It seems that the end of August is upon us and what that means for us here at the Brooklyn College Library Zine Collection is <sigh> the end of our internship.  Robin and I have spent several months working under the tutelage of Alycia Sellie which has been, in my humble opinion, a superb experience.  This being my first library “job” (though, one would hope, not my last!), I was so privileged to have such an energetic, supportive and knowledgeable guide as Alycia.  From the start, I was always encouraged to learn and experience as much as I could, and not merely in reference to library zine collections; from the Brooklyn College library system to the general study of library science, Alycia wanted us to gain the most that we possibly could out of our internship.  Plus, she got us a button maker.

And how about those zines?! Having been introduced to zines in the ’90s as the result of listening to underground music (pre-Internet, kids), I was very pleased and somewhat surprised to see what an active and enthusiastic zine scene continues to thrive, all across the US and beyond (little known fact to me: zines are pretty big in Australia!).   That is why the work we have done, and that Alycia will continue to do, is so important: these zines are representations of our collective culture in the most personal sense.  Being independent, DIY publications, they are not bound by rules, popular opinion, or censors.  They are print (gasp!) representations of people’s imaginations and fears and everything in between.  And lucky readers that you are, you will be able to view them in perpetuity here at the Brooklyn College Library.  Just keep checking up on the progress of the collection here on this very blog – I know I will!

Now that I’ve rambled on long enough, I will say my adieu.  So let me end in saying thank you: once again, to Alycia Sellie; to my fellow intern, Robin Potter; to the lovely staff of the Brooklyn College Library; and, to the many zinesters who have donated to the collection – you’ve shown me that people do get excited about the gifts that libraries have to offer and that print will never die.