Zine Collection Presentation Big Hit at FLA

Matthew Moyer (pictured right) reports on the presentation that was made on Main Library's Zine collection at the Florida Library Association Convention, April 8, 2010, in Orlando:

The members of the Zine Committee (Andrew Coulon, Jessica Whittington, and I– since Josh Jubinsky was unable to attend) had been invited to FLA to unveil the library’s new Zine Collection to Florida library professionals with an afternoon panel discussion, “Zines, Records and Rock N’ Roll: Alternative Media in Libraries.”

Despite our nervousness, everything went very well. We divided our talk into two main parts: building and managing the collection, and programming and outreach efforts. We began with our proposal and discussed issues of cataloging, collection management, and circulation. For the programming portion, we talked about the importance of promoting/bringing the collection to library users where they are, and how our approach was inspired by the punk/indie practice of tabling (when small record labels and presses set up tables at concerts to promote their releases at concerts). We reviewed all of the events and outreaches we have undertaken thus far, and our plans for the immediate future. Then we held our breath and asked if there were any questions.

We were not sure about the reaction we would get, but the audience was completely engaged and enthusiastic about what we were saying! We ended up fielding questions for 15-20 minutes about everything from our circulation policies to acquisitions to preservation. There was much interest in the fact that we are a circulating zine collection. After that, many came up to ask us more questions and look at the sample zines we brought for show-and-tell. People were complimentary and excited about this collection. Librarians interested in starting similar collections approached us, as did hopeful Library Science students, saying this was the type of work they want to do in the future. Our response: there’s room enough for everyone.

A version of this presentation can be accessed at:
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dghbwkm_164hqjddfzz

You can find out more information about the Zine Collection at:
http://jplzinelibrary.wordpress.com/