Titled ‘Looking in on a special collection: science fiction fanzines at Murdoch University Library’, the article examines fanzines as a primary text and source material and describes the fanzines insight into Australian Science Fiction and international sub-cultural communities. Author, Dr Jessie Lymn from the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University, argues that these fanzines are a unique source for research while advocating the increased discoverability of these items for future research.
Dr Lymn was the recipient of the CAUL/ASA (Council of Australian University Librarians/Australian Society of Authors) Fellowship and had special access to the collection as part of her research for the publication.
The Library’s Science Fiction collection houses a rich and diverse array of Science Fiction resources that reflect the Australian Science Fiction fan community and culture of the period, including professional and fan publications, research theses, and the archives of prominent Australian Fanzine editor. The collection includes science fiction, fantasy and horror novels by local and international authors, comics, graphic material, memorabilia and ephemera, periodicals and fanzines.
The collection has been described as ‘absolutely unique compared to other collections in Australian fandom history’. In October 2017, the Science Fiction Collection at Murdoch University was awarded a federal community heritage grant to fund a Significance Assessment to support the development of the collection.
You can explore more on the collection here: http://library.murdoch.edu.au/Researchers/Special-Collections/Science-Fiction-Collection/
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| Dr Jessie Lymn (middle) explores our collection of Sci Fi fanzines with Library staff, Ross O’Neil (left) and Sharon Beccaria (right). |