History of the Denver Zine Library

Top

The story of the library's origins will probably differ, depending on who you ask. In July of 2003, Jamez Terry (Burn In Hell, Buddy) and Kelly Shortandqueer (shortandqueer) moved from Washington, DC, to Denver, CO, bringing almost 2,000 zines. They started exploring the local scene, trying to figure out if a zine library already existed or if there was interest, etc. Through the Breakdown Book Collective and Community Space, a group of awesome folks who were not only interested in making this happen, but were already working on a similar project, got together. Molly Z. (So What?) had been working with a zine collection at Double Entendre (an independent music store) that she had hoped to turn into a library with some other people. An initial planning meeting was called and we were amazed when about 10 people showed up. After that, we met every other week for a few months, with work parties sometimes on the alternate weeks (to fix up the space, decide how to categorize zines, input them into the computer catalog, etc.).  In addition to Jamez' personal collection, Paul, the owner of Double Entendre, gave us all of the zines that he had been storing. John Porcellino (King Cat Comics) and Misun Oh (Tearjerker) gave us their collections before moving to San Francisco. And with that, we started the library. Other donations of various sizes have come in since then.

On December 5th, we had our opening event, which drew over 60 people. Several zinesters read, and local musicians played, while folks piled into the smallish library space, eating donated bagels and such.

On March 12, 2004, the neighborhood zoning inspector left a notice that Denver Community Planning and Development had received an anonymous complaint about the zine library from a neighbor.  Through many phone calls, e-mails and even personal visits, it was determined that the Denver Zine Library was breaking zoning laws.  The first law in question was related to a right of use of the space since it was being "residentially used" and was in  a "detached building".  The second law stated that any "residentially used" building must be 20 feet from the center-line of the alley.  The library, which was housed in a converted garage behind Jamez and Kelly's house, was right where all the other garages were positioned in the neighborhood: 8 feet from the center-line of the alley.  A cease and desist order was issued and the zine librarians appealed it.  During this process, Jason Heller wrote an article for the Westword about the problems the library was having.  A response he received from department spokesman Julius Zsako about the situation illustrated the ridiculousness of how the case was being handled:  "When you purchase a home, you make the investment thinking that you have a good idea of how the adjacent property is being utilized.  You don't expect a gunpowder factory, recycling yard or UPS terminal to be located there."  Immediate neighbors and the landlord were supportive of the library.  Unfortunately, those involved with the library decided that it was unlikely that they would win the appeal, so they began looking for a new space for the library.

In the end, moving the library was an excellent decision.  It is now housed in The Other Side Arts, a non-profit art space, which is much more public than the old location.

Top

The Zine Checkout System
Come to the Denver Zine Library three times and you'll be allowed to take out any zines you'd like. There is a limit to taking out three zines at any given time and they are due two weeks from the check-out date.
Top


Volunteer at the DZL!
If you want to volunteer, let the current zine librarians know by sending an e-mail to denverzinelibrary@gmail.com.  Volunteer trainings can be scheduled according to interest.  Once you've been trained, you'll be able to sign up on our online schedule!
Top


Find a zine in the catalog
We have a paper catalog that contains all of the information in the online catalog AND MORE! Each zine is in the database with the following information: Title, Issue, Publisher, Date Published, City of Origin, Size, Number of Pages, Location on the Shelves, Keywords, Rating and the Reviewer's Name.

Although assigning keywords is a never-ending task, many of the zines can already be cross-referenced based on their content. Looking for zines about feminism? Check the feminism section of the catalog. Looking for pirates? Check the pirate section.

Top


How the Collection Grew So Fast: Donors
Because the Denver Zine Library has such a small budget, we are not able to pay for zines and rely on generous donations. We receive most of our zines as unsolicited donations in the mail.  Most people find out about the DZL on the internet. Often when doing a search for their name or zine name online, zinesters are surprised to find a listing in the DZL catalog.

We have also received large donations from Jamez Terry (DZL co-founder), Paul Kane (owner of Double Entendre, an independent music store that used to be open in Denver), John Porcellino (King Cat Comics), and Dan Buck.
Top


Other Zine Libraries
There are a bunch of zine libraries around the country that have collections that vary in size. Since there are already some lists of libraries complied, we won't try to reinvent the wheel.  Check out these websites:
Zine World: A Reader's Guide to the Underground Press
Zinestreet
 
Top