'Zines at the Pratt Institute Library

'Zines are do-it-yourself (DIY) magazines or journals, created by someone with something to say! 'Zine authors are typically unconventional; they may identify themselves as social outsiders or members of a subculture: artists, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) people, musicians, eccentrics, eggheads, feminists, goths, punks, anarchists, or others.

The content of 'Zines varies dramatically; some focus on the author's personal life and activities, others on a theme or subject (for example, Coolness in "How to be Fashionable or Consume like Me"). Some 'Zines display high production values (color plates or glossy pages) or unusual formats (including materials like twine, seeds, stickers, and badges); others are more old school-- b&w pages stapled together.

The Pratt Institute Library has begun to acquire a variety of 'Zines, some of which will be permanently held by the library and others which will be kept for a period (and later sold at a book sale or donated elsewhere). The Pratt Institute Library collects 'Zines primarily to support classes that include 'Zine study and production. At the same time, 'Zines are interesting to everyone. Thus, they are collected as part of the general interest periodicals collection and are initially put on display.

There is no specific collection development policy for the 'Zine collection: 'Zines will be selected for variety-of both format and content.

The library will gladly accept student or faculty 'zine donations, and any donations will be added to the current display. Not every donation will be permanently held by the library, however.

The librarians will determine which 'Zines will be cataloged and added to the library collection. Criteria for permanent acquisition include NYC-especially Brooklyn-- production, outstanding writing or artistic values, and compelling subject matter. Most 'Zines added to the permanent collection will be added to the 'Zine" special collection. Some publications defined as "Zines" by the author, a bookstore, or a review source may, after initial display as a 'Zine, be added to the Artists Book special collection (instead of the 'Zine collection). This will be the case if the author is an artist or designer or if the publication is artistically outstanding.

The collection of Zines on current display will be housed together under "Zines" in the A-Z sequence of periodicals on the 2nd floor. Here is a list of the initial bunch of 'Zines recently acquired:

Art Missive; Before the Mortgage; Public Illumination Magazine; (In) Between; Here, The stories behind where you are; How to be Fashionable or Consume like me; Low Hug; Parfait; The Secret Life of Snakes; Sketches, New York City; Twenty-Eight Pages Lovingly Bound with Twine; The Unbearables Assembling Magazine.

© 2004 Pratt Institute Libraries

Last Updated: Dec 20, 2007 (sk)

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