Brick & Click 2020

Zines continue to benefit from a resurgent interest from their 1990s heyday, including in libraries. A zine can serve as a pedagogical tool and are a low-cost addition to collections and programming in libraries. Over the course of three semesters, UNO librarians have collaborated with faculty on zine creation as a creative alternative to a typical research paper project for a course.  Creating zines as an assignment presents students with the opportunity to demonstrate research skills, exercise creativity, express compassion and empathy, and other outcomes. The UNO Libraries also collects and supports the creation of zines as part of efforts to democratize the archives and engage with users in different ways. This presentation will introduce an overview of zines, the pedagogical uses of students authoring zines, avenues for outreach and advocacy, and outcomes.