This guide is intended as a starting reference point for folks who want to learn more about artists' books and zines. Whether that be out of general curiosity, an interest in looking for technical inspiration, or for an academic paper, the following tabs feature compiled resources from the collections at the University Libraries and tips on how to navigate the catalog to find them. Highlighted are interesting examples within the collections that can be previewed via staff recorded videos and requested through their linked catalog pages. Of course, the Library, as large as it is, can't represent the whole world of artists' books & zines, so additional creators and distributors of their work are also offered as reference points.

For folks unfamiliar with artists' books and zines, their respective pages provide some definitions and related research guides to peruse. Since these works push the traditional boundaries of what a book is, they can be a bit tricky to catalog and subsequently, find in the usual ways. Some more specific advice about ways to conduct your searches is also detailed on there. 

Following these tabs is information on collections outside the University system, organizations, and some more explicitly technical resources. This includes: how-to videos, books on paper-making, and various print studios.

Please feel free to reach out to us about any questions, feedback, and suggestions you might have! 

This guide was created by Tacia J. Díaz Fonseca, Ricker Library Graduate Assistant 2020-2022.

We would like to begin our guide by recognizing and acknowledging that we, at the University of Illinois Libraries, are on the lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations. These lands were the traditional territory of these Native Nations prior to their forced removal; these lands continue to carry the stories of these Nations and their struggles for survival and identity.

As a land-grant institution, the University of Illinois has a particular responsibility to acknowledge the peoples of these lands, as well as the histories of dispossession that have allowed for the growth of this institution for the past 150 years. We are also obligated to reflect on and actively address these histories and the role that this university has played in shaping them. This acknowledgement and the centering of Native peoples is but a start as we move forward for the next 150 years.

(From the Office of the Chancellor, as recommended by the Native American House) 

As you begin your research, do note that all research, teaching, display, imaging, and circulation of University of Illinois NAGPRA materials and collections without tribal permission is prohibited. Find more detailed information in the NAGPRA procedures.

Materials accessed in this guide are provided for personal and/or scholarly use.  Users are responsible for obtaining any copyright permissions that may be required for their own further uses of that material.  For more information about fair use please refer to the College Art Association Code of Best Practices in Fair Use in the Visual Arts.