The Jacksonville Public Library has an expansive zine collection—one of the first housed in a public library in the Southeast!
First of all, what is a zine?
Zines (pronounced "zeens") are self-published pamphlets of all sizes and shapes, often covering subjects overlooked in larger scale publications.
What is the library's mission with the zine collection?
The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library Zine Collection is to circulate and preserve alternative media resources that inspire readers to re-examine and learn from alternative and under-served voices that represent our community. We hope that by offering unique and inspiring materials, library users will gain a broader appreciation for their community and library and feel empowered to contribute their own self-published zines to the collection. We are constantly cataloging new zines and look forward to adding hundreds of new titles.
What types of materials are part of the collection?
As a service to our community, the JPL Zine Collection will focus on regionally-based zines in an effort to better reflect the voices in our community and region. The scope of the collection will be broad, including the arts, music, comics, politics, gender issues and advocacy. That's the beauty of zines—they can cover any material.
Where is the collection held and how can I check them out?
The collection is housed in the Jax Makerspace on the first floor of the Main Library and is fully searchable in our catalog. Materials in the zine collection can be placed on hold and transferred to other libraries within Jacksonville. As with all library materials, users will need a library card to check out items, but all are welcome to come in and view the collection within the Main Library.
I'm a zine maker. How do I donate my zine to the Jacksonville Public Library's collection?
Selection of materials to be added to the collection will be done by the Zine Committee using the Library’s broader Collection Development Policy as a benchmark. Selection will be made by committee from available donations and through vendor catalogs and reviews. Criteria for selection will include literary merit, artistic merit, subject specialty, scarcity of material on the subject, quality, format, and local and regional authorship. As the collection grows, we will solicit and receive user feedback and circulation statistics. This information will be helpful in making future selections and weeding items from the collections. Efforts will be made to replace zines that have been heavily used and worn.
