Dates
- Majority of material found within 2011-present
Scope and Content Note
The Zine Collection dates from 2011-present, and will continue to grow through donations and purchases. The collection contains mostly paper format along with stickers and buttons. The collection is arranged in two series: ZINES, and EPHEMERA. ZINES (2011-present) is composed of paper copies of zines. They are arranged alphabetically by title. The EPHEMERA (2017-2019) series is currently composed of buttons, stickers, bookmarks, and business cards made by zinesters. More detailed information about each zine is available upon request.
Extent
0.75 Cubic Feet (3 manuscript boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Acquisition Information
The materials in the collection have been purchased/donated through vendors at The Newark Zine fest 2017, the New York City Zine fests of 2017 and 2016, zine distros, and other various means. The collection continues to grow through purchases and donations.
Abstract
The New Jersey Regional Zine Collection is composed of various zines, buttons, and stickers made by New Jerseyans and individuals in the tristate area from 2011-present. The collection attempts to document the resurgence and content of alternative media in Do-It-Yourself communities, minority communities, artistic communities, and feminist communities. The collection continues to grow through donations and purchases.
History
Alternative publications serve the purpose of providing a space for points of view that would not be published in mainstream sources. Historically, alternative media material types have been: pamphlets to be handed out, self-published books, and from roughly 1930 through 1990 fanzines that crafted narratives of pop culture media. Since the 1980s zines, short for magazine or fanzine, were created in various genres and distributed through the mail.
Zines are self-publications, motivated by a desire for self-expression, not for profit (Barnard Zine Library definition) and rarely are produced in large quantities. Individuals create zines in order to express their opinions, publish their research, critique societal structures, and to create and sustain a community. Zines can be handmade, photocopied, or professionally printed in small quantities.
Zines today can discuss a broad range of issues. For example, Hoax utilizes feminist themes for each issue that generally aim to discuss the intersection of feminism and a larger issue like Mythology. Zines are also extremely individualized. Toi Scott’s Notes from an AfroGenderQueer describe their specific experience of racism, sexism, and transphobia. Zines can also be avenues of publication for research into women’s history and/or LGBTQ history. Homos in Herstory documents and analyzes what life was like for queer individuals in various decades in America.
The New Jersey Regional Zine Collection contains zines about feminism, zines that are diary-like in their confessionals, zines about women’s issues, zine comics, zines that are lists, fan zines, political zines, zines about racism, artistic zines, and zines about various forms of abuse. All collecting areas emphasize the voices of queer women and/or women of color.
Arrangement Note
Zines are arranged alphabetically by title.
Ephemera is also arranged alphabetically.
Explanation of Terminology and Citations
The citations for the zines attempt to collect as much bibliographic information as possible: Title, Issue, Volume, Author, Date, Size.
There are several different sizes of zines within our collection: mini, quarter, half sized, half legal.
Mini zines are one page zines that are folded or cut and stapled to create either a 16 page zine or an 8 page zine.
Quarter zines are either one page zines printed on front and back of the paper and folded to create an 8 page zine, or they can be composed of several pages printed on front and back.
Half sized and half legal are zines of multiple pages that are folded in half and bound.
Full sized zines are various pages that are bound in some fashion, like stapling.
Odd sized zines are irregular in size and binding.
- Abuse
- African American Women
- Animals
- Archives
- Art
- Asian Women
- Capitalism
- Comic
- Confessional/Diary
- Fandom
- Feminism
- First Wave
- Fourth Wave
- Gentrification
- Harassment
- History
- Humor
- Illustration
- Inspirational
- Intersectionality
- LGBTQ
- Latinx
- Lists
- Marxism
- Masculinity
- Misogyny
- Motherhood/Family
- Music
- Politics
- Pop Culture
- Punk
- Racism
- Relationships
- Reviews
- Risograph
- Science
- Science Fiction
- Second Wave
- Self Care
- Sports
- Stereotypes
- Technology
- Third Wave
- Video Games
- Violence
- Witty
- Zines
- Title
- Inventory of the New Jersey Regional Zine Collection
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Stephanie Crawford and Christie Lutz
- Date
- January 2018
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
- Sponsor
- Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
Revision Statements
- February 2024: Additional work on this collection was completed by Carina Don.
Part of the New Brunswick Special Collections Repository