Gotta love The Source: today they have an article about the Bend Zine Library, something I had no idea existed—indeed, in the back of my mind I had thought with the rise of the web and blogging and easy self-publishing, zines had mostly disappeared. I’m glad to know I’m wrong!

(For a good overview on what a zine is if you don’t already know, the Wikipedia article gives a great overview.)

The Bend Zine Library is located at the Workhorse at the old Iron Works, behind the Sparrow Bakery off Scott Street. From The Source:

This library has grown, through the contributions of half a dozen zinesters, to about 1,000 little books. They’re housed in small plastic tubs on a small bookshelf in the front corner of the crowded Workhouse.

The checkout process is lo-tech, just write your name on an index card, write down what you took and when you took it, and begin to peruse one of the most interesting forms of art being created in this town today.

The article is also a nice overview of the local zine scene which is simultaneously bigger and smaller than I would have guessed. I’ll definitely have to get over there to check the library out some time.