Boston Public Library has more than 945 zines (300+ unique titles) from zine distributors. A zine (pronounced "zeen") is a small, independently-produced publication. Zines are often created and photocopied by hand, and distributed in-person or by mail.
Zines cover a wide range of topics, including art, politics, music, and personal experiences. They are often created as a way for marginalized groups to share their perspectives, and as a way for people to express themselves and connect with others who have similar interests.
You can find zines at multiple BPL locations:
- Codman Square Branch
- Connolly Branch
- Egleston Square Branch
- Grove Hall Branch
- Jamaica Plain Branch
- Parker Hill Branch
- Roslindale Branch
- Roxbury Branch
- New & Novel at the Central Library (Boylston Street Building, Level 1)
Each location has between 50-200 zines.
Mission
The BPL Zine Collection aims to provide access for our patrons to a variety of zines with diverse viewpoints and subject matter, with an emphasis on social justice, authors of color, local creators, and topics not represented by the main collection of our library system. We also include minicomics (creator-published comics with limited print runs) as a collection focus. Our intention is to support zine authorship, diversity, and DIY culture.
Gifts and Donations
The Library builds the zine collection through purchases, and we prefer to purchase zines to support zine distros and local creators. We also accept zine donations that supplement and enhance our collections. Gifts are evaluated according to the following criteria: whether the content meets current areas of collecting focus (see Mission statement above); condition of material; and information accuracy.
We will not add to the collection zines that use hate speech to promote hateful ideas, including but not limited to misogyny, homophobia, racism, transphobia, and the like.
The Library cannot guarantee that donated items will be added to the collection and cannot guarantee that added items may not be damaged, lost, or discarded. Zine committee members will assess donations according to the above criteria and use their discretion when selecting from donations.
Before submitting any zines as a creator, please consider the following information:
Information about the zines in our collection is in our catalog, which can be browsed online by anyone. Anyone inside libraries with zine collections can browse and read the zines in their collection. The zines can be checked out to any member of the Boston Public Library with borrowing privileges.
Boston Public Library may photograph the cover material of zines for browsing aids and promotion. We recognize the sometimes personal nature of zines and we respect the creator/publisher’s potential concerns about access to their work. Therefore, we ask you to consider who we are, how we share information about the zines in our collection, and how we provide access to the zines.
If you have questions or feedback about the new zine collection, including how to donate a zine to the zine collection, please contact the Zine Selection Team at ask@bpl.org.
