1. Meta-Radicalism:The Alternative Press by and for Activist Librarians The Center for the History of PrintCulture in Modern AmericaLibrary History Seminar XIILibraries in the History of Print CultureAlycia Sellie Brooklyn College September 10, 2010

2. One of the ways inwhich thisresearch began 3. Meta-RadicalismMy focus is upon publications that have the following four criteria:1. Alternative Periodicals2. Created by Librarians3. That promote the collection of alternative publications in libraries--4. as a form of library activism 4. Alternative to what? 5. Meta-RadicalismIm also interested in how these publications have or have not beencollected and preserved within libraries, and what collectiondevelopment decisionsand inside censorship can tell us about thepolitical landscape of librarianship as a whole. 6. The Three Waves of Alternative Librarian Publications:1. Revolting Librarians2. Riot Librarrrian3. Hacktivists 7. 1. Revolting Librarians:The Undergrounds AKA: Where have all the flowers (and political leaflets, social protest pamphlets, movement literature, and fugitive materials) gone? 8. Commercial library journalsalready in existence are mired incoverage of ALA, articles by maleadministrators who lay down thelaw or show off their academicterminology, non-biased blandreviews of trade books, and non-recognition of the significance ofindependent publishing. At leasthalf of their pages are devoted toadvertisements for the same tradebooks they objectively review.--Valerie Wheat, The PassionatePerils of Publishing 9. Themes from the Revolting LibraryLiterature:1.Conglomeritis2.Outsourcing of CollectionDevelopment3.Definitions of the alternativepress and its culture4.How-Tos5.Cataloging (ethical subjectheadings)6.Indexing of the alternative press7.Lists and reviews of alternativelibrary literature (how I chosewhich titles to focus upon) 10. 2. Riot Librarrrian 11. Librarian Zine-Makers 12. Zine Librarian Zines 13. Zine Themes1. How-Tos2. Creating a collection/getting permission3. 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 lists5. Defining zines, zine culture and zines are not blogs 14. 3. Librarian Hacktivists 15. Library HoldingsWhat has been collected?If it wasnt collected, was there a deliberate act of inside censorship involved? 16. (Why) Libraries Should Collect Alternative MaterialsWhy collect such apparent oddities, low-circulation photocopied items the likesof which few have seen? Simply this:because they are a part of culture andhistory. Lets not attempt to sanitize ourculture, but let future historians see forthemselves the true diversity ofinterests and modes of expression thatthrived for a time. After all, imaginebeing able to read a list of titles, but notbeing able to examine them. Thevaunted freedom to read means nothingif the things we want or need to read areunavailable.--Chris Dodge, Collecting the Wretched Refuse: Liftinga Lamp to Zines, Military Newspapers andWisconsinalia 17. Jane Goodall Would Collect AlternativesBILL MOYERS: So, what do we lose if the last chimp goes?JANE GOODALL: Well, we lose one window into learning aboutour long course of evolution What are our great-grandchildrengoing to say if they look back and-- I felt sad that the dodo hadgone. But those people didnt understand. They look back, thechildren in the future, at our generation and say, "How couldthey have done that? They did understand. There were lots ofpeople out there telling them. How, why did they go on nottrying to do anything about it?"BILL MOYERS: And when I told someone yesterday that you werecoming, he said, "Well, you know, I just read that there are 3,200tigers left in the world. And that their Asian habitat isdisappearing very quickly." And he said, "But, you know, whenthe tigers are gone, will they be missed any more than the dodois missed? What difference does it make?" he said.JANE GOODALL: Its just that, you know, if you have this hugerespect for the natural world that I have. I mean, the wonder ofall these different forms of evolution. And these fantasticecosystems where everything depends on everything else. Wedont know what difference it might make if some of thesecreatures that were pushing to the edge disappear. You can takeout a tiny insect from an ecosystem. Who cares?Well, it may turn out that some other creature depended on thattiny insect. So, that will disappear. And goodness knows whateffect that one had on something over there. So, that willchange. And so, in the end, you get whats been called, youknow, ecological collapse. 18. The Opposition?We librarians are not free agents or beatniks,but tax-paid servitors, and the institutions wework in have traditions and enjoy a respect thatone would hate to see jeopardized. Manylibrarians are idealistic, and tend to respondsympathetically to any cry for freedom, even thecry of the drunk and homosexual writer, or thegreedy cry of a publisher impatient of anyobstacles to quick profits.-- Robert D. Franklin, A Game of Chicken, Library Journal, 19. Holdings of Revolting Librarian Era Most-Cited PeriodicalsRough OCLC StartedEnded TitleHoldings 1971current Unabashed Librarian836 19731998Emergency Librarian (Canadian) 407 19731976Booklegger Magazine205 19701995Sipapu 187 19841999SRRT Newsletter145 Counterpoise: For Social Responsibilities, 1997current Liberty and Dissent 137 19671973Synergy 131 1990current Progressive Librarian 122 1970Women in Libraries 71 19691979Women Library Workers58 19771978Collectors Network News25 19731979Young Adult Alternative Newsletter 22 19701975Liberated Librarians Newsletter13 19701976Top Secret 101876 currentLibrary Journal 8000+1939 1995 Wilson Library Bulletin 1895+ 20. Title OCLC Zine World 29 Zine Librarian ZineXerography Debt16 8Holdings ofLower East Side Librarian Winter Solstice Shout- Out7 Librarian ZinesDurga 5 Library Bonnet 5How to be a good library patron/Associated How to be a bad library patron 5 Title OCLC MonographDwan556 for Cometbus I Dreamed I Was Assertive3 Cometbus 11OmnibusZine Capsule3 108+ for StolenClutch3 Brainscan8SharpieBarnard Zine Library zine 3 Thoughtworm3 Baltimore County Public Library Zine Collection3Browsing Room 3 Riot Librarrrian 2 The Borough is My Library2Biblio-Zine 2Library Urinal2Meta-Zine 2 Ghosts of Ready Reference1 Object Lesson1 Secret Adventures of Library Pages 1America?0 21. Alycia SellieBrooklyn Collegeasellie@brooklyn.cuny.eduhttp://alycia.brokenja.ws