"The Radical Librarian Institute is the most extensive library continuing education program focused on supporting library professionals to push for widespread systemic change that is centered on social and racial equality, collective action, community strengthening, and public participation."
- Radical Librarianship Institute, California Rare Book School, UCLA
In late summer of 2023, Research and Instruction Librarian Anna Boutin-Cooper attended a week-long summer institute called the Radical Librarianship Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Anna's proposed project, titled Cultivating a Creative & Inclusive Community with Zines, was selected out of over 120 applications alongside 23 other projects.
The main goal of Anna's project is to foster a strong community of disabled folks living, working, and learning in the Westfield, MA area through the production of a community zine by and for disabled individuals. The production of this zine will be fostered through a series of zine workshops, listed on the workshops tab on this page and open to the general public, to teach interested participants the basics of zine creation. The first 25 contributors to send in their submissions to the zine will be compensated for their time with a $40 Visa gift card.
If you are interested in participating in the community zine, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/mnxeTTrf98dDPKGw6. If you have any questions about the project, please reach out to Anna at aboutincooper@westfield.ma.edu. You do not need to participate in a workshop in order to have your work included in the community zine, but it is highly encouraged.
Scheduled RLI Workshops for Fall 2023
Ely Library, Westfield State University
Westfield on Weekends Creative Arts Center
Westfield Athenaeum
If you are interested in participating in the community zine, please fill out the form below. Please note that this zine is by and for disabled individuals. You do not need to disclose your specific disability to Anna to participate, however.
You do not need to have your submission completed in order to fill out the form below -- as long as your submission is completed and submitted to Anna by February 2024, your piece(s) will be included in the community zine. The visa gift cards will be distributed after submissions have been received.
If you have any questions about the project, please reach out to Anna at aboutincooper@westfield.ma.edu. You do not need to participate in a workshop in order to have your work included in the community zine, but it is highly encouraged.
