About Small Press Fest
The Small Press Fest! is a celebration of small press publications and DIY artists in Champaign-Urbana, IL and surrounding areas. Our goal is to create a welcoming space for authors and creators to share their work and expertise, and to empower others to embrace their creativity.
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It is organized by faculty, students, and staff at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the UC-IMC Zine Library, and volunteers from the community. We work collaboratively with local businesses and organizations to produce a festival that best reflects the energy and interests of the community.
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This year we are thrilled to be sponsored by the University Library, the Art Coop, Krannert Art Museum, the School of Art & Design, Lincoln Square Mall, and the Prairie Glass House, The W. Peter and Joan MacFarlane Hood University Library Endowment Fund.
What is a Small Press?
The Small Press landscape is vast, and includes a multitude of sometimes overlapping categories. Generally speaking, each category is non-commercial or has annual sales or publications below a certain level. Many focus on niche interests, or interests excluded from mainstream media.
Resources
University of Illinois Library Collections and Resources
RICKER LIBRARY OF ARCHITECTURE & ART
The Ricker Library zine collection features student work from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and numerous other other universities across the country.
RARE BOOK & MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
A small collection featuring work from Candor Arts (IL) and the Sixty Inches From Center Collective.
INTERNATIONAL AND AREA STUDIES LIBRARY
Zines from India.
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UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
Pandora’s Rag
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Campus Zine Collections
Women’s Resource Center
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Champaign-Urbana Collections
A browsing collection featuring over 1,500 zines, and located within the Independent Media Center (IMC) in Urbana. Take a tour with former zine librarian Becca Maree.
Online Access Collections
The Anarchist Library
Boston Anarchist Black Cross Zine Distro
Sherwood Forest Virtual Zine Library
Simmons University Student Created Zine Collection