Punk zines and ephemera collection, 1977-2018, bulk 1983-1998

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Summary

Abstract:
The zines and ephemera assembled in this collection document the California punk music scene, primarily in the greater Los Angeles area, from 1977 to 2018.
Extent:
4.4 linear feet (5 boxes, 6 flat boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Punk zines and ephemera collection (Collection 2276). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection gathers zines and other ephemera documenting the California punk music scene, primarily in the greater Los Angeles area from 1977-2018. The zines vary in size, length, and medium; some are on newsprint, some are photocopied, and others are on gloss paper. The zines' content includes reviews, interviews, event announcements, news, letters, and creative works by the zines' creators and readers. The collection also includes a small amount of show flyers for performances in and around Los Angeles along with memorabilia donated to the Library Special Collections punk collective. A 2014 accrual is comprised of ephemera from Exene Cervenka, singer for the punk band X.

Biographical / historical:

California punk rock quickly developed its own communities, sounds, and subgenres. Depending on the band or genre, influences can include surf rock, Mexican folk music, country, glam rock, East Coast punk, garage rock, and others. Punk communities often documented their subculture through zines. The zines focused mainly on the large Los Angeles and San Francisco scenes, but zines from smaller cities and towns also covered their local punk, rock, and underground music scenes. Zines were a primary way for fans to communicate before the Internet, and some zine creators switched to websites and blogs with the rise of online communities.

Acquisition information:
Materials in this collection were acquired by gift and/or purchase from various sources. Source information, type, and date of acquisition are recorded with their associated materials in the finding aid.
Processing information:

Processed by Victoria Maches and Courtney Dean, 2016. Additions processed by Kuhelika Ghosh and Courtney Dean, 2017-2019 and Khang Nguyen and Courtney Dean, 2020.

Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.

We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form located on our website: Report Problematic Content and Description in UCLA's library collections and archives.

Arrangement:

This collection has been arranged in the following series:

  • Series 1: Zines, 1977-2016
  • Series 2: Show flyers and memorabilia, 1980s-2018
  • Series 3: Exene Cervenka materials, 1977-2008

Physical / technical requirements:

CONTAINS UNPROCESSED DIGITAL AND AUDIO MATERIALS: Digital and audio materials are not currently available for access and will require further processing and assessment. If you have questions about this material please email spec-coll@library.ucla.edu.

Physical location:
Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Punk zines and ephemera collection (Collection 2276). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website