A couple of weeks ago, in conjunction with Open Access Week, my library held a zine fest featuring nonfiction zines. I had absolutely nothing to do with planning or running the event, but instead participated in a completely new way for me: tabling.
For those of you who are new to zines, they’re generally described as DIY self-publications. They can be printer paper stapled together or more elaborate, hand-stitched booklets. Subject matter also varies widely, but zines are often seen as a method for those with non-mainstream viewpoints to make their voices heard. Zine fests, then, are gatherings of zine creators where they sell or exchange their zines.
I got into the world of zines via acquiring them. MSU has housed a zine collection since before I began working here, and the librarian for the collection is luckily very open to international zines. After hunting down enough interesting Asian zines, I started to think that I could make zines too. One thing led to another and now I’ve authored several zines, mostly on subjects that I’ve thought about too much, including Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw and poison hemlock.
When I collect zines for the library, I strive to be widely representative, collecting first-person accounts, art zines, fiction, and more. Personally, though, I’m most interested in instructional zines that tell me how to do something or teach me something new. This was why, when I saw the call for tablers at the Common Knowledge Zine Fest, I looked twice. Zine fests are fun to attend, but I’d never been to one so focused on my niche interests. I also thought that, given it was occurring in my workplace, it would probably be a low-stakes venue to see what tabling was like.
Indeed, the event was low-key and fun. I walked around to browse all the tables and made a few trades. I also lucked out in setting up next to someone with zines about protest songs, which were very cool and also fit in with the casual vibe I was looking for. My zines are of the simple variety, so they meshed well with the protest songs. There were also many beautifully constructed zines available, including one on leavening techniques that I ultimately purchased.
As for the tabling experience, I had my zines on display asking for donations to a couple of charities. I also took the opportunity to do some light library outreach and included my zines about recent Asian American and Pasifika acquisitions in the library. The fest was well-attended, but not so busy as to be overwhelming, so I was able to have good conversations with people, including a faculty member who I connected to another of my colleagues.
At the conclusion of the festival, the organizers hosted a conversation on zines and open access publishing. The speakers discussed the similarities and differences between both movements as well as how alternative forms of publishing can provide avenues to access information that might otherwise be hard to find.
Overall, I’m pleased to have participated in the fest. It was nice to experience a different side of the zine world and I was impressed by people’s generosity and energized by the conversations. I also liked the thinking that tied zines into the pre-existing Open Access Week programming. As I look at promoting my collections and fostering engagement, especially with people who aren’t coming into the library already for other reasons, I should probably also consider how to work my ideas into ongoing or upcoming programs and events.
So, in conclusion, a big thank you to the organizers both for allowing me to join in and for hosting this interesting event. Let us know in the comments if your library hosted any Open Access Week events or if you’ve participated in any other fun programming lately.