Information for Social Change (Mar 1996)
Zines in Libraries
Abstract
"Zine," shortened from "fanzine," is the current term for publications published outside the conventional channels. These publications address issues of less-than-mainstream interest and provide a creative outlet for people whose tastes differ from those of the general population. Zines have been around in one form or another since the beginning of the printing press, though the amount of interest they generate tends to go in waves. The latest wave of zines starts with the punk rock movement and was accelerated by the publication of Factsheet Five, the zine of zines. Factsheet Five was started in 1982 by Mike Gunderloy, a science fiction enthusiast who was also interested in anti-authoritarian politics. He sent out a one page mimeographed newsletter to his friends in an attempt to cross-pollinate their interests. He reviewed zines on both topics for his friends hoping that they would become interested enough to get the zines themselves. That way his science fiction friends could learn more about the antiauthoritarian movement and vice-versa.
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