Looking in on a special collection: Science fiction fanzines at Murdoch University Library

The material remains of subcultural communities – in this case, fanzines – often present challenges in definition, classification and materiality, and this makes them valuable primary texts and source material for new knowledges and teaching. In this article, I present an argument for the sustained collection of science fiction fanzines within a university Special Collection, drawing on examples from the Murdoch University Library’s significant twentieth-century science fiction fanzine collection. Highlights include consideration of the records of everyday life that feature in the fanzines and the networked communities science fiction fanzines created through postal systems and other exchanges. The article argues that it is the form, content and networks of fanzines – what I call their ‘practices’ – that make them a unique site of research and of national historical significance, and an important part of a university’s special collection.