I went in and did staffed hours at the Toronto Zine Library by myself today – it was so hot that I stood up P to meet about the website at 5, just went in at 6 to do the library hours. He said someone was trying to come in and do some research on dumpster diving and freeganism, so I needed to be there on time and for the whole time.
Tonight I actually felt like a reference librarian for the first time in my life! The dumpster diving PhD student came in around 7.15 (library staffed hours are 6-8pm) and we had a good chat about her project, my project, zines, her field work etc. it was good to talk to her – we had some good discussions about doing research about these ‘obscure’ or little studied fields, and how people inquire about them. Although more and more I’m feeling zines aren’t obscure, they’re pretty mainstreamed in academic communities, and being used as source material more and more. Take for example, Teal Triggs’s to be released book Fanzines: The DIY Revolution.
