meta-radicalism: the alternative press by and for activist librarians the center for the history of...
TRANSCRIPT
Meta-Radicalism: The Alternative
Press by and for
Activist Librarians
The Center for the History of Print Culture in Modern America Library History Seminar XII
Libraries in the History of Print Culture
Alycia SellieBrooklyn College
September 10, 2010
One of the ways in which
this research began…
Meta-RadicalismMy focus is upon publications that have the following four criteria:
1. “Alternative” Periodicals2. Created by Librarians 3. That promote the collection of
alternative publications in libraries--4. as a form of library activism
“Alternative to wha
t?”
Meta-RadicalismI ’m also interested in how these publications have or have not been collected and preserved within libraries, and what collection development decisions—and “inside” censorship can tell us about the political landscape of librarianship as a whole.
The Three Waves of Alternative Librarian Publications:1. Revolting Librarians2. Riot Librarrrian3. Hacktivists
1. Revolting Librarians: The Undergrounds AKA: “Where have all the flowers (and political leaflets, social protest pamphlets, movement literature, and fugitive materials) gone?”
“Commercial library journals already in existence are mired in coverage of ALA, articles by male administrators who lay down the law or show off their academic terminology, ‘non-biased’ bland reviews of trade books, and non-recognition of the significance of independent publishing. At least half of their pages are devoted to advertisements for the same trade books they ‘objectively’ review.”--Valerie Wheat, The Passionate Perils of Publishing
Themes from the Revolting
Library Literature:
1.“Conglomeritis”2.Outsourcing of Collection Development3.Definitions of the alternative press and its culture4.How-To’s5.Cataloging (ethical subject headings)6.Indexing of the alternative press7.Lists and reviews of alternative library literature (how I chose which titles to focus upon)
2. Riot Librarrrian
Librarian Zine-Makers
Zine Librarian Zines
Zine Themes1. How-To’s 2. Creating a
collection/getting permission
3. Cataloging (technical detaisl of how to do it and the lack of pertinent terms more so than ethics of subject headings)
4. Reviews of other zines, and reading lists
5. Defining zines, zine culture and zines are not blogs
3. Librarian Hacktivists
Library Holdings What has been collected?
If it wasn’t collected, was there a deliberate act of “inside” censorship involved?
“Why collect such apparent oddities, low-circulation photocopied items the likes of which few have seen? Simply this: because they are a part of culture and history. Let’s not attempt to sanitize our culture, but let future historians see for themselves the true diversity of interests and modes of expression that thrived for a time. After all, imagine being able to read a list of titles, but not being able to examine them. The vaunted freedom to read means nothing if the things we want or need to read are unavailable.”
--Chris Dodge, Collecting the Wretched Refuse: Lifting a Lamp to Zines, Military Newspapers and Wisconsinalia
(Why) Libraries Should Collect Alternative Materials
BILL MOYERS: So, what do we lose if the last chimp goes?
JANE GOODALL: Well, we lose one window into learning about our long course of evolution… What are our great-grandchildren going to say if they look back and-- I felt sad that the dodo had gone. But those people didn't understand. They look back, the children in the future, at our generation and say, "How could they have done that? They did understand. There were lots of people out there telling them. How, why did they go on not trying to do anything about it?"
BILL MOYERS: And when I told someone yesterday that you were coming, he said, "Well, you know, I just read that there are 3,200 tigers left in the world. And that their Asian habitat is disappearing very quickly." And he said, "But, you know, when the tigers are gone, will they be missed any more than the dodo is missed? What difference does it make?" he said.
JANE GOODALL: It's just that, you know, if you have this huge respect for the natural world that I have. I mean, the wonder of all these different forms of evolution. And these fantastic ecosystems where everything depends on everything else. We don't know what difference it might make if some of these creatures that we're pushing to the edge disappear. You can take out a tiny insect from an ecosystem. Who cares? Well, it may turn out that some other creature depended on that tiny insect. So, that will disappear. And goodness knows what effect that one had on something over there. So, that will change. And so, in the end, you get what's been called, you know, ecological collapse.
Jane Goodall Would Collect Alternatives
The Opposition?
“We librarians are not free agents or
beatniks, but tax-paid servitors, and the
institutions we work in have traditions
and enjoy a respect that one would hate
to see jeopardized. Many librarians are
idealistic, and tend to respond
sympathetically to any cry for freedom,
even the cry of the drunk and
homosexual writer, or the greedy cry of a
publisher impatient of any obstacles to
quick profits.”
-- Robert D. Franklin, “A Game of Chicken,” Library
Journal, October 15, 1964
Holdings of Revolting Librarian Era Most-Cited Periodicals
Started Ended TitleRough OCLC
Holdings1971 current Unabashed Librarian 8361973 1998 Emergency Librarian (Canadian) 4071973 1976 Booklegger Magazine 2051970 1995 Sipapu 1871984 1999 SRRT Newsletter 145
1997 currentCounterpoise: For Social Responsibilities, Liberty and Dissent 137
1967 1973 Synergy 1311990 current Progressive Librarian 1221970 Women in Libraries 711969 1979 Women Library Workers 581977 1978 Collectors Network News 251973 1979 Young Adult Alternative Newsletter 221970 1975 Liberated Librarians Newsletter 131970 1976 Top Secret 10
1876 current Library Journal 8000+
1939 1995 Wilson Library Bulletin 1895+
Title OCLCZine World 29
Zine Librarian Zine 16Xerography Debt 8
Lower East Side Librarian Winter Solstice Shout-Out 7
Durga 5Library Bonnet 5
How to be a good library patron/ How to be a bad library patron 5
Dwan 5I Dreamed I Was Assertive 3
Zine Capsule 3Clutch 3
Barnard Zine Library zine 3Thoughtworm 3
Baltimore County Public Library Zine Collection 3Browsing Room 3Riot Librarrrian 2
The Borough is My Library 2Biblio-Zine 2
Library Urinal 2Meta-Zine 2
Ghosts of Ready Reference 1Object Lesson 1
Secret Adventures of Library Pages 1America? 0
Title OCLCAssociated Monograph
Cometbus 1156 for Cometbus
Omnibus
Brainscan 8108+ for Stolen
Sharpie
Holdings of Librarian
Zines
