Welcome!

The Seneca Libraries Zine Collection is located in the stacks of Seneca@York library. The Zines do not circulate but patrons are free to browse at their leisure and to use the Zines in the Library. The Zine Collection is a joint effort between School of Creative Arts and Animation, the Illustration program and Seneca Libraries. Thanks to Seneca faculty members Martha Newbigging and JoAnn Purcell for championing this collection. And thank you to OCADU Libraries for sharing their great Zine cataloguing materials.

Zines is short for magazines or fanzines. Zines are self-published, independent works that are motivated by self-expression. They are usually created as a limited run and are not-for profit. The history of Zines is rooted in alternative culture and readers will often find topics and illustrations that give a voice to themes and politics that are out of the main-stream.

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How do I find Zines at Seneca?

The Zines @Seneca are organized into browsable categories. Our collection is located behind the service desk at Seneca@York Library. Come and browse our Zines! The browsing categories are:

Art / Comics / Identity / Information / DIY / Music / Photography / Poetry / Perzine / Political / Seneca (Zines by Seneca students!) / Stories / Sex + Sexuality

How do I donate my Zine?

Seneca Libraries welcomes Zine donations! The donation agreement below outlines what it means to donate to Seneca and how the zine will be treated in our collection. You can drop off your Zine with the Donation Agreement at the library front desk, OR contact Elyse Hill, Creative Arts and Animation Librarian: elyse.hill@senecapolytechnic.ca

Donation Agreement
Donation agreement for Seneca students to student their zines.

Toronto area Zine collections

OCADU Zine Collection
This collection started in 2007 and is open to the public but does not circulate.
Toronto Reference Library Zines
This is a collection of 900 titles with a focus on 80s punk culture.
Toronto Zine Library
The Toronto Zine Library has over 6,000 catalogued works. It is located on the second floor of the Tranzac Club at 292 Brunswick Avenue.

More Resources

We Make Zines
An online community for zine makers and zine readers.
ZineWiki
An open source encyclopedia about zines, zine distros, and other related topics
Canadian Bookbinders and Books Artists Guild (CBBAG)
"Since 1983 the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild has worked to support the development of the book arts in Canada. This web site is dedicated to that effort. The book arts include bookbinding, artists' books, papermaking, calligraphy, letterpress printing and typography, wood engraving, paper decorating, restoration, and conservation." (CBBAG)