Music, politics, art, prison justice, comics . . . the topics of zines are as diverse as the individuals creating them. Unlike a traditional magazine, a zine is self-published, small in scale, and more personal. On September 16, iSchool Associate Professor Kathryn La Barre answered questions about zines and her role as caretaker of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) Zine Library on the Harukana Show, a broadcast of UCIMC's radio station WRFU, which is also webcast internationally.
According to La Barre, a number of the zines in the UCIMC Zine Library have only one copy, having been created at UCIMC workshops hosted by the library. Most of the library's 1,500 zines were donated by creators and collectors, but some were acquired at the Midwest Zine Fests hosted by the UCIMC Radical Librarians in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Perzines, or personal zines, are the most prevalent of the zines in the collection. Last spring, La Barre began working with volunteers to sort the collection into categories based on those in use at other zine libraries. "It is very difficult to categorize zines because most of them are about many, many different subjects," said La Barre. "Sorting is a first step in our project to make the library more accessible. Our hope is to enter the zines into an online catalog, so that other people can see what we have."
Many iSchool students have been caretakers of the book and zine collection at the UCIMC, including Tracy Nectoux (MS '06), Chris Ritzo (MS '09), Jeanie Austin (MS '09, now in the PhD program), and Maggie Taylor (MS '09). The School's connection dates back to the establishment of the library in 2000. Currently, Em Justiss, a master's student, is engaged in a cataloging practicum. La Barre will work with Justiss and Taylor to host a pop-up "zinestravaganza" during the iSchool's Welcome Weekend for Leep students on September 24 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. in room 52.
Opportunities to learn more about zines include upcoming workshops sponsored by the UCIMC Zine Library, Urbana Free Library (UFL), and Urbana Arts Council. "Telling Our Stories: Make a Zine!" will be held at UFL from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on November 7 and 14. Art supplies will be provided for participants. All are welcome, and no registration is required. In addition, UFL will feature a special zine display from November 6-30.
While she has watched her students make zines, La Barre admits to having never made one herself. She looks forward to creating her first zine at one of the workshops in November. "I think in this world where so much of our communication happens online, the world of zines preserves the importance of being together and making things by hand," she said.
La Barre noted that the UCIMC Zine Library is eager to provide service learning opportunities, whether you wish to volunteer a few hours a month or want to set up practicum or internship engagements. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page.