Add something nicer to your daily doom scroll - follow @wxmzinelibrary
We’re only on Instagram and Facebook and we can’t really explain that one to be honest because we don’t even like Zuck.
We’re only on Instagram and Facebook and we can’t really explain that one to be honest because we don’t even like Zuck.
WHAT
Wrexham Zine Library (WZL) is a not for profit zine archive. If you’re new to zines, think of them as homemade magazines. That helps with the pronunciation too! Zines take many forms - from fanzines about favourite sports teams, bands or tv shows, to personal diaries, poetry collections, photo essays and comix. (With much more besides!)
Our collection has a broad scope, but we are especially invested in preserving zines by north Wales based creators, and in collecting football fanzines from across the leagues. The oldest zine in our collection is from 1988.
WHY
We love zines! They are ephemeral documents which are usually lovingly made in short runs for tiny audiences, meaning that they are easily lost to time. We keep zines so that they can be read and researched, not just stored safely (about half of the original WZL collection spent 10 years in boxes under Heather’s bed!) - we want the collection to support people to stay engaged with reading, making and sharing zines.
Football fanzines are very important to WZL. Celebrity club owners aside, Wrexham is home to (probably) Europe’s oldest football ground and in 2025 will welcome the launch of a brand new football museum for Wales. Football is in Wrexham’s heritage and we look to honour that in our archive. Our goal (sorry) is to gather the world’s biggest publicly accessible football fanzine collection, we’re currently at about 100, so until someone tells us otherwise, we’re claiming the title!
WHERE
We’re based in The Shed in the Resource Room at Wrexham School of Art and Design. This means that you can access the library Mon-Fri, 10am to 4pm if you’re a student. If you’re not a student, please email us to make an appointment to visit so that we can ensure access for you.
Wheelchair access is possible via the side door, please get in touch with us if you’re not familiar with the art school’s layout and require wheelchair access.
WHEN
Unsupported browsing for students is available during usual art school opening hours Monday to Friday. If you would like support from a librarian, a member of staff is available 9am to 12pm on Tuesdays in term time.
If you require support at another time or aren’t enrolled at the university, please get in touch.
WHO
Wrexham Zine Library is run by Wrexham-based zine makers (and Glyndwr era art school alumni) Heather Wilson and Oliver Stephen.
