Collection Development Manifesto
Queer Zine Library is a roaming diy queer library celebrating radical LGBTQIA+ self-publishing. The library collects LGBTQIA+ zines and provides access to queer communities across the UK. The mobility of the library allows the collections to tour, grow, and change, encouraging access outside of traditional library and research settings, putting queer history and experiences in the hands of our communities
Queer Zine Library is political. In times of fascism we want zines to be viewed as vital living breathing tools for self preservation, activism, and a rejection of capitalist mainstream publishing, rather than just as art objects which Look Nice.
Zines are meant to be read and shared. We encourage interaction, and want visitors to respond to zines in the collections. Zines created at our events and workshops will be added back into the collections. Zine makers and readers are also invited to help us catalogue our zines, recognising that cataloguing is a collective activity which must include queer voices.
History of the collections
Inspired by the Hong Kong based Queer reads Library, Queer Zine Library collection was officially formed in June 2019 although active collecting for the library began in 2017. The first iteration of the Queer Zine Library took place at Gunnersbury LGBT Late event in 2019 and has since travelled across the UK in pop-ups and residencies.
QZL is led by a collective of volunteers. who catalogue, fundraise, host workshops, and develop the collections.
Access
There is no public access to the zines while they are in storage; access is through residencies, displays, workshops, and touring events across the UK. Pre-covid the library aimed to be on tour for 9 months of the year. Due to factors including (but not limited to) cost, travel, and time, we currently aim to make the collection accessible 6 months of the year.
QZL loans approximately 250 zines from the overall collection at a time for events and displays while on tour. This is to protect the remaining collections, avoiding damage to make sure that the same materials aren't always on loan, and to allow QZL volunteers to continue cataloguing and processing zines while part of the collection tours.
QZL will loan zines for displays and residencies for a maximum of 3 months. Venues and organisations sign a loan agreement form agreeing to take care of the zines on loan.
QZL priorities access over preservation. We aim to make the zines as accessible as possible and want the zines to be read, shared, and handled rather than viewed behind glass or under invigilated conditions. We understand that prioritising access means that zines can become damaged and lost over time. We hope that through donations we will be able to supply some duplicate copies of zines where possible. We would much rather that queer communities read and access zines from the library rather than keep pristine copies for only academics to view.
What we collect
Queer Zine Library collects queer-centered queer-authored zines and self-published material including perzines, fanzines, photozines, art zines, chapbooks, as well as other self-published or diy publications such as small press comics, pamphlets, as well as independent magazines with queer content or made by queer creators.
What we define as zines
Zines are diy publications made by individuals or groups of people rooted in a history of radical political self-publishing. Zines are often motivated by passion and self-expression rather than profit, they are cheap to make and require no skills to create. Zines are a way to document histories and experiences outside of traditional or capitalist publishing.
If you call your zine a zine, then we’ll treat it like a zine. Queer Zine Library isn’t interested in laying down strict rules to define zines for now, we recognise that self-published material blurs boundaries and the definition of zines will continue to shift and grow. However Queer Zine Library will always prioritise diy as a tool of activism and as a model of working collectively, rather than diy as an aesthetic.
What do we mean by ‘queer’?
Queer Zine Library collects both self-published material with queer content by queer authors as well as zines which have been created by queer makers but which might not necessarily have explicit queer focused content.
Within a term as massive as ‘queer’ we are inclusive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Non-Binary, and all genders.
‘Queer zines’ can include any zine with queer content by queer authors or any general zine made by LGBTQIA zine makers. However QZL doesn't collect general non-queer made zines or other types of zines outside of this queer focus. We leave 'queer' open to self identification by zine makers.
Wondering if your zine is suitable for the library? If you identify with any of the inclusive queer identities mentioned then no matter what your zine is about we will be happy to add it to the collections.
How do we collect
Donations
QZL is unfunded and volunteer-run. This means that the library relies heavily on donations of zines in order to develop the library collection. We acknowledge that this means our collections aren’t yet fully inclusive as many zines makers will be unable to give away free copies of their zines. We are always looking for volunteers who are interested in finding and applying for funding opportunities we can access to make this more sustainable.
Donations of zines are our main method of collecting and donors are advised to use the donations form on our website. QZL asks all donors for permission to add zines at the point of donation.
QZL also accepts donations from third parties where the donor is not the author of the donated zines. QZL will always attempt to contact the original authors (where possible) to get consent, although we prefer if it the donors contact the zine authors (where possible) and get this consent themselves before passing zines to us.
Purchases
QZL has no funding. Payments received for occasional workshops as well as one-off donations collected on our fundraising page will always go towards covering the cost of travel, storage, materials, and cataloguing in the first instance. QZL may occasionally use these funds to purchase zines where possible, but the majority of all acquisitions is via donations.
Find out more about supporting Queer Zine Library here
If purchasing zines, QZL will always purchase directly from the zine maker in the first instance, or alternatively from a distro. Although QZL accepts donations from third parties, we will never purchase from third party sellers as this money doesn’t go directly to the zine makers and we don't believe in book sellers profiting from diy queer culture.
Overview of current collections
Queer Zine Library includes 800+ zines and self-published material. The majority of these zines are published in the UK, Europe, and USA from 1980s to present day. These zines include perzines, fanzines, chapbooks, community newsletters and small press comics. They span themes of activism, queer punk, fandom, sex, relationships, mental health, lgbt spaces and nightlife.
Currently ¼ of the overall collections are catalogued.
Priorities for future collecting
Queer Zine Library is open to all donations but in particular we are seeking out older zines pre-2000s to collect examples of queer self-publishing before the increase in online queer communities.
Queer Zine Library would like to collect zines from the queercore movements in the 80s and 90s, as well as community newsletters, pamphlets, and friendship books.
Current priorities for purchases include:
Zines by Black and Asian trans authors, zines which include intersections of race and trans, genderqueer, non-binary experiences.
Zines by and about queer sex workers
Zines by Black creators
Zines by disabled creators
Zines about trans healthcare and mutual aid
Zines about queer fat histories and experiences
Queer Zine Library occasionally posts call-outs for specific zines or types of zines.
Disposals
Queer Zine Library will never sell unwanted zines for profit, zines will always be returned to their creator in the first instance. Where this isn’t possible, out of scope zine donations will be offered to alternative zine libraries via the UK and Ireland Zine Librarians group with the permission of the zine creator/donor