Unconventional collecting in extraordinary times: Documenting the pandemic through a COVID-19 Zine Collection

Abstract

When COVID-19 caused the world to go into lockdown in early 2020, some were inspired to create zines documenting their lives and experiences during the pandemic. That spring, The Ohio State University’s Rare Books a Manuscripts Library (RBML) began seeking out these publications, and now has a collection of more than 80 COVID-19 and quarantine zines. This article discusses how and why RBML has developed this zine collection, including the process of finding and acquiring zines, exploring their content, and plans for the collection.