Explore the Libraries’ new zine collection in Hillyer Art Library!

Smith College Libraries are pleased to announce their first-ever circulating zine collection in Hillyer Art Library! The new collection features primarily contemporary works and explores themes of futurism, racial and social justice, and student activism.

While zines in Special Collections reside in the Libraries for preservation and archival purposes, a top focus of the Hillyer collection is to provide circulating access to zines. “Zines are living, breathing documents– ephemeral objects that can end up tethered to certain communities or spaces,” says Zine Collection Development Assistant Sierra Silversmith ’27. “In making our collection circulating, we aim to allow students, faculty, and the wider community an opportunity to interact with, share, and enjoy zines and the ideas that they hold.”

Along with the work of identifying, acquiring, and cataloging the zines for the collection, Silversmith and Libraries staff have worked collaboratively with zine librarians in other Five College collections, as well as at Forbes Library, Greenfield Public Library, and the non-profit art collective Looky Here.

Zine Collection Guide

Silversmith has created an online guide to the collection, which allows you to search the collection and includes the collection’s scope, how to submit works to the collection, tutorial videos on how to make zines, and an annotated bibliography of works that concern zines, their history, and their usage in both academic and practical contexts.

Zine Making Kits

Hillyer Art Library will also support zine making on campus, with zine kits available for check out for one week loan periods. 

Zinester Nights in October

Hillyer will host three Zinester Nights on Thursdays, October 9, 16, and 23 from 3-6 p.m. The Smith community is invited to listen to music and make zines with friends while the Libraries provide all of the supplies.

Contact

Faculty are encouraged to reach out to discuss ways to incorporate this collection into their teaching and classrooms. Inquiries can be sent to sclzines@smith.edu .