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Zines at Schlesinger Library

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Start your archival research on Zines with this guide.

Zines are print works that are usually made in small batches, self-published/self-distributed (rather than put out by a traditional commercial publisher), and reproduced using accessible technologies like photocopiers or word processors. They often exemplify a homemade or DIY aesthetic, which allows space for formal and topical innovation. Zines provide a low-cost publishing option with fewer barriers to entry than traditional publishing. As such, zines are a favored method of expression for young people, creators who hold one or more marginalized identities, members of radical subcultures, and others who are often excluded by publishing gatekeepers.

The Schlesinger has over 1,000 zines in its collection, and we are always adding more. The zines cover a wide range of topics aligned with the library's collecting areas from women's heath and hygiene to intersectional feminism to riot grrrl culture to sexuality to cooking, in a diverse array of forms that include comics, collage, essays, and how-to guides. These topics are in many ways a natural match with the zine format because of its accessibility and flexibility as well as its potential to build community and intimacy between zinesters and readers.

The information on these pages is intended as an introduction to our collections; this is not an exhaustive list of all the zines held by the Schlesinger. It is also good to keep in mind that for long-running zines, the topics covered may vary widely from issue to issue and across time as the zinester's interests change or different contributors add to the zine's content.

Use the menu on the left to view samples of our zine collection broken out by subject as well as additional material related to this topic. 

Take Note

Most of our zine collection is stored on site at the library, but some materials may be stored offsite and/or have access restrictions. Be sure to contact us in advance of your visit.

Research Tips

To find materials classified as zines in the Schlesinger Library collections, use the form/genre keyword Zines. Here is a link to everything that this search pulls up in the HOLLIS catalog.

You may also want to just browse through the Schlesinger zine collection. One good way to do that is to use the Starts with/Browse option on the HOLLIS search home page top menu. Select the option Browse by Call number -- Other from the drop-down menu, and then search for the phrase Zines Box which shows you all of the items in all of the library's 35+ boxes of zines in order. You can also pull up all the zines by doing a Library Catalog search using the Author/creator term "Schlesinger Library Zine Collection"--this list will not be sorted by box.

How to Request Zines at Schlesinger

Most of the zines at Schlesinger are stored together in boxes, and to request a zine, you actually request the box it's in. In order to do this, you will request the "main" zine from that box. If the zine you are interested in isn’t the “main” zine, the catalog records include a link to the “main” zine to make finding and requesting it easier for you.

For example, let’s say you want to read the zine Library Ghosts and you have located it in HOLLIS. If you navigate to the Access Options section of the catalog record, you will find that it is stored in Zines Box 27. Below the box information, there is a line that reads "For availability see http://id.lib.harvard.edu/aleph/014851139/catalog  Kelso, Megan, 1968-.  Unspoken."

screenshot of online catalog record with the text "For availability see http://id.lib.harvard.edu/aleph/014851139/catalog  Kelso, Megan, 1968-.  Unspoken."  circled in red and the text "Box 27" underlinedUnspoken is the "main" item for Box 27. There is no way to request Library Ghosts directly from its record, but if you click on the link for Unspoken and scroll down to the Access Options section of that catalog record, you will find an option to "Request to Copy or Visit," which is how you can submit a request for Zines Box 27.

screenshot of online catalog record with the text "RSPTR4, Book, Special Collections, Available, Request to Copy or Visit"  circled in red and the text "Box 27" underlined

You will receive the full box in the Reading Room when you visit, not just one individual zine. For more in-depth instructions on setting up a HOLLIS Special Request Account and working through the requests process, please see our guide to Requesting Materials from Schlesinger Library.