Searching For Zines

Zines can be found in many of Cornell’s libraries. You can look for zines in the CU Library catalog using this search: Search for Subject=Zines

Examples from the catalog:

Human Sexuality Zines

J. Morrison. Let's Talk About the F Word. New York: J. Morrison, 2011. Human Sexuality PN4836.M67 L48 2011

Image from the zine Let's Talk About the F Word. J. Morrison, 2011. 
Human Sexuality PN4836.M67 L48 2011

The Human Sexuality Collection in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections includes many zines or collections of zines that have been cataloged on a title-by-title basis. Some were produced as serials, and are preserved in either full or partial runs, such as:

To find other individual zines, try this search. 
Here are a few “standalone” zines from the Human Sexuality Collection:

•    Morrison, J. Let's Talk about the "F" Word. New York, New York: [Self-Published], 2011.
•    Doyle, Mary. Dear Queers: a Love Letter from Michigan. [Gainesville, FL?]: the author, 2014.
•    Alison, Wilder. Call Back: Gravestones of Provincetown. [Provincetown, Massachusetts]: Wilder Alison, 2017.
 

Kroch Library Asia Collections

The Asia Collections in Kroch Library include quite a few zines!
Here are some examples:

•    Aghniadi, and Tri Asria Khalidya. How Far Would You Go to Taste Some? Coblong, Bandung, West Java: Kolam Susu, 2022.
•    Bunuhdiri Studio. Ketiban Radio!!!: Zine Musik Parodi Band. [Surabaya]: Bunuhdiri Studio, 2022.
•    Caine, Marisse. Perfect Demons. [Singapore]: Your Local Newsstand, 2018.

Fine Arts Library

The Fine Arts Library’s Artists’ Book Collection in Rand Hall includes a few zines that can be examined on site, such as:

•    Maret, Russell. The United States Constitution and Amendments, Redacted. [New York]: Russell Maret, 2021.
•    Arrieta, Corina. Casas Barco. La Plata, Argentina: Arquitectura y Fantasía, 2017.
•    Arrieta, Corina. Casas Pirámide. La Plata, Argentina: Arquitectura y Fantasía, 2017.

Virtual Zines

The library subscribes to the database Library Stack, which includes quite a few zines!

To browse zines, you can use the Quick Search bar, or browse under Formats: Artist Projects: Zines

Rare Zines

Many of Cornell University Library’s zines are considered archival, so they are housed in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections for safekeeping. That doesn’t mean you can’t examine them! Here are some guidelines for consulting archival materials held by the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, in the rare reading room in Kroch Library.

Rare Music & Counterculture Zines

Zines in archival collections can be hard to find. Some have been cataloged individually, which means they’ll each have a catalog record. Others are part of larger archival collections, so the zines will appear in the finding aid for the collection and not necessarily in the catalog record. The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections has more than a thousand zines that fall into the latter category, most of which are part of archival collections on counterculture and post-1960s music. Here are some of the largest concentrations of them:

Aaron Cometbus Punk and Underground Press Collection, ca. 1977-2018. 
Finding aid
Flyers, posters, magazines, files, and zines relating to American punk and alternative culture collected or created by Aaron Cometbus, including his own work as a writer and musician. Aaron Elliott, better known as Aaron Cometbus, has published Cometbus magazine since 1981. He is also an accomplished novelist, lyricist, and drummer. The series titled “Punk and Underground Press Materials” includes a large number of zines. Aaron’s own well-known zine, “Cometbus,” is also covered in depth in his archive.  

Riot Grrrl zine and music collection, circa 1989-1997. 
Finding aid
A collection of more than 250 Riot Grrrl-related zines along with original cassette tapes and seven-inch singles from Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Skinned Teen, and others bands who pioneered the movement and its sound. Topics of the zines span across queer culture, punk rock, sexual politics, the gay skinhead movement, skate culture, feminism and gender roles, covering a wide geographical area from the late 1980s through the 1990s.

Johan Kugelberg punk collection, #8060. 
Finding aid
Collection of approximately 3,000 rare and unique items documenting English and American punk and post-punk music, circa 1974-1986. The collection includes original manuscripts, approximately 365 fliers and posters, fanzines, sound recordings, clothing, photographs, original art, and other ephemera. Featured in a 2016-17 exhibition.
See Series 1: Magazines and Fanzines

Lawrence Livermore papers, #8749. 
Finding aid
Underground zines and magazines, photographs, correspondence and interviews, ephemera, notebooks and other manuscripts, drawings, and associated publications. Lawrence Livermore (né Hayes) is a seminal American countercultural figure, punk rock musician, record producer, and author, best known as the co-founder of Lookout Records and editor of Lookout magazine.
See: Series IV. Zines.

Lisa Carver Archive, #8497.
Finding aid 
Includes a complete run of Rollerderby, as well as preliminary pasteups, proofs, artwork, and photographs for use in the zine. 

Metal Zines and Flyers, #8113
Issues of metal zines including Deathcore (also spelled Death-core), Metal mania, Spear, and The witching hour. Also, fliers for Metal rules magazine and for a performance of the band Witch on its "Nobody sleeps" tour of 1986-1987.

[Witchcraft and magick zines] 
Single-issue and serial zines and self-published pamphlets on the practice of magic, Wicca, contemporary non-religious witchcraft. 

International Graffiti Times archive, 1970-2000. #8067
Finding Aid
The International Graffiti Times was "the original inner-city, international, aerosol 'zine,' and the Aerosol Art Armada traveling show, providing a view of the development of aerosol street art and the rise of hip hop culture in New York City and around the world from the 1970s to the 1990s. This collection includes about 500 individual graffiti and street art zines from around the world.

Fuck You Press collection, circa 1962-1970. #8070
Periodicals, artifacts, fliers, posters, catalogues, books, and other publications of Fuck You Press. Periodicals consist mainly of issues of Fuck you: a magazine of the arts, edited by Ed Sanders and published from 1962-1965; catalogues are from Sanders’s Peace Eye bookstore. Most of the books and other publications were written or edited by Sanders. Ed Sanders (born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1939) is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author, and publisher, and long time member of the band the Fugs. Sanders has received many literary awards, including a Guggenheim fellowship in poetry in 1983 and a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship in poetry in 1987.