Information
This is the home of the 8 Ball library database - a forever WIP constantly being added to as we get new submissions. As of now, only about 20% of our library has been logged into the database.
Please feel free to submit anything you want archived in our library: zines you’ve made, articles you’ve had on your computer forever, favorite short stories, research studies, poems, anything lurking on your desktop. Fuck JSTOR, fuck elite private access file databases. If there’s an essay you’re looking for and can’t find it, email us, and we’ll do our best to hook you up.
In person, the 8 Ball Archive is located at 1 East Broadway in Chinatown. If you have zines you want to submit to the library, send us an email at 8ballarchive@gmail.com
FAQ
Where can I find the digital archiving form?
Here :)
Where can I find the physical archiving form?
Here :0
How can I submit my work to the archive?
The easiest ways to submit your work to the archive are to (1) come to one of our zine fairs and leave a zine at our drop-off table, (2) drop off the zine at the 8 Ball space, or (3) mail the zine to us at 1 East Broadway, New York, NY.
How can I help support the archive?
Some simple ways to help are to (1) show up to meetings, as we can always use extra hands in archiving. We are there almost every Tuesday around 6 PM, or (2) donate monetarily to help us pay rent and make sure the archive continues to have a home.
How do I choose which box to archive something in?
Try to prioritize content over medium. For example, if you have a photo zine related to music, you can place that in the music box rather than the photo box.
What’s the deal with the topics and the tags?
All topics are tags, but not all tags are topics. Topics are commonly used tags to optimize the website and provide inspiration for additional tags you will add when archiving. We strongly encourage you to add as many tags as possible and not to fully depend on the topics when classifying a zine. The more tags included, the easier it will be for someone to find the information in the future.
How can I create a new topic?
Simply ask! If you feel that a tag is very commonly used and should be a topic instead. You can propose that it be added at a meeting. If others agree, it’s added.
Where does the information go when I submit the digital form?
All information submitted through the Google Form populates into a spreadsheet that is not directly connected to the website. Prior to the zines appearing on the website. An 8 Ball member will review the submissions to check for common errors, such as spelling mistakes or incorrectly placed information. Once the information is reviewed, they will copy it into the spreadsheet found on the website.
How do I help with auditing the library?
Begin by accessing the full catalogue spreadsheet. If you do not have access to this, please ask any 8 Ball member; we are always happy to help. You can then use the color codes found on the full catalogue page to highlight the zines accordingly as you peruse the library.
What do I do if there is missing information?
If there is information missing, please feel free to leave the space black rather than writing information like “untitled” or “n/a”. If the missing information is the title of the zine, add a description of the cover in brackets. ex. [orange waves printed on bright blue paper]