Crustacean Zine Library

My name is Lainie, aka Lainie! the oyster, aka drucilla b. blood. I have been involved in the zine movement since the mid 80s as a producer, fan, and purveyor. Punk rock saved my life when I was in high school. As a bored outcast, punk rock helped me discover a world of other lonely outcasts and find ways to express my creativity in a variety of do-it-yourself activities. Zinesters were the original Makers, and we avidly traded and reviewed each others’ materials, creating a subculture that was both a macro and micro version of today’s social networking.

Zines are a unique historical document in a number of ways. First, by virtue of their material they are ephemeral. A collection that isn’t cared for will disintegrate, leaving dust where a culture once stood. Many of the zines in my collection are one-of-a-kind publications that probably don’t exist in printed form anywhere else.

My collection consists of well over 5,000 individual publications that I have carried with me, protected, preserved, and coveted throughout most of my life. It has always been my hope to one day create a space where I can not only share my collection with other people, but also inspire conversation, community, and creativity among small-press enthusiasts and other independent creators.

The Crustacean Zine Library has existed in various conceptual phases over the past 5 years or so. I have been slowly cataloging and organizing the zines in my collection, and have occasionally opened up my home to allow people to peruse the collection. I have participated in zine seminars and led zine workshops, and I feel that now is the time for me to create a permanent space in my home for this collection and offer visiting hours for people to use the space as a reading room, meeting room, makerspace, and salon right here in lovely Austin, Texas.

However, I need your help. The space I am using for this project was previously an income-earning space for me, and I need to make up that income, as well as generate enough money to continue togrow the collection and offer tools and supplies for other people to create. My contributions to the project are my time, a decent amount of equipment and supplies, and the collection itself; I will also utilize my 10+ years of nonprofit management experience to seek and take advantage of grant funding opportunities to augment any funding I receive from my patrons. Other funding streams will include fee-based workshops and classes developed and delivered by myself and other experts on various topics ranging from zines to social justice and more – as well as renting the room at an affordable rate for other groups to use, and facilitating donation-based radical co-working days, movie nights, game nights, and other events.

The space itself is a 400 square-foot room with a great closet that can serve as a podcasting room. It’s a brightly-lit room, and there’s an adjoining bathroom for convenience. My vision includes using the space for educators as well as other groups who want to hold meetings, classes, and workshops. Future goals (pending funding) also include adding a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and creating an outdoor patio space with shade cover. Additionally, there is a small patch of land on the public-facing part of my property that I will be converting to a “Little Free Zine Library” with an outdoor table, chairs, and of course a case in which to put zines for people to read while enjoying the garden and engaging in conversations.