Hugo House Donates Zine Collection to The Seattle Public Library
release date: August 2, 2017
The Richard Hugo House has donated the Zine Archive and Publishing Project (ZAPP) collection to The Seattle Public Library. The collection, founded at the Hugo House in 1996, includes approximately 30,000 zines, minicomics and assorted publications.
"This collection of zines, assembled slowly by ZAPP and its many dedicated volunteers over the years, reflects the countless undercurrents that have made Seattle a blazing cultural center," said Tree Swenson, executive director of the Hugo House. "The Seattle Public Library will now be able to let people discover the collection and the spirit of fierce devotion that characterizes this city."
ZAPP was a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that closed April 1, 2017.
Andrew Harbison, assistant director for Collection & Access Services for The Seattle Public Library, said the Library is excited to acquire the collection and provide a permanent and secure home for it. "We recognize the value and cultural significance of this material, which documents an incredibly diverse range of voices, experiences, subjects and perspectives outside of traditional media channels," he said.
Librarian and former ZAPP volunteer Abby Bass added that the collection will support people who self-publish. "The collection is not only a really valuable documentation of our past, but an inspiration for Seattle writers, artists and self-publishers," she said.
The Library expects to receive the ZAPP collection in August. "Once we have the collection, we can begin an inventory and assessment of all the material," Harbison said. "After that work is done, which will take time, we will be able to determine how to make the collection available to the general public, researchers, self-publishers and others." Harbison anticipates material from the ZAPP collection to be featured in Library programs as early as this fall.