libraries couldn’t be here; try to webcast future events.

Lily: The housing shares (on the wiki) didn’t work well.

Jessi: It came together better than I thought it might. Wiki – need to separate organization from the interface.

Jenna: We would have done better with shorter sessions and more choices. So thrilled to meet everyone face to face. Appreciated that we could schedule it around an official library conference so we (academic librarians) could come.

Jerianne: Maybe next time schedule around ALA or PLA?

Alycia: So many people were involved in planning, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

Mare’: It feels historic and important.

Chance: Invite indy bookstores to participate at next conference?

Alycia: If we piggyback events, we could try to work with a zine fest in the future. Jenna has had a caucus at Allied Media Conference before.

Maybe plan for a conference every other year?

event details

Registration

To register to attend this conference, merely sign up below. We will try to keep this as low cost as possible, preferably with a voluntary donation.

1.Jenna Freedman, Barnard College Zine Librarian
2.Kelsey Smith, Reference Librarian & Small Zine Collection Starter, Olympia Timberland Library
3.Clinton Watson, SLCPL
4.Jessica Lucas, The Seattle Public Library
5.Milo Miller, QZAP, the Queer Zine Archive Project
6.Shannon Peterson, Youth Services Librarian and Small Teen Zine Collection Creator Kitsap Regional Library
7.Carolyn Weber, UW-Milwaukee librarian-in-training, Marquette Reference Intern
8.Alycia Sellie, Pratt Institute Libraries and former Madison Zine Fest coordinator
9.Emily Grayson, UW MLIS candidate and volunteer at Z.A.P.P. in Seattle
10.Nora Mukaihata, ZAPP/Zine Archive & Publishing Project, Library Manager http://www.hugohouse.org/house/zapp/ & works at Seattle Public Library, General Reference/Qic Info.
11.Danielle Rodeo Warhola – Resume of charm, DIY Academy, Formerly ZAPP.
12.Kelly McElroy, library and archival studies student, University of British Columbia
13.Kathryn Higgins, ZAPP Volunteer and Committee Member
14.Jonathan Horn, ZAPP Intern

1.Lisa Williams, Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
2.Tyler Hauck, MLIS candidate at UW, ZAPP volunteer, former volunteer at the Papercut Zine Library (Cambridge, Mass.), zine maker.
3.Marc Parker, Independent Publishing Resource Center (Portland, OR) Zine Librarian
4.Alex Wrekk, Independent Publishing Resource Center, Portland Zine Symposium (Portland, Oregon USA) Zine Maker and button monkey
5.Heather Davis, Archivist/Librarian
6.Lillian Karabaic, Independent Publishing Resource Center and founder of the late Queen City Zine Library
7.Dan Halligan, zinester/ZineWiki co-admin/UW Libraries manager
8.Abby Bass, zinester, former ZAPP director and librarian, co-founder of SPL’s first zine collection, and Teen Services/Fiction Librarian at Seattle Public Library
9.Cecilia Jezek, UW MLISer & UW Libraries Media Center
10.Meagan Lacy, MLIS student, University of Washington
11.Tiffany Clendenin, King County Libraries and UW MLIS.
12.Betty Marcoux, UW iSchool faculty (Sunday only)
13.Meghan Hall, Library Associate, Timberland Regional Library, Lacey, WA
14.Torie Quinonez, Librarian, zinemaker, hobo
15.Debby Florence, Slumgullion, Zootown Arts Community Center
16.Guest(s) of Debby Florence-perhaps 2 people
17.Jerianne Thompson, Linebaugh Public Library, Zine World, ZineWiki co-admin
18.Christina Hanson, MLIS student, University of British Columbia
19.Elaine Harger, Librarian, Mount Si High School & zinester
20.Alana Kumbier, Librarian, Wellesley College
21.Scott Faulkner, ZAPP volunteer (zine catalog database programmer)
22.Elissa Ball, former ZAPP intern, future library studies student
23.Owen Curtsinger, former ZAPP intern, committee member, hired goon

Proposed schedule

This is, as all future iterations will be, a DRAFT. At unconferences, schedules change all the time.

To explain a bit more, the conference planning committee selected five workshops from those proposed, one for each session. Each day of the conference, the first order of business will be to identify other topics of interest. We can have up to four concurrent sessions at a time. A workshop is no more privileged than a discussion, we just felt that some sessions needed prep or equipment and so wanted to give their facilitators advanced notice.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2009
10 AM to 5 PM
Location: ZAPP/Richard Hugo House
80 person capacity
Spaces:
•cabaret & small room/downstairs (80 people)
•ZAPP/upstairs (7-9 people)
•kitchen/upstairs (8 people)

10:00 -11:00 – introduction/planning for conference

11:00 -11:30 – break and ZAPP tours (10 to 15 min. each, done by ZAPP interns & volunteers)

11: 30 -12:45 – Workshop #1: TRL’s Zine Collection Story: Starting from Scratch and other meetings as necessary – downstairs room
ethics of zine collecting – cabaret
digital collections – ZAPP

12:45 – 2:15 – lunch, perhaps by interest caucuses (e.g. infoshop libraries)

2:15 – 3: 30 PM – Workshop #2: Union catalog sampler/Catalog via Drupal and other meetings as necessary – cabaret
ZAPP tour – open discussion – ZAPP
sustainability – kitchen

3: 30 – 4:00 PM – break

4: 00 – 5:30 PM – ZLZ assemblage and discussions
cataloging catch-all cabaret
open discussion

Saturday Night Zine Reading!
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Cafe Allegro 1408 NE 42nd Street (between University Way and 15th Ave.)

SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2009
11 – 6 PM
ZAPP/Richard Hugo House
50 person capacity
Spaces:
•cabaret & small room/downstairs (80 people) until 3 pm
•connected classrooms/upstairs (20 people each, or 40 total with door open) WARNING: starting at 4pm the theatre will be in use (below) so we have to keep noise levels down.
•Members’ library/upstairs (15 people) see the previous WARNING
•ZAPP/upstairs (7-9 people)
•kitchen/upstairs (8 people)

11:00 – 11:30 – plan the day

11:30 – 12:45 – Introduction to cataloging for non-librarians First floor, Cabaret

— –Bookbinding, Second Floor classroom

— –DISCUSSION – Advanced cataloging, Upstairs

12:45 – 1:00 – break

1:00 – 2:15 – Zine Anatomy & Zine Preservation (combined) and other meetings as necessary, Member Library

— –Zine Programming, Upstairs classroom

2:15 – 3:30 – lunch, “Meta” discussion, Upstairs

3:30 – 4:45 – Collection Development and Intellectual Freedom, Upstairs

— –Review and Abstract writing, Upstairs

4:45 – 5:00 – break

5:00 – 6:00 – plenary closing session/ wrap-up/ good, bad, ugly/ zine librarians unconference 2?, Cabaret

Zine Librarians zine reading

The zine reading will be held in the upstairs room at Cafe Allegro, 1408 NE 42nd Street (between University Way and 15th Ave), at 7 pm on Saturday, March 14th. Please add your name to this page if you are willing to read from your contribution to Zine Librarian Zine 3, your own zine, or a zine that you love! There will also be limited space for selling stuff- if you’re interested in selling your wares, please sign up here and let us know that you’ll be tabling.

1. Jenna Freedman (Lower East Side Librarian Winter Solstice Shout-Out)
2. Alycia Sellie (Zine Librarian Zine #3)
3. Alex Wrekk (Brainscan, Stolen Sharpie Revolution)
4. Kelsey Smith (Zine Librarian Zine 3)
5. Zach Mandeville- Funwater Awesome zine
6. Jerianne Thompson (Rejected Band Names, How To Be A Good / Bad Library Patron)
7. Mr. Jeffery McNulty of Bloodhag fame

ZLuC 2009 SEA

[This is an archive of the original site, which was at seattle-zine-unconference.wikispaces.com.]

ZLuC 2009 program cover, created by ZAPP staff

Welcome to the Seattle Zine Librarian (Un)conference Pages
March 14th and 15th, 2009
Location: ZAPP at Richard Hugo House
1634 11th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
206-322-7030

Members of the Zine Librarians Yahoo Group and other interested parties discussed any and all topics related to zines and libraries. The Zine Librarians group shared information at zinelibraries.info.

This conference was a mix of traditional conference and unconference.

There will also be a zine reading on Saturday night, March 14th, at 7pm. The zine reading will be held in Cafe Allegro’s upstairs room at 1408 NE 42nd Street (between University Way and 15th Ave).

Zine Catalog Project – share ideas about what you want to get out of a collaborative zine cataloging project. those that attending the conference can use these notes as a frame of reference for discussion about the big zine catalog!

Press release and call for workshop proposals

Zine Librarians (Un)Conference
Seattle, Washington, March 14 and 15, 2009

Zine librarians, collectors and creators are invited to the Richard Hugo House and the Zine Archive and Publishing Project for two days of discussion and presentation centered around the collecting and organizing of zines; be they in libraries, archives, infoshops, basements, or living rooms.

Blending a traditional conference with the Unconference model, this gathering will be participatory and open. Workshops will be scheduled, and discussions of cataloging, organizing and promoting zine collections are expected, among other topics. All members of the zine community, including non-librarians, are invited to join in and take part.

An outline of events and further information is available on the event’s wiki: http://seattle-zine-unconference.wikispaces.com/
Please visit the wiki to register your attendance, help plan the events, and volunteer.

SAVE THE DATE:
March 14 and 15, 2009
10 am – 5 pm
Location: Zine Archive Publishing Project (ZAPP) at Richard Hugo House
1634 11th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
206-322-7030

The event is FREE, but there may be a small, voluntary donation for food and/or materials.

TO REGISTER:
To register to attend the (un)conference and join the discussion, visit the wiki: http://seattle-zine-unconference.wikispaces.com/Register
REGISTER DEADLINE: March 6th, Friday.

READ YOUR ZINE!
7pm March 14th at Cafe Allegro (1408 NE 42nd Street,between University Way and 15th Ave). Join zine creators, readers and librarians in this celebration of self-publishing. There will also be limited space for zinesters to sell their wares. If you’d like to read or hawk your merch, please sign up here!

CALL FOR WORKSHOPS:
If you are interested in leading a one-hour workshop during the conference, please submit the following information by creating a page for it on this wiki and listing it on the proposals page by Friday, February 28th, 2009:
1.The title of your workshop
2.Your name and a very brief biography of all workshop leaders (1-3 sentences each)
3.A brief (100 word) summary of topics you would address
4.Any tools, equipment or technology that would be required
5.Add your proposal to this list:1.Proposals
2.And then create a page for it (You’ll need to be logged into the wiki to do so) and link to it. (As in the example of Zine Anatomy)

Guidelines for workshops: We are interested in hosting workshops that will be informational, how-to’s and describe a task, skill or scheme that another zine library would find useful. This could be hands-on, or a presentation of what your library has done well.
Note: This is a call only for workshops that require extensive pre-planning, are practical in nature, or require specific materials. We will also have facilitated discussions at the conference, but those will be selected at the conference itself. List of potential discussion topics. Please add yours!

For more information about the Zine Librarians (Un)Conference, contact:
Alycia Sellie, alyciasellie@gmail.com

Organizers notes

Who is willing to organize the event?

In/near Seattle
Jessica Lucas
Kelsey Smith (Olympia- an hour away…)
Abby Bass
Kathryn Higgins
Nora Mukaihata

In not Seattle
Jenna Freedman
Clinton Watson
Alycia Sellie
Kelly McElroy (Vancouver, BC)
(tentatively, Milo Miller)

Stuff to do:
•find venue(s)◦As of 11/22/08 it looks like ZAPP is the site for the conference. See below for more info. (AB)

•fundraising?
•food?
•program/speakers?
•housing
•arrange to visit local zine libraries, perhaps do a work project for them?
•make sure space is set up to exchange zines and lit… a mini info-shop for the zine conference
-Zapp at Richard Hugo House–
•(AB) Nora, can you list some ideas for possible work projects that folks could do if interested? Some info about ZAPP can be found here:◦http://www.hugohouse.org/events/zapp/

-Seattle Central Public Library–teen section (where all the cool stuff is…)
-Small collection at the University Branch, could use meeting room and supplies to do a memorial zine
•transportation/rideshare info
•tech needs
•budget?

Discussion topics

Suggest a topic you can present on, or lead a discussion on:

1.Starting a collection — Jenna
2.Building an online catalog with open-source software — Clinton
3.Organizing zine events — Alycia
4.TRL’s Zine Collection Story: Starting from Scratch– Kelsey
5.Zine Workshop/Event/Collaborating/Media Action– Kim Riot (Grrrl Zines A-Go-Go)
6.Zine Archiving and Preservation for the Beginner — Kim Riot
7.Partnering with Higher Education: Zines as a semester-long project for writing, arts, design, and other liberal arts courses — Clinton
8.Defining and Disrupting Collection Policies: A Round-table discussion on the Vague Specifics of determining what fits in your zine collection, and where — Milo and Jenna
9.Introduction to basic principles of cataloging for non-librarians — Tyler.
10.Dealing with the problems associated with circulating zine collections — Tyler

Suggest a topic you’d like to see discussed:

1.Policies–balancing commitment to librarianship and sensitivity to zine community — Jenna
2.Library-specific caucuses1.Academic librarians caucus — Jenna
2.Public librarians caucus — Jerianne
3.Private / special librarians caucus — ??

3.Marketing your zine collection– Kelsey
4.Shoestring Zine Collection Development– Kelsey
5.Programming with Zines– Kelsey
6.Make a comp zine, maybe Zine Librarian Zine 3, if Greig doesn’t mind
7.Cataloging: Subject headings vs. tags — Clinton
8.Identifying different types of prints and bindings (for cataloging purposes) — Jenna
9.What everyone’s favorite zines are! — Alycia
10.Zines by and for librarians, or about libraries (OR a swap? bring yours!) — Alycia (I’d also like to see a general zine swap — everyone bring zines that you can’t use for your collection, duplicates, etc., to give away/trade –Jerianne)
11.How about a basic bookbinding workshop? –Kelsey
12.Collection Development Policies, and Determining the Scope of your Zine Collection– Kelsey
13.Anyone interested in zines in social action? the YMCA has a working zone project to give homeless kids job skills by making and selling their own zine. They are pretty good and we could probably have them come do a presentation.–Jessica
14.Partnerships between zine libraries/collections to share resources, coordinate events and outreach, strategize about collection priorities, etc. –Emily-Jane (I second this one– Clinton)
15.Dynamic Zine Education and Event/Exhibit Programming, how to use zines as sources for community development within the library — Kim Riot
16.Print v. E-zine: Can they get along?
17.Physical (and digital!) preservation of zines
18.Shared cataloging on wiki AND zine catalog project in general
19.Identifying different types of prints and bindings (for cataloging purposes) — Jenna
20.What everyone’s favorite zines are! — Alycia
21.Zines by and for librarians, or about libraries (OR a swap? bring yours!) — Alycia
22.How to write a zine review (lookin at you, Jenna…) — Kelsey (stop looking at me, and look at Jerianne!–Jenna)([Looking at Jerianne now per Jenna’s instructions… is she coming?–Kelsey]){I don’t know if Jerianne is coming, but I hope so!–Jenna}
23.Zinesters discussing their preferences on library issues (90s zines in circulating collections, scanning zine covers for reviews and exhibits, digitizing covers and other content, quoting from them, etc.) — Jenna
24.Zine challenges (by patrons and/or creators) and Intellectual Freedom Policies — Abby (I second this — Jerianne)
25.Sharing best practices re: collection development policies, disaster preparedness, preservation & conservation, and cataloging — Abby
26.‡biblios.net as our union catalog –Jenna
27.Zine Yearbook. Microcosm probably won’t publish it again. Would someone else want to take this on? –Jenna
28.Developing ZineWiki policies and guidelines –Jerianne

(–there is a cool local non-profit that did book binding programs for spl this summer I believe they were called the Seattle Center for Book Arts–JL)
(Awesome! Do you think you could figure out who to talk to from that group? I could teach some really basic techniques, but nothing too fancy… -kelsey)

Photo documentation

If you’re on Flickr, please join the Zine Libraries group and tag Zine (un)Con photos zluc2009.

Alphabetical, by first name:
•Alycia Sellie
•Dan Halligan
•David Lasky
•Jenna Freedman
•Jerianne Thompson
•Kelsey Smith
•Sonya Green

photo from Jenna Freedman; click to see within Flickr set

event details (registration, housing, etc.)

<h1>Housing</h1>

SO, you’re coming to Milwaukee for the ZL(u)C and are looking for places to stay. There are a couple of options:

1) Couchsurfing! If you’re just looking for a couch to surf on for a couple of days, please put your name under this line.
a. Honor Moody I’m flying into Milwaukee Thursday July 7, and out Sunday July 10. I also surf floors and back yards, but am doing three weeks with carry-on luggage only, so will have no bedding, tenting, etc.
b. Chelsea Kirkland- July 7 getting in in the afternoon, leaving July 9 after the conference. Approaching my work on zines/ libraries from a queer anarchist perspective. I am a really good houseguest!

2) Dorm Housing – This is pending approval from the Library to host the conference there. http://www4.uwm.edu/housing/reservations/conferences/
Are folks interested in group rate rooms? We’ve been discussing it a bit on the Zine Librarians email list–email Alycia (alyciasellie (at) gmail (dot) com) if you are interested, or add your name/a note here. I think we need more than 10 people for a “group.”

  1. Alycia S. Hoping to stay the evenings of July 7-9th, no preference on air conditioning
  2. John S.
  3. Chris R.
  4. Jeanie A.
  5. (maybe Maggie)
  6. Linda N.
  7. Honor M.
  8. Joshua B. (maybe w/ a +1)
  9. Marta C. I prefer no-air conditioning, but not essential. Most likely staying July 7th-9th
  10. Adrienne N. def with +1!
  11. Chelsea K. – put myself on the couchsurfer list above, but I’m also down for dorms!

3) Hotels – There are a number of hotels in the area. Most are downtown, about 3-5 miles from UWM

<h1>Registration</h1>

To register for the MKE ZL(u)C you will need to login to the wiki first.

After you have logged in to the wiki add your name, alphabetically if you please:

  1. Jeanie Austin, juvenile detention center librarian, volunteer librarian at UC-IMC
  2. Joe Austin, associate prof of history at UWM and a giant lizard monster
  3. Joshua Barton, Serials Catalog Librarian & Philosophy Bibliographer, Michigan State University Libraries
  4. Kelly Bolter, Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  5. Jeremy Brett, University of Iowa
  6. Jessica Bublitz, Bottles on the Sill Zine Library; Zine and Comic Student Intern, Special Collections, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  7. Marta Chudolinska, Learning Zone Librarian, OCAD Zine Library, OCAD University Library Learning Zone
  8. Leah Fisher, Reader Advisor, Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library,
  9. Violet Fox, volunteer at Seattle’s Zine Archive and Publishing Project (ZAPP)
  10. Jenna Freedman, Research & Zine Librarian, Barnard College
  11. Kathi Jakubowski, E-Resources/Serials Coordinator, UW-Milwaukee
  12. Tina Jayroe, graduate student, UW-M SOIS
  13. Kimberly, zine librarian, Papercut Zine LibraryMA
  14. Lacey Prpic Hedtke, zinester and librarian, Zine Apothecary
  15. Jessica Horvath, UWM SOIS student, Head of Tech Services @ Eisenhower Public Library District
  16. Catherine Loomis, Resource Discovery Team (general cataloger & Special Collections monographs and authority work), UW-Milwaukee.
  17. Lindsey Killips, MLIS Student, UW-Milwaukee
  18. Chelsea Kirkland, The Long Haul Infoshop Zine Archive in Berkeley, CA and MLIS student at San Jose State
  19. Alana Kumbier, Research & Instruction Librarian, Wellesley College
  20. Molly Susan Mathias, Learning Commons Coordinator, UW-Milwaukee
  21. Kelly McElroy, Undergraduate Services Librarian, University of Iowa Libraries
  22. Caitlin McGurk, Head Librarian The Center for Cartoon Studies, White River Junction, VT
  23. Milo Miller, QZAP
  24. Honor Moody, Cataloger, Schlesinger Library, Cambridge, MA
  25. Patrick Mooney, Toronto Zine Library
  26. Sarah Morean
  27. Adrienne Naylor, zine librarian, Papercut Zine Library, Somerville, MA
  28. Linda Nguyen, MLIS student, St. Catherine University
  29. Debbie Rasmussen, Fly Away Zine Mobile
  30. Stephanie Renner, Cheering and Waving Press, hoping to road trip to attend from Chillicothe, Ohio
  31. Chris Ritzo, Information Management Specialist, Univ. of Illinois Urbana, Volunteer librarian, UC-IMC Library
  32. Lisa Schelling, GIS Librarian, UW-Milwaukee
  33. Jim Schultz, UWM School of Information Studies (IT Support)
  34. Alycia Sellie, Instructor, Brooklyn College
  35. Kelsey Smith, Olympia Timberland Library, hoping to attend remotely in some capacity.
  36. Ben Specht, UWM School of Information Studies (IT Support)
  37. John Stevens, Librarian, Rare Printed & Arts Teams, State Library of Victoria (Australia)
  38. Brian Thompson, UWM School of Information Studies (IT Support)
  39. Jerianne Thompson, Collection Development Coordinator, Linebaugh Public Library, and editor/publisher, Zine World
  40. Jude Vachon, Librarian/Zine Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
  41. Carolyn Weber, Instructional & Reference Librarian, Bryant & Stratton College Milwaukee
  42. Sarah G. Wenzel, Bibliographer for Literatures of Europe & the Americas, University of Chicago
  43. Christopher Wilde, Co-founder and Research Coordinator, The Queer Zine Archive Project
  44. Mel J. Nicholas, SLIS student at UW-Madison, Infoshop volunteer
  45. Dane Spudic, Infoshop volunteer and zinephile
  46. Molly Khan, SLIS student at UW-Madison, works with digital collections and archives
  47. Alex Welborn UW-Milwaukee SOIS student
  48. Amanda Stevens, Anchor Archive Zine Library

<h1>Remote access</h1>

For those who are unable to physically be in Milwaukee for the conference there will be at least 3 different ways of participating remotely:

We’ll for sure have Skype access in 3 of the 4 spaces.

HOW-TO:
1.Download Skype from http://skype.com
2.Run the installer and follow the prompts
3.Run the application, and then click “Don’t have a Skype Name?” unless you have an existing Skype account.
4.Click “Add a Contact”
5.Under Skype Name enter “mkezl-1” and then click “Add”
6.Repeat last step for the Skype Name “mkezl-2”
7.Wait for a call from one of the previously added contacts, click “Answer”.

To view the live video feed please navigate to http://www4.uwm.edu/sois/live/ our flash based player will load and begin streaming content

During the plenary we’ll decide which Skype account will be in which space, and it will be posted with the schedule.

If you have any technical issues please contact tech support via email at: soistech@uwm.edu

Finally, the wiki will be being updated in realtime during the conference. You too can add and edit pages as needed/desired.

notes

Zine Library Documentation, Where to Put It, and How to Pay for It

collecting data to not have to reinvent the wheel, that’s easily findable on the internet

existing data points, not connected
making it sustainable

what do we currently have, what do they do well, what needs they don’t currently meet

zinelibraries.info

  • wordpress blog, cms
  • run by stephanie in kansas city
  • not being used
  • we could do something different with the domain (and make sure we keep current content)

yahoo list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zinelibrarians

  • good for discussion and archives
  • would be good to have more of a forum than a discussion list
  • but don’t want yahoo to own our data

zinewiki.com

wemakezines.ning.com

what wikis are best? wikispaces, pbworks, etc.
what is the easiest to use?
are lots of people using wikis?
wordpress?

upload documents, or links

how to fund it, where to host it

revamp zinelibraries.info ideas:

  • migrate to drupal, joomla
  • continue with wordpress, but update
  • hosting alternatives: stay the same, move to another host, host it ourselves
  • wiki, if so, what kind

way to export zinelibrarians list to author role?

how to share: blog posts vs. attachments

  • preference for blog posts–use tags to collocate? user assigned, but could also be added by admins

funding

  • for this project, also for union catalog
  • central fund
  • could be for a scholarship fund for the conference
  • fundraising
  • dues or time
  • zine library day activity to generate $

make sure metazines are included
need a card/decoder ring/transformer

Alycia will check in with Stephanie and start transforming zinelibraries.info

Note: some zine documentation has been collected on google docs- feel free to add!
Zine Library documentation- Google Docs

Gatekeepers and the zine community

Ethics in zine collecting à ethics of collecting for special collections, where it is not browseable (ala infoshop)
How do you ethically develop a collection?
Issues: anonymity, excluding information on some items
Theoretical side: dichotomy between subculture/underground and mainstream
Issues include:
Mainstream institutions co-opting
Ethics of preserving something that may not have been created to be preserved
Way something is recorded/artifact

Question: who has closed stacks? Circulating?
John: State Library of Australia, Melbourne: similar to one at UWM, but less direct access. All zines are kept in cooler storage. About 8000 zines, kept in mylar slips/cardboard backing, preservation-quality boxes. Some oversized. Started as a time capsule thing, late 90s, with idea that zines were dying. Access: can’t be electronically requested (unlike other items) – you have to phone and make an appt. you have 3x day, 5x week. Generally, no photocopying, no pencils. No gloves.
Public: 2 (1 remote attendee)
Academic: 8
Community: (“rando dirty kids”): 6
Government: 1

Honor: Scheslinger Library at Harvard. Special collections, non-circ closed stacks, public is welcome, but photo id requested (don’t know why theyd’ be turned away). Catalogued into main catalogue like any other material. Stored on her desk, but will end up in document boxes in storage, with spacers if needed. Collecting: document women in American history, inc. gender things, queer zines, culinary zines. Very focused on posterity: current and future researchers, long-term researchers, rather than for a community. Long-term asset. Not browseable, but mediated through online access, through bibliographic records. One of few Harvard libraries open to the public, others very hard to get into. No food no drink in the reading room, we give you a pencil. Were using Dewey classification, but stopped – Box/folder listing instead. Collocatable through constructed collection titles. E.g. looking for Riot Grrrl zines – get subject headings, but there’s some fuzziness with this (and there will be a session on this later!).

Sarah: U of Chicago, buys for regular collections and special collections. Is based on teaching interests, so interested in zines because faculty is interested in them. Special collections is like others, no pens, etc. Special collections is actually more open to the public, circulating only gets to faculty and students. ILL regular collections, though. (Fees are unknown.)

Chris: QZAP is probably unique at the table. Two components: public face is the website, with under 400 zines digitized, available 24/7 to download. Free, uses free and open-source software. But this is only a fraction of the physical collection, in several file cabinets. Minimal preservation work. Chris is the only person in the collective who has archival experience (learned from Susie Bright’s mother.) Mylar envelopes/acid-free backers around, so will fasttrack items with preservation issues. QZAP will eventually get to live in their basement. At that point, will be open to the public, with open hours. Currently, access to non-digitized items is by request – someone will contact someone from the collective. Chris is the research coordinator, so will receive requests. Will scan zines for researchers, and also answer reference questions and give statistics/analytical information (e.g. how many trans people of color zines d’ya have?). But, they don’t have an overarching catalogue, so reference depends on individual knowledge of the collection. QZAP doesn’t exist as anything: loose collective of people around the globe who put in the time and . Non-hierarchical consensus.

Jessica: Started lending library out of her living room, through the mail, and got people to come to read zines. But folks didn’t want to send things back. Now collecting zines for special collections. Zines in milk crates and hanging folders, alphabetically. Donated her collection to Special Collections here at UWM. UWM also uses Library of Congress Subject Headings.

Chelsea: Long Haul Infoshop in Berkeley CA, been open since ’93. Accessibility is opposite special collection folks, because it’s about organization. Has about15,000 zines. (collective wow!) Aim to catalogue, to make them more accessible. Not a lot of academic research, but lots of browsing. Subject headings are problematic, but there’s a field for that in the catalogue. Zero money – pay rent, but zero money for preservation materials. Anyone can come in and check things out. Totally public – most of folks who come in are homeless. Only open in evenings, 6-9, six days a week, which is also an accessibility issue. Trying to get a grant for acid-free boxes and stuff. Non-circulating. Also have a photocopier that often works.

Lacey: Zine Apothecary in her garage in Minneapolis. 1600, catalogued in Librarything. Evolved from an infoshop, would like to have it back in an infoshop. Talked to several academic institutions, but didn’t feel right. Open by appointment, not really regular hours right now. Not archival! Circulating library, you get three weeks, then drop ‘em off on her porch. Lots of anarchist materials, inc. RNC welcoming committee – concerns about library records – will just shred it once item is returned.

Jude: Zines in teen department, but teens weren’t engaging with it at a certain point. Some of those got integrated into new collection. Browesable. Started 2.5 years ago. 800ish zines. Catalogued in LibraryThing. Could have advocated to get them integrated into catalogue, but it’s about access in other ways – items would get lost to cataloguing for a long time; inflexibility of Library of Congress Subject Headings; non-familiarity with zines by cataloguers may cause issues. Physically, in mylar sleeves with backs. Created subjects, even though there are multiples subjects for things. Asks folks to self-catalogue when they drop off zines. Tag the crap out of them in librarything.

Marta: Ontario College of Art Design library. 700ish zines, about half of those just this year. Not a preservation collection: kept in the Learning Zone, organized by category in magazine files, then by size. Deals with the flopping over issue. Students are free to eat and drink in this space. More of a community collection, less preservation one. Access – developing a cataloging system for the past year and a half, trying to get that online. Non-circulating. Not open to the public, issue since all zines are donations. One idea, have a zine library card available to the public, so folks can get into the space even if they’re not connected to the university. Concerns about putting it into the catalogue, also not very many cataloguers, so access to that would be difficult. Trying to things to put online.

Papercut Zine Library: over 40 categories, within that they’re arranged by size, then alphabetically. About 4000 comics. Over 14,000 titles and 1,400 members members. Now in their second (larger) space, unfortunately they have to pay rent, unfortunately it is on the third floor of an artist’s space building (not accessible). In terms of preservation: shut the window before it rains on the travel section. Oldest thing, from 1937 in the humour section. Open to the public, lending library. But only 3 days a week 2-7 PM, only 5 collective members right now.

Kelly: University of Iowa

Joe: researcher, zine user! And donator. It’s hard to find people to talk about zines. Got really interested in zines, teaching popular coluture. Has genre zines, in certain 700 or 800 graffiti zines, about 100 titles. Did the eBay thing! Has six bookcases full of zines in boxes labeled by names, in good shape, but in a tiny office. Kind of a fire hazard. Looking for a special place for them! But, interested in things like: when does a zine become not a zine? Still writing about youth subcultures. Had to stop collecting. Goth, vampire, and more zines. Interested in keeping them together as a collection. Donated riot girl zines, queer zines, underground comix here at UWM. Tried to give things to Bowling Green, but no response.

Joe: Library student here.

Michigan State University – similar to other academic instituations, but as a land grant instituation, things are open to everyone. But special collections are non-circ. Also different: people can bring in their own scanners. Does ILL, will scan things for folks.

Talking Book and Braille Library: Milwaukee PL doesn’t really collect zines, handled in various ways. Some amateur press ass’ns used to . Has been collecting magazines from sci fi

Shannon: intern with QZAP last summer, has own collection at home.
Eric: friends with Chris, Milo, Shannon, Jessica. Makes zines, too. Here listening.

Kelsey (remote attendee): Olympia Timberland Library, currently have about 1,000 circulating zines. Zines live in the Olympia branch but are available in the regular public catalog- patrons in 27 branches can place holds on zines and have them delivered to their branch. We recently added a way to search “just added” zines- this has upped our circulation significantly.
New Zines in the Timberland Regional Library catalog
Timberland Regional Library’s zine page

To what extent were our strategies taken with purposeful goals vs. just because things just happened?
Marta: At OCAD, zine library was originally in the library, which is public. Then opened this alterative library space (Learning Zone), and decided to put zines there. Very much an incidental decision.

Jessica: Originally, just taking what people gave me, and accessibility wasn’t a problem, no issues getting things back. Cream City Collective infoshop/radical space, but at the time, concern that her collection didn’t fit into their scope, more personal things compared to radical things. Also concerned with just letting things go. So chose academic library, knowing things would be safe, and accessible to the public.

Chelsea: no one thought we’d be around this long! Now, someone just needs to take charge. Preservation is such an afterthought.

John: Preservation can get in the way of accessibility.

Sarah: You can also argue that, if you don’t preserve it, it will disintegreate and no longer be accessibility.

Information Literacy & Teaching with Zines

Ideas on how to incopororate zines into the classes

Classes done on 14-15 year old classes

Out reach to faculty and how to make zines better

Bringing zines into library schools and teaching classes

Body image classes and using Figure 8 and others in health classes. Show and tell and then maybe have somebody use them as research they can use

Class taught by zinster which is nano-publishing. Making book narratives in the class. Instructor uses zines in the collection to the research.

Faculty interested in the library getting them so they can use them. Center for Gender Studies and socialality. Used to trace popular culture.

used in English classes and zines as a way to help write clearly and as a peer-review and use them to with students to improve their writing. Also used as ESL classes. All the history majors did a history related zine, not researched heavy and created context.

Scientists and zines. Lesson plan presented and zines about mental health and creating zines on scientific topics. Using zines as provayers as knowledge. Talk about different narratives and their won health. Medical school using zines as medical college.

Talk to faculty one and one and encourage them to showcase the zines that you have in the collection to use in classes.

Zines used with young adults. Working with queer youth and working with creating a zine as a group. Foucsing on queer zines in specific with youth. Tie a practical way in using them.

Basic science class that demonstrates a science concept.

Information Literacy. And the role of zines. Two sides to teaching zines, one how to use zines, how to create zines and how they relate to information literacy. Evaluate documents and how it is credible.

How do you grade success in a zine and that is successful and reliable? Shows how context specific reliable. How to cite a zine in paper and how it relates to you paper.

The research process, how subject headings are assigned and how do you decide what subjects are assigned.

With zines deviant knowledge and question authorship, bias. Zines that are made to look crappier so they aren’t made to be sold. Zines that question credibility.

Women’s health zines that disturb top-down information and the notion of anti-copyright. These zines are against a type of information. Evaluative and bias.

Intellectual freedom and copyright and using zines to teach those concepts. Teaching to young children and mass media and what copyright law. Copyright law is complicated and misinformation that is related to copyright/creative commons.

Authority and using zines a means to encourage students to write and not worry about how they can write even if they aren’t authoritative.

Have young adults work as a self-published and have them go through the editing process. Also bring the censorship of community. Collaborative effect to make a magazine as a program. Monthly group?

Have them make an annual magazine, poem or story and go into a collaborative effect.

Information Literacy and how they convey those standards in different communities. The differences in a public and academic settings and how conventations change between those two communities. Show different language and how to look further into the content rather then the surface.

Letting people know that this is out there and they can interact with the zine community. Creates a debate on how truth is produced and how academic writing is different and using “I” and accounting for your position. Is truth universal and teaching personal writing.

Creating a collection to have students create zines and then collect them as a special library. Talk to faculty in collecting zines from the college and having a living archive. Create more involvement and investment.

The library as a place of publication and where they can be created, the library as a place of publication.

Educating the librarians themselves to showcase the collection. Have them at the desk and also with the secondary assignments and can talk to the department.

QZAP as included in the catalog as an electronic resource. Make resource lists on the website to point students to them.

Making displays and showcase the collection. Brown bag with the exhibit and bring people to be excited about the topic.

Using the cite this zine in writing centers and at the reference desk.
Have the students write a zine/ make one on what they wished they knew before the class/graduation.

Zinelibraries.info website for documentation and share further information literacy ideas. How to read a zine zine….? Is there one created to share the information liberacy.

Should there even be a guide? Isn’t that part of zine culture? Does it provide legitimacy?

Zines and librarianship, information and making power recognizing how you teach, what you teach, provide multiple perspectives, explore bias/points of view. A way of making people think about their sources and where it comes from.

Trans literacy. A place where trans literacy and literacy across different types of media.

One shot sessions vs. doing it over a semester. And teaching them information literacy. Pro assassment before class and after class.

Looking at inforatmion/zines outside of the United States and look behind and be sure to include zines outside of the mainstream western perspectives.

Show zines that who establish norms and for example; zine about people who are vegan. Stereotypes – looking at zines there radical polices, and that there zines that are diverse. The importance of showing different viewpoints.

Triggsing/Permissions

For background, Chris reads out loud, from Zineworld article, Why I’m Mad About the New Fanzines Book

Is this woman making money off this book? Ostensibly yes. The publisher is well-known for making design books, profitable books.
One of John’s publications was published in that book. He was very quick with his response, overlooked the date, didn’t do the number crunching in his head – got the email in August, book was published in September. Didn’t think about how that fits in book-publishing vs. zine publishing. John gave permission.

[Sidenote about copyright: Remember, folks, copyright is automatic!]

Friend of John’s, Sydney zinester, Emma Davidson wrote this blogpost [John read some out loud]
John contacted them afterwards: asked for a copy after the fact and didn’t get a result.

Why not just go to court?
Part of what Chris has seen in discussions, and permissions is a big part of what they do at QZAP. This is something global. Navigating between different jurisdictions and nations.
Stricter in the UK, but the cost of legal action is prohibitive.
Copyright is about the loss of revenue – very hard to prove.

But the principle of it is us talking about it, too. There are a lot of people who need to have discussions, share information, and talk about strategies.
Have there been any repercussions for the publisher? After a certain point, silence from the publisher. But people have been encouraged to at least ask for a copy. It’s not enough, but it’s a start. You have to be able to see it for yourself.

In the book, it’s mostly covers, not very much text.
They’ve got copyright now on the reproductions!
There’s some attribution, but there are a lot of mistakes.

Question: what’s the context for copyright? E.g. a book reproducing blogs or other copyrighted material?
Recent case: turned a Miles Davis album into an 8-bit piece, got permissions, but when it came time to put a graphic on, went back to the original album, took the image and altered it but not much, and the photographer sued.
Image copyright vs. text copyright. At a design college, students don’t necessarily understand that.

John went to an event, tension between lawyers and artists. Artists want to get their art out! Attribution and appropriation can be the evolution of a medium. Adding your voice to a conversation. Triggs’ book isn’t adding to the conversation. Not much text there, but what’s there is inaccurate.

John read from his email from the publisher: clear what’s copy-and-pasted from other emails.

Did people respond to Jerianne’s article? Not sure. There was also a lot of discussion on We Make Zines. Amber Forrester went through a lot to change her name. It is paramount to use the right name, in respect. Now it is there in a book, where it’s impossible to make changes. And now that communication is cut off, what’s the chance for errata or a reprint?

A productive end to the conversation is: what is our responsibility to each other? What standards do we have as a community, or just as people? E.g. using the wrong pronoun or name for someone – what do we do?

At QZAP: end up being a nexus for past and present queer zines. Chris got an email, “I’m working for _ professor. She’s interested in including _ zines in a book/etc.” Used it as a teachable moment, ended up contacting Jenna – who had already been contacted…inconsistent. Essentially, Chris did their homework for them. Pointed them to: if you search for this person on Facebook, you’ll find them. QZAP standard: if we’re approached in a “can you put me in touch with ?” QZAP doesn’t provide direct info, but will forward on an email, that’s the end of our participation. Tries to get background information on the asker, too.

What are our goals in processing this situation? As a community? Maybe there’s something about trying to work on articulating practices together. Evolving and changing, of course, but might be helpful to articulate some of the principles. These are our values, and this is our response.

At the Tool Shed, sexuality education, we talk about “modeling good behaviour” – how do we turn it around and model the good behaviour. What are our expectations in terms of ethics, re: sampling, borrowing, reusing? When does it become irresponsible? At QZAP have had a few examples where zinesters want zines taken down. They have a policy up saying, we have tried to find you, but sometimes we can’t find you. In this case, someone contacted them and they took it down immediately, and owned up to it.

Talking about collections, that seems more controllable to look at digitized collections. Jude is the only one working with her collection, cataloging them. If she gets a bunch of donations, she does a lot of assuming, e.g. that people think it’s okay that their zine is in a collection.

John thinks it is different including things in a collection, vs. reproducing it.
Keep information about zinester that’s not in the zine SEPARATE from the public catalog. Jenna does this, calls it pre-cataloging: it is embargoed from the public.

Withdrawing zines from the collection? Generally no, John says. Jude removed a zine from the collection due to a request from the zinester. Given the circumstances, no hesitations.

Marta’s collection is based on implied consent, since donations are all from the zinesters. Their catalog in development includes 20-some fields, including publication information…to include that?

We don’t include all publisher’s contact info in a catalog, so maybe keep those fields hidden. User doesn’t have to expect all that from us, they can come in and look at the zine themselves.

Also, zinester contact info may change, people may not have expected the power of the internet.

John’s thesis on ethics of zine collections. Head of his collection, very reluctant to remove items. It’s an ever-growing collection, no weeding. Some items are embargoed, almost always due to a lawsuit (e.g. slander). Wait 10 years, 20 years til people don’t give a shit anymore. With some kind of items (e.g. diaries) have very specific restrictions, but with any published works, it’s different.

Different collections have different intentions. A current living collection has different situations.

Needs to be brought up in a bigger scale, e.g. ALA. Have a forum for it, where people can sign off in the ways they want, e.g. Chris as co-founder of QZAP. It’s a good teachable moment!

 

Union Catalog

Similar to WorldCat (but not evil), the concept of a zines union catalog is a shared catalog that indicates who has what and to provide a resource for copy cataloging and interlibrary loan, but each library would still have its own local catalog.

Why is OCLC described as evil?

QZAP looking to revamp catalog. Explored

 

Dublin Core Zine Core (can we call it xZINECOREx?)
Title Title(s), including volume/issue(s)
Creator Creator(s)
Subject Subject(s), Genre(s)
Description Content description, notes
Publisher Publisher
Contributor Contributor(s)
Date Date (of publication)
Type
Format Physical description
Identifier Union ID
Source
Language Language(s)
Relation See also(s)
Coverage Place of publication
Rights Freedoms and restrictions

Libraries holding record will be recorded elsewhere, not metadata.
Individual libraries will continue to catalog records as they see fit, as serials, monographs, or glittery unicorns.
Separate field for serials vs. monographs?
GPL for union catalog so it never becomes evil.
Should be open web.
Explore extended Dublin core at a later time.

whiteboard photo after the Union Catalog discussion

Zine Library Catalogs Online

Review of existing catalogs in use:

QZAP
– no overarching cataloging system for archive
– searchable web site provides access
– use free and open source software
– use a bento database (variant of File Maker Po) to maintain collection manifests of donated collections/donor info. Not accessible online but people can contact the collective for desired info.

– currently using Gallery, holds all metadata in one field 🙁
– alphabetic by title
– fields: title, creator, year, location, # of pages, language code, language, keywords
– will be migrating to Collective Access, flexible but not mature program
– when migrate, will add license field (creative commons, etc) and broad collection field (tied to donation manifests)
– have looked at lots of options (Koha, Evergreen) but find that librarian-centric tools do not fit the needs of the collective (requires too many advanced skills/learning)

Long Haul
– no current catalog in use
– research has been done to select one
– drupal is top choice but members have limited tech experience

Personal Sci-Fi Fanzine Collection
– originally cataloged using file express, then migrated to excel document (disadvantage: files easily corrupted)
– fields: title, author, collection

OCAD Zine Library
– currently cataloged in excel spreadsheet, ready to migrate to online format
– fields: call number, title, series, issue #, edition #, author, alt. author, email, website, address, city, publisher, price, height, # of pages, materials, subject keywords

Barnard Zine Library
– currently use WorldCat (Voyager and OCLC)
– pre-catalog in Microsoft Access, still used to store private info about zinester identities not posted publicly
– includes abstracts for zines, LC subject headings

ABC No Rio
– File Maker Pro database (with current version, have to pay for software and pay again to post online)
– considered moving to Omeka but haven’t done so

Bottles on the Sill
– originally used MS Word chart, wanted anyone to be able to access it who didn’t have excel
– organized alphabetically
– fields: title, author, date, issue #, subject, description, reviews, see also

Zine Apothecary
– uses Library Thing
– has excel pre-catalog
– would like to be able to track circulation numbers

Zine Mobile
– organized by size and color
– records in excel document

Brooklyn College
– just starting zine collection
– going to be fully integrated in library catalog
– making internal zine library catalog as well as official library catalog records (as excel spreadsheet)
– keep track of donors, physical descriptions

Schlesinger Library
– MARC records to OCLC standards
– using proprietary software which will soon change
– might be changing from MARC to RDA
– accessible online through main catalog
– intrigued by idea of pre-catalog, able to protect private info now but release it 100 years from now for research benefits (add greater context)

UWM
– Voyager and OCLC standards

ZAPP
– catalog is MySQL-based, created from scratch
– fields: title, publication date, publisher/publication place, issue/volume number, author, editor, subject, format, description, contact info, circulation status (example catalog entry page)
– approx. 4,000 zines cataloged (of 20,000 + in collection)
– cataloging instructions/guidelines/notes are online on the ZAPP cataloging wiki
– hoping to have the catalog online in the near future

Short summary of potential cataloguing software discussed at the first Zine Librarian unConference (see http://seattle-zine-unconference.wikispaces.com/Union+Catalog+Sampler)

Biblios.net
– see link above for pros and cons
– based on MARC records (may not be relevant since libraries are shifting from MARC to RDA)

Drupal
– open source, customizable
– high learning curve, not user friendly
– newest version – uses RDA standards at its core
– used successfully by a few zine libraries
– does it have circulation module?

ZineWiki
– already holds lots of info on zines/ zine libraries
– owners of not convinced that it could work well as a catalog

Library Thing
– if there is no ISBN, can’t add to existing record
– easy enough to maintain even with changes of staff
– non-hierarchal tagging
– intuitive
– cons: no controlled language, no circ module

Copy Cataloging
– occurs occasionally but rare because everyone catalogs differently
– many people have developed cataloging rules appropriate to their institution
OCLC- should be adding info to records without subtracting from them
-option for adding alternative titles

-DIY zine spaces don’t NEED to use library tools, but library tools have been developed extensively and thought out

– we need a set metadata standard for zine librarians (the tool/technology used matters less because everyone is using same standard fields)

– the important thing when cataloging is to identify fields which will help people access the collection

– should be using tools that allow content to be migrated/ exported easily so that info can be shared across different technologies

– union catalog based on Dublin Core– 15 simple and qualified metadata element sets

– Examples of Union Catalogs: BadgerLink and WorldCat
– unique identifier for the zine but able to have multiple, unique decriptions
– Union Catalog helps those zine libraries that don’t have time/ humans for original cataloging (makes copy cataloging easier, more possible)

IDEAS: How to start cataloging a big collection

– tedious but important task
– Anchor Archive hosts weekly cataloging parties, helps get work done even though collective is transient group
– if someone comes in to the zine library and catalogs a few zines they can borrow a few to take home (for uncirculating collections)
– put zines in packs of 10 for volunteers to catalog (makes it seem more manageable)
– catalog a zine every time it is used
– catalog serials and sets first
– acquisition based cataloging (catalog a zine when it is donated)
– select zines which readers are interested in and catalog those first (the things the most people will get the most out of)

Zine Cataloging & Genre Terms

MARC 655 field
using it for retrieval
genre thesaurus

The FS5 genre terms:
quirky
medley
books
recordings
catalogs & stuff
sex
film
fringe
publishing
music
punk
grrrlz
personal
humor
spirituality
queer
politics
arts & letters
comix

Genre terms vs. subject headings–what’s the difference
is vs. about, e.g. Zines (subject 650 $v zines vs. Fanzines or Personal Zines in the 655)

URL for FAQ http://loc.gov/catdir/cpso/genre_form_faq.pdf

What diff libraries are using:
Barnard’s genre terms http://zines.barnard.edu/about/genres (some, like split zines, aren’t really genre terms and are almost always used in conjunction with a term like “personal zines.”
Bottles on the Sill
art
comic
food
personal
fiction
poetry
lesbian/gay/bi/transgender
political
music
review
compilation
travel
parenting
feminist
health
bike
fan
how to
ecology
education
catalog
sex
misc
women’s studies
riot grrrl
Long Haul has quirky headings they don’t want to give up (e.g. “fuck the gender binary”). Could they map them to the union catalog?
QZAP volunteers suggest new subjects as they catalog, discussions ensue
UC-IMC (volunteer reads/browses a zine and puts it into the physical genre box they think is appropriate as a primary access point)
ZAPP (volunteers are ZAPPatistas) no online catalog yet, in progress. Catalog is home-brewed MySQL: example catalog entry page
Items shelved by subject category:
Art
Comics
DIY
Education/Parenting
Food/Drink
Foreign Language
Humor
Literary (most fiction goes here)
Mind/Body
Miscellaneous (kind of a last resort)
Music
People/Society
Personal
Queer/LGBT
Reference (zine-related items like zine review zines, catalogs)
Religion
Sex
Science Fiction
Science
Sports/Leisure
Travel
Women
Work

how are people shelving
author (Barnard)
title (QZAP)
subject (Papercut, UC-IMC, ZAPP)

A lot of people are looking to Anchor Zine Archive for cataloging precedent. http://robertsstreet.org/n/zine-library

Finding aids (instead of or in addition to catalog records)

How do you establish new headings (genre terms, whatever)?
Long Haul using Anchor Archive box system, if box not being used then scrap it. Have a list of terms, add as needed (e.g. places)

Next step?
Start a list of genre headings on zinelibraries.info
Send your list to Honor, who will compile them.

Zine Library Day

Notes from the International Zine Library Day discussion, taken by Jenna–correct with abandon

why?
to create an opportunity for outreach
to honor zine libraries and zine library workers
to make it easy to initiate programming, since it is an existing event

notes
it would be helpful to have a kit, suggested activities
suggested activities
zine making
24-hour-zine day
zine library crawl
connection non-local zine libraries, print exchange (trade zine library day zines)
July not a good date for academic library day, but could be good for outreach to diff community, easier to do when
would infoshops be included? only infoshops with zine libraries

what day?
july 21 because of design possibilities–yes
1st tuesday after full moon–a little long for publicity purposes

Kelly will make a wiki, which is…
http://zinelibraryday.wikispaces.com

how to publicize
individual efforts
ALA press release (for 2012)
ALA blogger–Jenna talk to Nicole

post-mortem

comments and feedback about this unconference and suggestions for next time

do it for three days next time?
If so, maybe a day of more structured workshops/cataloging? I know no one submitted workshop proposals this time around…
outreach to zine community, zine collectors?
more/different moderators. Moderators who are interested in discussion topic but can also act as time keeper, keep discussions on track, etc.
Thanks Thanks Thanks for Mamacita’s Tamales!!!!
outreach to archivists
outreach to poc communities
make a zine of unconference proceedings
leave more time on the first day for organizing the schedule

ZLuC 2011 MKE

[This is the archived version; the original site is at http://mkezluc.wikispaces.com.]

This is the shared working space for putting a Zine Librarian (un)Conference together in Milwaukee, WI in July, 2011.

The MKE ZL(u)C will be held at the Golda Meir Library Conference Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee on Friday, July 8th and Saturday, July 9th, 2011.

 

What’s an (un)conference?

This is from Eric Goldhagen’s blog and was written about Drupal Camp in NYC but applies to the ZL(u)C, too.

  • An unconference is a participant centric conference, the structure is more concerned with the value to the participants than the value for the sponsors or organizers (in a similar way that the GPL Free Software license is more concerned with the rights of the software user than the software owner)
  • At a normal conference, the hallway conversations tend to be the best parts. At an unconference, it’s all hallway!
  • unconfernece tires to replicate the community centric nature of Free Software projects in the way we organize an event. Everyone is a participant.
  • Whoever shows up are the right people to have here
  • Whatever happens is what is supposed to happen
  • If you find yourself in a place where you are neither learning or contributing, be respectful but use your feet to find another room where you can learn and contribute
  • Your participation is not only welcome, it’s necessary

Spirits In The Stacks – The 2011 Zine Librarian (un)Conference

Formed in 2003, the Zine Librarians Yahoo Group (ZLYG) has served as a focal point for discussion about the best practices for preserving and presenting zines in libraries and archives. Zines, self-publications written in a punk rock do-it-yourself tradition, are primary source documents that tell the story of contemporary life, culture, and politics in a multitude of voices that might otherwise be lost. They represent voices and points of view that are all but absent from most library shelves. 

Zine librarianship, a relatively new specialty, is still evolving its principles and practice. The ZYLG served as an essential forum for this collaboration. Since 2009 members of the have been meeting annually to confer on the broad subject of zine librarianship. The ZLYG is comprised of public, academic, and independent librarians and archivists who work with zines, comix, and print ephemera.

The first two conferences were held in the Pacific Northwest, zine culture strongholds. This year we hope to make the event more accessible to Midwestern zine librarians, zine aficionados, and print culture academics. Although it is not yet the hub for zine activity that Portland and Seattle are, Milwaukee, the site of significant zine projects including the Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) and Bottles on The Sill library, has a respectable zine scene, supporting its own Zine Fest every year and various related activist events such as the //Girls to the Front// book tour. Situating the conference in Milwaukee would be a tribute and a boon to the city’s zine community.

Blending a traditional conference with the Unconference model, this gathering will be participatory and open. Workshops will be scheduled, and discussions of cataloging, organizing and promoting zine collections are expected, among other topics. All members of the zine and libraries communites (adacemic, institutional and “barefoot librarians”) are invited to join in and take part.

At the first ZL(u)C hosted at the Zine Archive Publishing Project (ZAPP)in 2009 in Seattle, WA, 40 people were in attendance, and a list of workshops and discussions can be found here.

The second ZL(u)C was held in Portland, OR in August of 2010. About a dozen people attended and the topics covered can be found here. 

About The Model/Conference Organizing
Because this series of (un)conferences is based on an open access model, the majority of the planning and organizing is done through a wiki where many people can author and edit proposals, manage registration, and collectively keep track of how the conference is developing.

Proposed Dates/Times:
Friday, July 8th, 2011 – 10am – 5pm
Saturday, July 9th, 2011 – 11am – 4pm

An outline of events and further information is available on the event’s wiki: http://mkezluc.wikispaces.com/
Please visit the wiki to register your attendance, help plan the events, and volunteer.

Sponsors:

Resources Needed:

  • The Conference Center at the Golda Meir Library
    • 2-3 portable whiteboards
  • Special Collections at the Golda Meir Library
  • 2-3 additional rooms for breakout sessions
  • 2 Digital projector/laptop carts + screens
  • Temporary ProwlNet logins for wireless internet access.
  • 3-4 UWM Libraries staff members to help with questions, setup, etc.

(Un)Conference Registration:
Fee: $15/pay-what-you-can to cover the cost of food and/or materials
To register to attend the (un)conference and join the discussion, visit the wiki: http://mkezluc.wikispaces.com/Register
REGISTER DEADLINE: Friday, June 24th, 2011

Workshops:
CALL FOR WORKSHOPS:
If you are interested in leading a one-hour workshop during the conference, please submit the following information by creating a page for it on this wiki and listing it on the Workshops page by Friday, May 27th, 2011

Guidelines for workshops: We are interested in hosting workshops that will be informational, how-to’s and describe a task, skill or scheme that another zine library would find useful. This could be hands-on, or a presentation of what your library has done well.
Note: This is a call only for workshops that require extensive pre-planning, are practical in nature, or require specific materials. We will also have facilitated discussions at the conference, but those will be selected at the conference itself. List of potential discussion topics. Please add yours!

Just to keep track of who is willing to to what, where we are, and what skills we have, here’s a page for the conference (un)organizers.

Jenna: in NYC. happy to help with whatever. really busy during the week and has a hard time responding to emails and getting tasks done. this may change in late april/early may.
Milo: on the ground in Milwaukee. attempting to steer the ship with a little help from friends 😉
Kelly: Moving to Iowa in May. Also happy to help with any old thing. For the last ZLUC in Portland, I got coffee donated, so maybe I’ll start with that. Also, am working on ways to help people attend from afar through video conferencing.
Alycia: happy to help however I can–planning or on the ground in July.
Carolyn: on the ground in Milwaukee. Can help with specific tasks that need to be done.
Kelsey: can’t attend, but willing to help with whatever needs doing remotely.
Jessica: point-person in Special Collections. willing to help wherever it’s needed.
Molly Mathias, Learning Commons Coordinator at the UWM Libraries. Can help with facilities issues and just keeping things running smoothly.

 

Things we might talk about at the conference. Actually this is the (un) part of it, as discussion topics will be chosen by the group, at the conference.

Microcosm–calls for accountability and a boycott. What, if anything, should libraries do?
“Barefoot Librarians” break-out discussion. Phrase coined by Lily to describe indy/unaffiliated librarians and archivists.
Volunteer librarians, professionals, and community members working as equals. (Inspired by
http://eatingouryoung. wordpress.com/2011/02/22/non- profit-doesnt-make-you-exempt- from-shaming)
standard catalog format/software for zines? Union catalog?
Starting a collection / Moving from indy collection to institution.
Establishing a zine libraries day (during National Library Week or International Zine Month)
Starting/Continuing a collection with little/no budget, ethically (can/should a collection be based on donations alone, especially within an institutional collection?)
Managing our records: should we create a space where documentation about our collections can be gathered and shared? A meta-wiki, or something to add to an existing site, like zinelibraries.info?
Gatekeeper institutions and their place in the zine library world, especially so considering the aversion many zine-makers have to the management and restricted access that apply to collections held within such places. Also, how can gatekeepers engage with the zine community ethically? This could also be part of a broader discussion on ethics in public zine collection management.
Zine Library FAIL–lessons learned from things we wish we’d done differently
Zines and information literacy: ideas for incorporating zines into library instruction
sustaining zine collections at public libraries–convincing administration of their ongoing value

 

Below is the potential schedule including workshops, lunch, other sessions, and other related events.

Thursday, 7 July: Librarian Zinester reading at the Tool Shed

sign-up to read (and please send a short bio to zinelibtour@gmail.com):

  1. Debbie (last)
  2. Jami
  3. Jenna
  4. John
  5. Jessica
  6. Marta
  7. Chris (right?)

Friday, 8 July

Time/Location

Conference Center

Special Collections

Learning Commons W164

Learning Commons W111

10:00-11:20am

Check-in and Plenary

11:30-12:30pm

people of color Tour of SC acquisitions and zine community

12:30-1:30pm

Lunch, zine library day Lunch Lunch Lunch

1:30-2:30pm

gatekeepers and zine community documentation, where to put it and how to pay for it

2:30-3:30pm

online zine catalogs sustaining zines in public libraries new collection/collection transition

3:30-5:00pm

information literacy DIY librarians

With July being International Zine Month all (un)conference participants are encouraged to participate in The 24 Hour Zine Challenge.

Saturday, 9 July

Time/Location

Conference Center

Special Collections

w164

w111

10:00-11:00am

plenary

11:00-12:00pm

zine cataloging/genre tour & technical services permission

12:00-1:15pm

Lunch
12: 45 zines to prisoners
Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch

1:15-2:15pm

union catalog paying for zines/econ/ethics

2:45-3:30pm

zine library fail working as equals microcosm

3:30-4:00pm

Wrap-up

Post-conference attendees are invited to visit QZAP and take part in a backyard Bar-B-Que.

 

printable programs

Here you can download PDFs of the program/zine

1) Paginated – good for reading online - MKEZLUC-zine

2) Booklet version – good for printing double sided and then saddle stapling - MKEZLUC-zine-booklet

unconference-documentation

Please add links to photos, blog posts or whatever all you might have used to document the conference

photo of ZLuC 2011 attendees taken by Eric Goldhagen; click to see photo within Flickr set

schedule

Friday, July 12

Oh, I.C.! Zine Reading at Fair Grounds Cafe, 8PM

(Facebook event here, if you’re into that.)
Interested in reading? Add your name here:

  1. Kelly McElroy
  2. Stephanie Iser
  3. Jenna Freedman
  4. Jude Vachon
  5. Milo Miller
  6. Chris Wilde
  7. Laura Crossett
  8. Marya Errin Jones
  9. Kalmia Strong

Saturday, July 13

Main Library, University of Iowa Libraries

Remote viewers, click the links for each room to view the stream. Email or gchat with the iczluc# AT gmail DOT com.

Time/location

Room 2032

iczluc1 (Fan Zinezine)

Room 2054

iczluc2 (Fan Zinester)

Room 1015G

iczluc3 (Fan Zinero)

Room 1015A (computer lab)

iczluc4 (Fan Zine)

10:00-10:30

check-in, coffee

10:30-12:00

plenary

12:00-1:00

Cataloging disc. (general + linkeddata/RDA) Library Tour

1:00-2:00

LUNCH

LUNCH

LUNCH LUNCH

2:00-3:00

Historical Zine-Mkaing Technologies Workshop Intl. zine disc.

3:15-4:15

xZINECOREx teaching with zines

6PM

ps·z

(120 N. Dubuque St.)

Pizza potluck with local zinesters + iczl(u)c screenprinting

Pizza dough and salad greens provided, bring pizza toppings, salad fixins, or beverages to share!
(FYI: ps·z is an alcohol-free space)
Screenprint the staple-tastic iczl(u)c logo onto a t-shirt, bag, or patch. We’ll have a bunch, or BYO.

Sunday, July 14

ps·z

(120 N. Dubuque St.)

Time/location

Auditorium

iczluc1 (Fan Zinezine)

Workshop space

iczluc2 (Fan Zinester)

Coffeehouse

Study Room

10:00-10:30

check-in, coffee

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

10:30-11:30

Readers advisory / Zinetalking xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

11:30-12:30

Zinelibraries.info (site, resources, etc.) Collection policy scope xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

12:30-1:30

LUNCH

LUNCH

LUNCH

LUNCH

1:30-2:30

ILL, copying, permissions, etc. POC discussion xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2:30-3:30

Planning ZLUCs & zine events xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

3:30-4:30

Wrap-up xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Refreshments provided by npc_logo_process_clearbag.jpg oasis.png

registration/housing/transportation etc.

Registration

To register for iczl(u)c, register for this wiki and then add your name to the list below. If you would prefer not to post your info on a public site, register by emailing: kalmia-strongATuiowaDOTedu

  1. Kalmia Strong (U Iowa Special Collections & Center for the Book grad student)
  2. Kelly McElroy (UI Libraries)
  3. Jenna Freedman (Zine Librarian, Barnard College)
  4. Lisa Gardinier (UI Libraries)
  5. Matthew Murray (UBC grad student and former zine librarian at the Anchor Archive)
  6. Mark Isham (http://english.uiowa.edu/faculty/profiles/isham.shtml) Visiting Professor English Department and College of Engineering, cartoon Instructor, and daily cartoonist)
  7. Linda Nguyá»…n
  8. Milo Miller (QZAP)
  9. Colleen Theisen (U Iowa Special Collections & University Archives Outreach & Instruction Librarian)
  10. Stephanie Iser, (Emergent Zine Library, KC Zine Machine, and Undercurrent Zine Kansas City, MO)
  11. Brittney Thomas, (Learning Commons Coordinator, UIowa)
  12. Jude Vachon (Zine Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
  13. Joshua Barton (Michigan State University Libraries)
  14. Gina Solares (Art Center College of Design, Pasadena CA)
  15. Pete Balestrieri (U Iowa Special Collections)
  16. Shawn Averkamp (UI Libraries)
  17. Pat Olson (U Iowa Special Collections)
  18. Wes Teal (U Iowa School of Library and Information Science, grad student)
  19. Honor Moody (Cataloger, Schlesinger Library, Cambridge, MA)
  20. Elissah Becknell (Zine Librarian and Instructor, Minneapolis Community & Technical College Library)
  21. Ian Mason (U Iowa: ITS-Instructional Services, IGPI)
  22. Kelly Thompson (UI Libraries, ISU Libraries)
  23. Joan Bessman Taylor (U Iowa School of Library and Information Science, faculty)
  24. Nicole Forsythe (Kirkwood Community College Libraries)
  25. Bethany Marenna
  26. Chris Wilde (QZAP)
  27. Jen Wolfe (UI Iowa Digital Research & Publishing & former zine editor)
  28. Duncan Stewart (Cataloger, UI Libraries)
  29. Laura Warren (Fondulac District Library and zine editor)
  30. Andrea Kohashi (U Iowa Special Collections, SLIS & Center for the Book grad student)
  31. Marya Errin Jones

Since there is no registration fee, think about contributing a few bucks to the scholarship fund if you’re feeling plush.

If you are interested in attending remotely, add your name and email to this other list below and we’ll be in touch once we’ve got those details figured out.

  1. Sarah G. Wenzel (University of Chicago Libraries – Literatures of Europe & the Americas; sgwenzel [at] uchicago) — and count me in for a t-shirt!
  2. Annie Gaines (University of Idaho Library, zine maker) againes [at] uidaho [dot] edu
  3. Anna Brinegar (Indiana University, grad student) anebrine [at] indiana [dot] edu
  4. Richard J. Lee (Pratt Institute, SILS, grad student) epistrophian [at] gmail.com
  5. Laura Warren (Fondulac District Library and zine editor)
We recognize an underrepresentation of people of color (POC) in previous (un)Conferences, and it is because we value the contributions, leadership and presence of POCs at the conference that we offer this scholarship. Previous ZL(u)Cs have been attended primarily, though not exclusively, by white, able-bodied cisgender women in their 20s-40. We will consider applications from people from additional underrepresented groups, as well as POC. Scholarship winners may spend the money however they need to, e.g., airfare, childcare, food, etc.

The scholarship application is now closed, since we have passed the May 31, 2013 deadline.

We have $680 for a scholarship or scholarships to attend this conference, but would love to raise another $1000 so we can fund more applicants. Email Jenna if there’s anything else you need to know.

If you want to contribute to the fund, PayPal the dough to Jenna at a different address If you hate PayPal, contact Jenna about mailing her a check. If you hate email, Jenna’s postal address isn’t super hard to find on the internet. If you hate the internet, then what are you doing here?

Housing

Questions? Contact Lisa at lisa-gardinierATuiowaDOTedu

Couchsurfing

If your preference is to crash with someone who has volunteered their home to ic-zl(u)c-goers, please add your name and e-mail below. We will do our best to place folks with friendly locals (midwest nice!) in the weeks before the conference.

1. Matthew Murray tomorrowboy@gmail.com

Dorms

Single: $42.93 per night
Double: $29.75 per person per nightREGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Our dorm housing will be in Quadrangle Hall (http://housing.uiowa.edu/departments/reslife/quadrangle/index.htm;http://www.uiowa.edu/~maps/q/q1.htm). According the Google Maps, it is a 0.5mi walk to the UI Main Library and 0.8mi to ps·z, our two main venues. Quad is a traditional dorm layout — rooms opening to a central hall and shared bathroom with shower facilities. Bring yer flip-flops! Quad will have linens and a mini cube fridge and microwave in each room. We are scheduled for Fri., July 12-Mon., July 15.

Parking is available, but not super close. Quad is served hourly by the Oakcrest Night & Weekend bus route on Saturday. Iowa City is kinda lame and doesn’t have public transit service on Sundays.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. Unfortunately we can only accept payment in advance by check or money order, due at a later date before the conference. More instructions, advice, etc. on payment and arrangements will be sent to prospective dorm dwellers.

Hotels and B&Bs

The hotel and B&Bs listed below are locally-run, walkable to the ZL(u)C venues, and appear to be fairly affordable. We do not have any arrangements with any of them and cannot guarantee availability. Other lodging is available in the Iowa City area — farther away, more expensive, and/or national chains. Contact Lisa with any questions.

Information about getting to Iowa City and back again.

Buses

The bus station in Iowa City is about a 15 minute walk from the Main Library. It serves MegaBus and Burlington Trailways lines, connecting to Chicago, Des Moines, Omaha, and several smaller towns in Iowa. Depending on how much in advance you buy your ticket, the R/T price from Chicago can range from about $5-$100. Burlington Trailways seems to be about $50 R/T from Chicago.

Trains

The nearest Amtrak station is in Mt. Pleasant, which is about an hour’s drive south from Iowa City. Burlington Trailways does offer lines up from Mt. Pleasant.

Airplanes

Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) is in Cedar Rapids, about a half-hour from Iowa City. A taxi costs about 35 bucks. There is a Burlington Trailways bus that costs $15 R/T, but with very limited schedule. We could possibly also go pick people up at the airport.

Chicago (MDW or ORD) often offers cheaper flights. It is about 4-5 hours from Iowa City, depending on who is driving. You can get easily to the bus station from either airport using public transit. Depending on how advanced you purchase your ticket, the Megabus R/T price from Chicago can range from about $5-$100. Burlington Trailways seems to be about $50 R/T from Chicago.

Des Moines (DSM) is about 2 hours from Iowa City. The Megabus runs about $5 to maybe 20 bucks R/T, but it looks like you’d have to take a cab into town to get to the bus station. We haven’t tested this out.

Transportation forum

Are you driving in from somewhere and have some extra space in the car? Looking for a lift from the airport? Please post below. You can also email kelly-mcelroy[AT]uiowa[dot]edu

  • I’m hoping to go to the ALA conference in Chicago before this. Any chance of a rideshare from there happening? –Matthew (tomorrowboy at gmail)
  • We will be driving from Milwaukee, WI. We’ll be able to accommodate a rideshare if folks fly into MKE. Might be able to do a Chicago pickup. – Milo
  • If anyone is conviently driving through Kansas City or closeby, would be interested in a rideshare! Stephanie sproutedink at gmail

workshops/notes

Before Xerox: Historical Zine-Making Technologies

Facilitators:
Peter Balestrieri is a processing librarian in Special Collections, where he is working with the James L. “Rusty” Hevelin Collection of pulps, fanzines, convention materials, and SF books (on Tumblr!). He is a professional musician (he played with some band called the Violent Femmes), a writer, and one of the most knowledgeable and nice guys you’ll ever meet.Kalmia Strong divides her time between working in the library and helping run a community art space, is an MFA candidate at the Center for the Book, and is super-close to finishing her MLS. By the t
ime this workshop happens, she will have put up an exhibition of alternative publishing in Iowa City.Colleen Theisen is the Outreach and Instruction Special Collections Librarian at the University of Iowa. Her background is in art history and teaching, and she can convince anyone in the world that old books and manuscripts are awesome.Andrea Kohashi volleys between the library, where she’s getting her MLS, and the Center for the Book, where she’s getting her MFA. Amongst the back and forth, she’s managed to get hooked on hectographs. Check out our blog post about making hectographs.mimeograph1.JPG

 

What it is:
Brought to you by the printing history nerds in UI Special Collections, this will be a hands-on demonstration of several historical copying technologies used to make zines (as well as little magzines, newsletters, etc). We will demo mimeograph and hectograph (and possibly a ditto machine!), and show some examples of zines produced with these technologies from Special Collections, dating from the 1930s-1980s
.

Cataloging ONE – RDA-LOD

LOD = linked open data

Shawn/Kalmia – U Iowa – all HTML-transitioning to EAD finding aids (all digital) — interested in LOD/crowdsourced metadata and collaborating with other institutions

Elissah/Minneapolis CC – about 5K zine records in a standalone database
uses MARC 10 or 15 elements and has experimented with LOD using Google API, Google Fusion Tables, and Open Refine (previously Google Refine)

Jenna/Barnard – AACR2, about 4K zine records
uses genre terms and abstracts

Joshua/MI State
traditional cataloging (using RDA) plus summaries

Milo/QZAP
Gallery system
keywords generated by QZAP
moving towards xZINECOREx based — taxonomy of genre terms developed by Anchor Archive (http://www.robertsstreet.org/thesaurus/out.htm)
+ user-generated keywords
everything has the potential to become a facet

Stephanie (KC) starting new project
Worldcat
Library Thing

Gina — AACR2/MARC/Worldcat going RDA- interested in LOD

Elissah explains LD
http://metadataregistry.org/vocabulary/show/id/317.html
open metadata registry allows you to build subject authority
now working on building links

Honor – LD relies on you making statements about your data (machine-readable: this thing IS this thing)
potentially could link offensive LCSH to preferred term in community/institution

how would we do this? would still need zine union catalog to connect different collections through the open metadata registry

Honor – in the MARC record world, currently, in the 650 you can do:
2nd indicator 7 with subfield 2 to specifiy your thesaurus

Jenna — how is Anchor Archive authority edited?
Elissah — Amanda is opening to sharing control of it (potentially collectively managed and updated)
Jenna — could we experiment with starting a name authority file?
Joshua — national authority file (LC)
Honor and Joshua can do authority work for personal names, potentially?

RDA name authority record has a lot more data about the individuals than AACR2
but, is optional (only required to differentiate)

Elissah — moving forward, using VIAF or LC for name authorities would probably be best
URI

what about ZineWiki?

Wikidata

time/funding to make union catalog?

for those who are just starting — find a schema (xZINECOREx) and use it, then you’d do a data dump and mapping

Elissah will hopefully provide updates on her project! presenting at MN Library Association, ALA Tech Svcs webinar?

Jenna suggests — work session/codesprint in midwest?

Joshua — how can we share/get feedback from bigger community?

Honor recommends BibFrame listserv for those interested in LOD

xZINECOREx

Did quick review of zinecore/union catalog work to date.
Milo’s zinecore zine
Looked at QZAP’s test implementation of zinecore
Looked at MCTC Library’s back end in Google Fusion

  • Includes some Dublin Core elements that map to zinecore, some additional elements.
  • Uses Anchor Archive Subject Thesaurus (per cataloging discussion earlier today)

Union catalog will need data that’s been mapped from our various standards to a common set (e.g. zinecore)

  • QZAP & MCTC schemas are similiar; MARC21 records need to be broken up into more elemental pieces.

(In ideal world) we won’t have to have “the same” metadata, but rely on linked data and URIs to point to same entity, but have different subject headings, etc.

Union Catalog

No platform chosen yet. QZAP experimenting with Collective Access platform. Haven’t broached scalability issues.
We don’t know if an institution would need to host a linked open data server, or all of us chip in. We don’t know what kind of infrastructure we need on the back end.
Interests for maintaining autonomy and/or to allow access for libraries not affiliated with an institution, we might want to avoid having it hosted by a particular institution; but we may also have to rely on an institution to get it off the ground.
What kinds of open access / open data resources and communities are out there that we could hitch on to?
As metadata becomes more of an aggregate of linked nodes and less of a centrally-maintained repository, maybe this will be less of an issue for us.

  • Subject & genre nodes could be particularly important as means for searching/discovery

Zinecore for the layperson, or How do we get barefoot libraries in on the Union Catalog?

  • Having a the foundation of recommended descriptors is a great start; anyone can enter these
  • QZAP has zine donors supply metadata
  • Zinecore code generator: anybody can populate this and generate code with very simple instructions. Code could be sent/uploaded to various places.

MCTC’s baby steps to understand a zine union catalog: started with linked data.
Big Picture Questions re: Union Catalog
This conversation is the purview of librarians, but we should be iterative with the zine community about things like “How do you feel about these things being in a union catalog?”
Questions about research being done on zines; some that doesn’t respect or understand them – should we be facilitating that?
But we’re also cataloging for now and for years from now, when we’re all dead.
Recommendation: open up this conversation (the big picture stuff) on WeMakeZines.
Have to understand that Linked Data future is an open data future – for anyone, any entity (Google, Govt., etc.). It’s powerful, but it’s also there for anyone.
Action Items

  1. Get the “big picture” conversation rolling w/ the zine community: do they want this?
    1. Jenna’s working on an ILL/scanning survey for some zine creators now – maybe could lead to a second survey of same population.
  2. Get feedback on zinecore & union catalog infrastructure questions from broader catalog/metadata/IT communities.
  3. Update the zinecore zine as some of these questions get answered.
  4. Play with linked data.

Planning ZLUCs & zine events

Deciderer committee selecting city (this year was the first time we did it this way).
Criteria for selection

  • location vis a vis last year
  • place it hadn’t been
  • housing costs
  • transportation costs
  • transportation convenience
  • community support

Committee composition.
Things we can do now to make it easier for the next unconference.
Kudos to Kalmia, Kelly and Lisa for doing an amazing job organizing this event!
Online participation is crucial.
Organizers serving as curators, encouraging workshop leaders.
Have topic suggestions more fleshed out, add abstracts? It would help to have the unconference site in a blog format, rather than as a wiki for easier commenting? THATCamp model of providing bibliographies, along with with abstracts.
Basics and advanced tracks.
Suggested topics page could include links to previous ZLuC conference notes.
Survey potential attendees for topics. Have people answer what am I bringing/what do I want to get beforehand.
Intro for newbies/1st time attendees. (Ellisah and Colleen)
Some of this year’s first time attendees make a zine for next year’s newbies.
Post bio of yourself and your zine library to the unconference website.
Encourage some zinesters to attend?
Encourage library school students to come if they want to?
Need a technical fix for contacting everyone registered.

Other zine events

Use them as an opportunity to survey zinesters–zine panel that’s about asking questions, not presenting.
Develop a survey with input from the list beforehand.
Zine library day activities–remember it’s about getting people to show their appreciation of zine libraries and zine librarians by bringing them donuts.
Events people have done this year:

  • MSU 24-hour zine thing (not 24-hours!), in cooperation with Mid-Michigan Zine Fair event.
  • CLP comics (comics, minicomics, graphic novels) event with help from local comics experts. Got a grant to pay panelists to come.
  • ABQ had a dirty zine reading on Valentine’s Day “so people don’t have to feel shame on that day–unless that’s their thing.”
  • ABQ events prior to zine fest. “Seek and zine” event where cyclists follow clues about the city and then assemble a zine based on what they learn, working with Critical Mass.
  • ABQ opens zine library during Noise show and other zine events.
  • CLP zine reading hangouts, partnering with local themed groups, e.g. working with a bicycle advocacy group and bringing bike zines to a bar.
  • Barnard crafty workshop by longtime zinester/artist Marissa Falco.
  • MCTC zine maker kit
  • Maker Faire events with families
  • Billy Da Bunny’s zine olympics
  • Iowa: orientation activity–made cootie catchers (fortune-tellers/choose your own adventure) about Iowa
  • CLP zine library day: table set up with zine question prompts (maybe PGH city & sports related). Going to leave the table alone as much as possible.
  • Iowa–zine machine takeover with trans group
  • QZAP: guest curation or exhibit by a regular patron, a guest curator grouped pink zines
  • Schlesinger: showed Girls Rock film, solicit zines from Girls Rock zine making workshop

POC discussion

Moderated by Kalmia
Notes by Stephanie

Questions we have for ourselves:
What has already been done with representation of People of Color in zine collections and doing outreach to POC and other communities? What are people doing?

How does this affect collection policies and development?

Call to zine librarians to have POC representation in collections? Is it because you don’t have relationships with POC in your town?

Jude is feeling like she wants to develop more relationships in the community. She has been looking at how her collection is cataloged and what’s in the collection. She has created a general POC tag to the collection and has added specific cultures as well.

Moving towards Anchor archive subject authority does use the same subjects that America uses to talk about culture, ethnicity, or race. They might have “ethnic cooking” but not a reference to a specific culture. What are the categories to use for this?

There was a question about whether or not librarything has been used to access POC collections, and we are not sure.

QZAP uses self-identified tags created by people of color to access the collection. They were fortunate to have queer people of color provide them with ideas on the type of metadata to use when searching the collection.

Jude does this when someone adds a collection to the zine, she will ask them where they zine should be cataloged.

When we get to creating a thesaurus or control words, QZAP can share ways that their collection is being used through self-identified tags and also doing research to find out what people want to be self identified with. Retroactively looking at tags. Institutions that have done work to get direct feedback from communities on what to self identify with need to share that with others, but we also need to keep being open to getting that information.

How do you develop relationships with POC and the zine collection? How do you be inclusive?

For example, the community college librarian could reach out to a cultural group and see if they want to create a zine about their collection.

Could be harder to reach out to groups as a public librarian, because you have to reach outside of your institution and there are endless possibilities of who to contact in the community.

The concept of how to act as an ally, can help inform how to do outreach in a way that is not weird or icky. Making contact and saying, “if this is something that feels interesting as a place to contribute experience or documentation of project and work. If so, let me know if I can support that in anyway.”

There is this weird power dynamic that can happen if you own a collection and are trying to get someone interested in the collection and to publish, and we need to be aware of that.

We need to be aware of our power and privilege so that it’s not exclusive or monolithic or exclusionary. We need to be aware of what we are doing in terms of collection, interpreting, and sharing. Let access flow without barriers. There is a need to constantly be aware of historically of how there are certain assumptions, privileges and powers that I have and that I need to be aware that this is always going to be a factor. Be aware to move past that and let other people express themselves. From the perspective of Queer zines, POC were creating zines from the beginning! Struggle against misperceptions that zines are just an extension of hipster white culture!

White person + person who gets to make decision about what gets to be included in the collection is a “Double Whammy” thing to be concerned about. I’m the person that says yes or no to what you do. Collection development policies related to being inclusive!

Talking about the collection development policy is a way to be transparent about the power dynamics involved in creating the collection.

One librarian had an issue where they didn’t have POC zines for latino zines project, and since their collection is based on donations, they don’t have buying power. There are issues with saying, “hey POC” donate zines to our collection.

Reader’s Advisory guide on topics could be helpful.

Here are resources that can help you when you realize the limitation of your own collection. Is there a possibility to create a guide on this?

Cross referencing to relieve the pressure? Do we need to develop a “zine creator” to help make that representation?

How do I not create a new segregation? Do I want to have all the black zines on the table that nobody looks at, as this happens at zine fests.

Integration is also a part of the problem. There is a need create visibility and transparency without segregating a group of writers. We don’t want to create an extra hurdle to get over, so use caution in creating a “sub” group.

Who is already making? And who should be making?

We do want to create makers of the collection sometimes…

With tagging of library collections, we can make POC zine findable in that way if they want that, but topic wise they are integrated.

Why don’t we have more people of color at this zine conference?
- Is this because of institutional issue and how the library professional is mostly white women?
- The conference reflects in some ways the diversity in library staff at our institutions.
- Being conscientious about it isn’t enough, but what is the next step?

The conversation then talked about how libraries in general are inclusive or not of POC. The more we can represent diverse experiences, the better we are.

Never stop thinking about these things. Explore the diversities of ourselves and how it connects to the world and libraries at large.

Making personal connections based on own experiences in relation to barriers that prevent people from accessing and exploring libraries. Find out what the “thing” is inside you that makes you different.

Qzap- Step one is listening and taking advice that is freely given to us. Acknowledge how you are wrong and what you are doing to change. Continue listening. Get better at asking. Be comfortable learning as you go. It’s a lifelong process.

Constantly need to make sure we are balancing things in terms of power and assumptions about privilege and constantly checking, listening, and learning.

I try not to let shades and colors neutralize my experience. White does not mean one experience. Black does not mean one experience. Where we shut down, is when we label to shade in deciding it’s a singular experience that you only know through communication and talking. “Anyway in” Do you have a family history that you want to share with others? What have you collected? Can you make a zine?

DIY – everyone has something that they can share. One student created a zine about DIY maintenance for your car. “college life” They were created by POC, but everyone can relate to the experience. It’s easier for me to approach it as “what can you contribute to DIY” as opposed to “Creating Diversity” in the collection.

“You are part of this diverse world”

“Find your own diversity” (or your relationship to diversity). Something can get off balance when we don’t understand our own diversity and our own struggles. “I need to keep thinking and sharing about my struggle.”

It helps to play “less of a role” and more of a person. Helps diminish the sense of “otherness”. “There might be words as a white person I can’t say, but I can connect to the culture in other ways”. “These are part of my own experiences in how I learned and how I am growing”

Perhaps we can have more discussions at future events about this! Not just this one. Or not even just one discussion at an event.

Reader’s Advisory

Notes by Jude
Moderated by Milo

What people do now
Vancouver Public Library has a trifold with What’s a Zine plus lists
Carnegie Public has bookmarks on certain topics
Barnard is wanting to do a Zinedora thing – curated zine stations

What do people with larger collections do?
Jude shows them LibraryThing url and talks about tag searching
At UI can get people to a box that’ll likely hold relevant items
Sometimes UI Spec Coll gets general request – I want to learn about zines
Kelly – don’t have to know everything, have to identify characteristics people are looking for as starting point, Kelsey Smith says make sure public service staff refer people to zines e.g. want Queer books probably want Queer zines as well
Honor – people always coming back to her, since she’s “the zine person”
Jenna – dangerous, make sure collections don’t become “Jenna’s collection”
Outreach to colleagues, okay to talk about what you like
Question – do academic librarians push zines into curriculum?
- hard to get past make a zine only
- Jude shows women’s studies relevant zines to those classes
- Usually professor-driven, Women Who Rock class, can suggest UI zines, tons of relevant ones
Review tools?
- KC pop up using social media, could be way to do online RA
- Zinelibraries.info as place for list of review tools
- Zinelibraries.info has list of zines for teens
- Add zines to Libguides

Milo – QZAP gets occasional questions that are like “do my homework for me”
Others – academic librarians also get this, journalists do this
How to be supportive without doing others’ work completely, especially when zines are unfamiliar to people
Christopher – we haven’t learned to be curious and do the work, educational system doesn’t encourage this, critical thinking
Jude shares a set of links with journalists so they can do their homework, will post in a For Journalists spot on zinelibraries.info

Elissa will do Cooking zines
Jenna – abortion/menstrual extraction
Milo – HIV zines
Christopher – POC Zine Project list of queer people of color
Jude – consent/survivors
Matthew – zines about zine libraries
Stephanie – mental health
Colleen and Matthew – science fiction zines
Lisa – Latin American zines
Kelly – zines for kids
Kalmia – copyright/left
Marya — travel zines

Maybe 10 selected and annotated, can have multiple lists, couple sentences about intention of list at top, don’t just include zines from own library, can have author contact info for purchase
Contact individual librarians? Can we have form that links to Yahoo! Group?

Stephanie – how to do Intro to Zines workshop, wants resources
Honor – how to include info that this is NOT going to be like your usual research experience, “slow info movement”
Ideas:
- zine collection zine
- displays on what’s a zine
- share these resources on zinelibraries.info
- IPRC has how to do a zine workshop zine
- Similar to archival research e.g. looking at boxes, how can archival teaching relate to teaching about zines – Honor finds this idea useful for collaborating with colleagues
Alycia Sellie starts with How to Make This Very Zine in the beginning of her zine workshops so people can immediately be considered zinemakers

Teaching With Zines

Notes by Cassi
Moderated by Kelly

Ethics
Issues with grading personal, creative expressions
Appropriate learning outcomes

Alternative to term papers—often making things in groups or alone
Professors are left on their own to figure out how to evaluate these new forms of learning expression
Wide gap of knowledge in how to evaluate these new forms: people don’t know how to evaluate non-traditional projects
IT doesn’t always go badly, but it’s a new project that doesn’t have clear evaluation guidelines

What would YOU like to hear?
Jude: Zines written for a class based on the women’s collection then become part of the women’s collection—woud like to offer support for teachers bringing students to the archive, including a possible rubric
Brittney: justify to others why zines can work in a classroom
Marya: use zine instruction to help anyone lessen the gap between ideas and publishing—lessen being self-conscious about self-creation
Cassi: use zines in bookmobile to help kids get excited not just about reading but also writing, and possibly including these productions in the bookmobile collection
Lisa: concern about collection issues (cataloging, etc). Just starting to think about how it would be used in teaching
Stephanie: curious about what is being done with zines and outreach—working with different groups to tie into her pop-up zine project. Also zines as DIY scholarship, taking ownership of knowledge and sharing it with each other
Colleen: classes come into ui special collections and make their own zines, supporting what professors what to do, but want to let professors know what their options are in this regard
Kelly: Learning to advocate for students in classes who are assigned zines in class
Matthew: looking for ways to make zines for his assignments in library school—has had assignments where the rubrics actually worsen the final project

How do you teach what a zine is? What is a zine? Is it anything?
Do you need a certain number of print runs to become a zine? 500 or less?
Economics are really important in zine making—it doesn’t require a big chunk of money

Let’s talk about teaching zines AND making zines
Stephanie made a zine and mini-zines (the mini-zine has a definition of what a zine is in the beginning) as outreach in her community
In a way we censor the answer about what zines are. It’s like a wave, sometimes it’s a wave, sometimes it’s something else. Depends on who you are talking to, who is in the room, what your end goal is.
Are mini-comics zines? Matthew says yes!
What’s the difference between a zine and an artist book? Does it matter?
Marya can’t call a chapbook a zine—resistant to putting chapbooks of poetry in the zine category. Poets want chapbooks to be considered zines, but they aren’t invested in the larger zine culture.
Format matters! Publishing, format, content. Fan fiction is not a zine, unless it’s published as such.
Jade: Weird conversation to have because zines are all about personal expression and inclusion, so definitions of what a zine is (esp excluding things) seem strange.
Transparency is really important, explaining the scope of your collection, your guidelines for your collection policy, and emphasizing that your specific collection has specific boundries that not all collections have to have.
Zines in ABQ tend to be very underground, people disavow zinemaking as though they have grown out of it, so Marya is trying to explain zines to other people without rigidly defining what it is
There can be a community definition—I didn’t make it, what do you think? You made it: do you think it’s a zine? “Asking an authority whether something is a zine is messed up.”
What is the artist’s intent? Did they want it to be a zine, or something else? A pamphlet? Do the production methods and distribution make something a zine even if that wasn’t the writer’s intent?
Doing outreach, a definition for “zine” is useful. You want people to feel good about what they are creating, even it if isn’t on the same level as more “professional” zines.
Pop-up zine project will take place in a laundry mat in a community with an artist school where people in the community all gather. There is definitely a link between what you decide you want in your collection and where your collection is going to go. Zines with shiny pages and bright colors can detract from the more basic zines and may discourage new creators from interacting in this format.
If I have the money to spend on creation, does it matter if I choose to spend it making a zine? Does that make it an elitist choice because I have access to certain programs and materials?
Tension between what is a zine and what isn’t is a good teaching point. “I like to show people the weirdest shit possible, from things that were made in 15 minutes and much more involved pieces, these can all be zines.” —Kelly
A goal of an instruction session can be for the group to come up with their own definition based on examples they are shown.
Zines tucked inside a bottle, made with corrugated covers and paint can handles.
“I like the idea of asking questions. I like me being responsible about the power that I have to collect them, but also asking other people what they think. More raising questions than trying to answer it.” —Jude
Information literacy in terms of how to understand the information object in front of you, but that’s not necessarily what their professor wants them to get out of their interaction with zines.
Learning objectives for working with zines? A rubric for how to grade zines? Use zines for something other than zines about zines?
Learning outcomes can be a little more inclusive than a rubric.
Link zines to access and wanting to communicate with people—could limit how you define zine

Examples:
Outcome: learning is able to argue for characteristics than define a zine. (doesn’t matter what your definition is, just that you have one and can defend it)

It’s okay to have niche groups within the zine community.

“I don’t think about zines in terms of monetary gain or loss. If I have to make a copy of it, I’m loosing money, but I don’t care because I’m going to give that away. I don’t care if someone makes a glossy zine for 20 bucks, I might not buy it, but I don’t care if they make it.” —Marya

History zines from your own point of view. Things that happened in history that no one was looking at but that happened and were important. Betsy Coleman who was the first black woman to get a pilot’s license (in France) is an important person in history who we do not learn about.

Smallsciencezines.blogspot.com — use zines to teach information about a topic (in this case, science)

Great format for teaching yourself something. The intimacy of the zine—you’re always thinking about the person who made the zine.

Zines as a way for not just an individual to be a knowledge creator but also for a group who wants to think about something together and document their learning.

Seed library—people learning how to grow the plants and save the seeds could communicate about their experiences and things they’ve learned.

A zine with a CSA that goes out with the food that contains recipes that compliments the produce.

Zines reflect the WAY we think, and process ideas in a way that can get lost in our culture today.

Stolen Sharpie is in its 5th or 8th printing, but is it any less valuable/useful/important because there are so many copies and it costs more than $1?

Use zines to convey information literacy skills. You are handed a zine that contains information that says that it’s fact. How do you find out if information is true/accurate/”real”?

Awareness of format—mixed up page numbers on purpose, false citations, invented subject matter (review of a fake movie)

What do you do with the zines students make after the class is over? Is there a distribution plan?
Put into the library collection
Copy for each student of class zine
Put in the zine machine (in UI main library(
“Seek and zine”—3 bike riders get together and discover clues around town and make a mini zine together around town in 2 hours, copy it, and make it back home in the 2 hours—learn about the town they ride around downtown—Marya in ABQ
Trading—each student gets a copy of every other student’s zine (great way to get different perspective about the same topic)

Distribution is something missing from a research paper project—there is only one person reading your paper, where as the whole class can read everyone else’s work

“Swap Box”—leave a zine, take a zine

Zinelibraries.info (site, resources, etc.)

Notes by Kelly
Moderated by Honor

Background: zinelibraries.info maybe came out of the first ZluC, as a place to aggregate resources, more for zinesters and researchers than for us. It’s a WordPress site, originally created by Stephanie, Jenna, and Milo, perhaps?
Made sections that seemed relevant – weren’t sure whether to use Zinewiki or create a new website, or what…because we didn’t have the support to build something in Drupal.
Changed servers.
Survey by Kelly, Alycia, Nicki a few years back – last year at Pittsburgh, some tasks were divided, but not a lot of follow-up.
Nicki was doing a lot, seems to have gotten busy. Jenna keeps our bills paid.
Mediawiki is up (thanks to Milo) within the ZluC site

Goals: to help the public find stuff, but also for us to connect
Ways for us to share resources in a public way
Jude and Celina and Alycia looked at and suggested changes to structure.

What are the top priorities? Deadline: October 1, Honor/Kelly will send out reminder
- Rescue stuff from Zineworld’s website (e.g. distro list, postal chart) — JENNA
- List of libraries/directory — KALMIA
- Google Map – question about whether that is editable – MATTHEW WILL FOLLOW UP,
- Reader’s Advisory guides – ALL OF US – DEADLINE IN TWO MONTHS, HONOR/KELLY WILL CHECK UP ON US AS CAT-HERDER
- Exploring resources about zine libraries – Exploring Collections — STEPHANIE
- Intro to Zines workshops – JUDE/STEPHANIE
- Zine primer for Media – JUDE!
- 4 posts a month/torch-passing — KELLY

Need to moderate tags – use this to identify news/zineographies
Do we separate things “for librarians” and “for the public”? Maybe through tags?
Jenna points out, if we don’t have people dedicated to information architecture, let’s use tags!
Still want to have visual ways for people to explore this (e.g. “Exploring collections” or “Welcome Researchers!”)
Changing URL – there was discussion about changing it, but we can’t remember what to…something inclusive of archivists/barefoot librarians
Jenna needs help changing that from the tech group.
Need to talk about sharing the costs for the website. Jenna says she’d prefer fundraising to go to the ZluC scholarship fund
[UX testing at PZS?]
Let’s talk about not duplicating efforts – e.g. Teaching with zines (on wemakezines and Barnard’s zine library website).
Let’s aggregate: how do we do a better job of funneling stuff here.
E.g. link out to things.
Could get folks to agree to take a month to post stuff, or each of us agree to post something in the next month – maybe a chain letter style? I’ll take this month, then email two people to ask them to take the next month. / Use the listserv.
Don’t just post a link, but contextualize it.
Feature: descriptions of different zine libraries
There’s a zinelibraries group on Flickr – widget?
Jenna and Milo are moderators on listserv. It’s pretty quiet – do we want more conversation on there? Moderation: if people can describe in a sentence or two why they want to join the listserv, Jenna and Milo decide – generally only say no to people who clearly want to promote their own zine.
Honor likes that it is quiet – high quality, low quantity
From the list of zine libraries, let them know about the listserv, since some folks probably don’t know about it. We all already do that, but keep it in mind.
With directory – let institutions know what we’ve posted about them – HONOR WILL WORK WITH KALMIA
Possible names (in terms of change:
Zine Libraries Interest Group – a result of considering whether to be part of ALA.
Zine Librarians Front?
Zine Librarian
Read More Zines
Save The Zines

 

wrapup

negatives//things to change/consider in the future:

last two sessions are challenging energy-wise
should we try all-online conference?
what makes this conference appealing to a POC? how do we make it more inclusive? — this is something we should think about all the time!
missed connections — ppl who signed up for the wiki and never registered — more outreach
more context out front — preparation in advance
survey on established things in advance — to help smooth the plenary
more variety in activities to break up sitting and talking
discussion/presentation/skillshare + service project, zine olympics?
bring your de-accessioned zines!

positives:

opportunities to communicate and work with librarians from other types of libraries
not too many hard choices — having the conversations we wanted to have
both the content and the way/process we have conversations
financially-accessible
UI library colleagues attended
meeting in person is great
acceptance
appreciation for fierceness in communities + ability to be vulnerable here
worlds colliding — being able to share zine librarian awesomeness with library colleagues
accessibility
taking the essence of the zluc back to own work/colleagues
face-to-face
open nature of communication
breaking up the day with workshops, etc.
shorter length of day / 10am start time
best zine event of the year!
being validated for labors of love