What are zines?
Zines, short for magazine or fanzine, are small-circulation self-published works of original and/or appropriated text and images, that are usually reproduced through an inexpensive and easily accessible means (e.g., photocopy or risograph). In contrast to scholarly and other more commercialized realms publishing, the do-it-yourself culture of zine publishing has made the medium a place where marginalized voices are highlighted.
Why create a circulating zine collection at Williams?
The idea of a zine collection emerged in response to the dissemination of flyers with xenophobic, white supremacist, and anti-Semitic messages in Sawyer library in 2018. In the wake of this aggression, the library sought ways of 'reclaiming the stacks' by highlighting marginalized voices. Funded through one of the college's Toward Inclusion Diversity and Equity (TIDE) grant, the zine collection is meant as a way to affirm underrepresented identities. The first round of zines has been purchased with an intent of adding more marginalized voices to the resources already available to the Williams community.
Where is the circulating zine collection located?
The circulating zine collection is housed in Sawyer Library in the Research Commons on Level 3. Zines are displayed on top of the reference collection shelves, and can be checked out at the Circulation Desk.
To learn more about:
Contact Hale Polebaum-Freeman, or your departmental library liaison
