What is a zine?

Zines are self-published works that have a limited print run. Zines are usually created with the intention of sharing one’s thoughts, feelings, creativity, experiences, and knowledge with others. Zines are part of a DIY (do it yourself) culture, which often includes people from marginalized communities or those who don’t have access to more mainstream publishing options.

Mission

The LAPL Zine Collection aims to provide access for our patrons to a variety of current and local zines with diverse viewpoints and subject matter. Our intention is to support zine authorship, diversity, DIY culture, and to encourage zine makers to submit their publications into the collection.

General Guidelines

Cataloging

Every zine in the collection is fully cataloged so that patrons can place holds on items and have them delivered to the Los Angeles Public Library Central Library and 72 branches.

Donations

The library accepts donations of zines but cannot guarantee that donated items will be added to the collection. Zines added to the collection should be in good condition. Library staff will assess donations according to the library’s materials selection criteria and may use their discretion to decline a donation based on the number of items donated, content, or condition. Please limit your donation to 10 copies of one zine.

Branches with Zine Collections

Mail physical copy c/o Zine Librarian to any or all of the eight branches:

Withdrawals

The zine collection is not archived. Our zine collection is available to the public.

Keep in mind when donating your zine that it might get lost or stolen.

Questions on how to submit your zines? Please email zines@lapl.org