Brett, J.
(2015). “Deep in the Heart of Texzines:” Developing an Archival Zine
Collection. Technical Services Quarterly,
32(4), 390-401.
I found this
article to be extremely fascinating, for it describes the creation and
development of a zine collection at Cushing Memorial Library at Texas A&M
University. The author had developed a
similar zine collection at the University of Iowa, so he used that experience
as the basis to do the same at Texas.
Brett was motivated to collect zines because they are cultural artifacts
that represent the diversity of people in this country, and their voices tend
to be those who are outside the mainstream.
Also, as an archivist, Brett felt inclined to preserve these records,
especially given “their ephemeral and underground nature.” He outlines the steps taken to build the
collection, such as getting administrative support, developing a collection
policy, and hosting a zine event at the library to publicize the collection. Zines are not a common source/record that are
collected. By and large they are still
seen as being on the margins, and perhaps as disposable. But in the author’s eyes, zines are worth
preserving, and will one day be important historical sources. I would recommend this article to anyone
interested in zines and collection development, for it shows how one particular
archivist, through his vision and efforts, was able to establish such a
collection.
