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FYSB 1744: Here/There: Migrant Narratives

This guide accompanies a workshop held in the Barnard Zine Library for Professor Ula's First Year Seminar class. Session led by zine library director Jenna Freedman

Getting Started

Welcome to the Barnard Zine Library!

(10 minutes)

The Barnard Zine Library is part of the Barnard Library and Academic Information Services (BLAIS) in the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning at Barnard College, Columbia University. The zines are described in the library catalog we share with Columbia University Libraries (CUL), CLIO.

♥ Barnard's zines reflect the Barnard College student population with regard to gender. We have zines by women, nonbinary people, and trans men, with a collection emphasis on zines by women of color and a newer effort to acquire more zines by trans women. We collect zines on feminism and femme identity by people of all genders. The zines are personal and political publications on a wide range of topics, broadly addressing gender, feminisms, identities, political activism, and popular culture. Frequent topics include, for example, teenage girlhoods, punk cultures, COVID-19, riot grrrl, LGBTQIA experiences, BIPOC identities, travel, comics, physical and mental health, body image, gender nonconformity, discrimination, DIY and crafting, cooking, friendship, and much more. Our zines are at the lower end of the production level scale and typically cost $10 or less, with most of them in the $1-$5 range.♥

There are two zine collections: circulating stacks and special collections.

screenshot of catalog records that read:Location Barnard Special Collections (Non-Circulating) Available by appointment. Contact Barnard Zine Library. Call Number: Zines M365w Available Available Barnard Zine Library Call Number: Zines M365w Available Available Requests: Scan Barnard Alum Pick-Up

Circulating zines are located on the 2nd floor of the Milstein Center and can be borrowed by Barnard and Columbia students and members of the BorrowDirect and MaRLI networks and are also available via interlibrary loan. Barnumbia loans are semester long and renewable 99 times.

photograph of zine library stacks: library bookshelves full of zines!

The zine library is open the same hours as the Milstein Center, and can be checked out during Circulation & Help Desk hours.

Zine Intellectual Property Considerations

  • “Reproducing/reprinting all or any part of this zine without prior consent will be considered utterly disrespectful and generally uncool.” - Aqsa Zine #4 Ancestors + Descendants. Sept. 2011. Print.
  • Researchers may scan, photograph, or otherwise reproduce zine text and images for their own use. Researchers may not publish zine images or substantial amounts of text in print, on the web, or in any public format, without making every effort to secure permission from the zine creator. If the zine creator is deceased or difficult for the researcher and zine librarian to locate, discuss other options with the zine librarian.
  • All zines are protected by copyright unless they contain an anti-copyright statement.
  • Read and contribute other special zine copyright/fair use statements on the Zine Libraries website.

Find Zines

Search CLIO for a topic, format, or genre.

Samples

  • zines immigra*
  • "DIY zines"
  • zines letterpress

Find a zine on the shelf, read/skim for two minutes. Discuss in twos and threes

  • Was the zine what you expected from the description?
  • How did it make you feel (in general, about your topic)?