This international panel discussion was held as part of the one-day event "International Zine Library Day 2020" (July 21 UTC 20:00〜July 22 UTC 04:00) as a project of the Zine Librarians unConference (a.k.a. ZLuC) run by the Zine Libraries Interest Group.
＊IZLD2020：https://www.zinelibraries.info/izld2020/
＊Notes and Recordings ＞ Session Notes
＊ここには村上潔の発言部分のみ掲載しています。内容には若干の修正を加えています。［Only my statements are posted here. The contents are slightly modified.］
＊主催スタッフによるパネル全体のまとめ（レポート）［Session Notes by ZLuC］は→【こちら】
Murakami, Kiyoshi, "[Presentation] A Very Little Zine Library as a Communication Hub and Learning Spot in the Local Community in Kyoto"
■How did you come to be working with zines? Tell us about your zine library. (This will be the first question, please also state your name, affiliation and title.)
My name is Kiyoshi Murakami, a Japanese researcher.
My main research subjects are feminist zines, Anarcha-Feminism, and anti-gentrification movement.
I am a visiting researcher at the Institute of Ars Vivendi, Ritsumeikan University, and I work as a part-time lecturer at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies and Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University.
I am not a professional librarian.
I have organized a small monthly zine circle named "Morning Zine Circle" in Kyoto since october 2016.
As part of that activity, we have been setting up a small zine library in the cafe that is the venue of our zine circle.
Although there are few materials in the library, there are interesting variations among them.
Most items in the collection have been collected by members of the circle.
On the other hand, some zinsters who visited Kyoto (from home and abroad) have donated their zines to the library.
In additon to that, I have attempted to add the printed journal articles, newspaper articles, and PDF documents about zine culture written in English into the collection.
In doing so, I try to expand the functions to learn about zine culture and DIY spilit.
In the event of once-a-year zinefest named "NIJO Zine Fest", we make the collection more open to visitors in easy reach.
Incidentally, the wooden shelf of the zine library has warmth and charm. That is the work of DIY by a person close to us. We have affection for this library.
■One of the most important aspects of zines and zine libraries is the sense of community. Can you speak about how your zine library serves or has impacted your respective communities?
Our zine library was founded by our zine circle.
Our zine circle is not composed of just zinesters. Some members knew little about zines and DIY culture at the beginning.
We have been learning a lot together through co-operating our zine library.
That is not only a space for publishing our respective zines and circle zines, but also a communication hub and learning spot in the local community.
In this May, we, key members of the circle, made a quaranzine: M.Z.C. Quaranzine[PDF].
We intend to print it in color and add it into the library so that visitors can easily pick up and read it.
In addition, from now, we want to collect quaranzines produced in Kansai (mainly Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe) and add them into the library.
■Let's talk about making zines in times of strife. What role do zines play during times of social unrest? Do you have any special collections of zines that document certain social movements?
We have some zine collection of feminist movement, antiwar movement, antibase movement, environmental movement, and antiracism movement which are based on local glassroots activities.
Some members of our circle have been involved in such activities.
In our zine circle, we often discuss and share zines and documents about those themes.
We don't aim to create a specific movement, but we always aim to increase our understanding of injustice in the world.
■I'd like to talk about being BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in zines and zine librarianship. This a very broad question on the topic, but I was wondering if anyone would like to share any stories ― including their own lived experiences ― about being a person of color in zine librarianship or collecting zines by or about BIPOC folks.
In our library, we have not set that category.
In the case of Japan, there are ethnic problems of Ainu, Ryukyuan and Koreans living in Japan with the historical background.
I think there are few zines that specialized for each issues, but in a part of personal zines, those factors are contained in the total contents.
I think it is difficult to handle it. How we can label those zines as BIPOC zine properly? We have to realize the impact of insensible power of majority on minorities in the first stage of our work.
It is hard to draw a conclusion, but we try to pay attention to that agenda.
■What are your hopes and dreams for zine libraries?
At first, enhancing linkages and cooperation among local (small) zine libraries in Japan (for example, CRY IN PUBLIC Zine Library in Mishima, Shizuoka).
We hope to set up a collaboration event in the near future.
Next spep, expanding the network to Asia.
One problem with Japanese zine scene is the weakness of links with the flassroots and radical practices in Asia.
Although some pipelines exist individually, that have only limited effects in the entire Japanese/Asian zine scene.
Anyway, we hope to operate in a world of wider underground network (of course, ideally, beyond Asia!).
