Papercut Zine Library

This place is cool, and is a good place to borrow Ride The Snake Zine. Truly a one of a kind place in the Boston area, and hopefully it will be able to continue to stay housed within the Democracy Center!

Tucked away behind the intimidating façade of an old New England building, complete with austere columns, the Papercut ‘Zine Library is the epitome of a hidden gem. Located on the first floor of the Democracy Center, away from the hustle and bustle of Harvard Square, Papercut is worth stepping off the beaten path.
Inside their cozy one-​room locale, wood paneling lines the walls, and Christmas tree lights are draped over the windows, giving the whole thing a feeling of an Elks lounge crossed with your best friend’s basement. Not that the wood paneling is especially visible, behind the shelves BURSTING with ‘zines.
Everything from DIY pamphlets, to political manifestos, cutting edge music reviews, art criticisms, graphic art stories, self-​published novellas, and environmentalist tome is crammed into this small space. Whatever your interest and intrigue, someone has written about it in ‘zine form, and Papercut has the most impressive collection of ‘zines I have every seen.
Which is not surprising, considering that many of the volunteers who work there are ‘zinesters themselves. During hours of operation, the staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and what some people might refer to as chillaxed. If you want to talk shop, they are more than willing, but if you want to just kick back and lounge on the worn yet comfy furniture with a stack of ‘zines, they’ll leave you to it.
Their enthusiasm for the topic of self-​publishing is infectious, just ask the people who come to their many events, such as indie bands, sushi dinners, and ‘zine fairs.
Membership is free and fun, as the library cards are made right in front of you and are created from recycled calendar images, decoupaged onto cardstock. And it doesn’t matter if you live out of state and are just passing through. Papercut works on the honor system, so they trust you to mail back anything you borrow.
And, if you don’t live in the area, Papercut still cares about your ‘zine needs. Their website provides you with reviews of ‘zines, so you know what to look for; and a list of ‘zine-​carrying institutes across the country so you can find a library near you. So go ahead and fill your free time with uncensored literature of the masses, you dissident.
Check them out online at:
And check out our DIY ‘zine at:

Thousands of zines. So little time to peruse them all. They have an amazingly organized and accessible collection. They are run by volunteers and have a XXX section with a curtain over it for decency. They give you really cool handmade library cards when you become a member. You can check out zines and bring them home with you for free free free. Thank god this place has existed this long.

This is a great little library. They have an enormous selection of independently produced zines. I went in there ready to scoff but was very impressed. The zines are of surprisingly uniform and high quality and are definitely worth visiting. The building itself seems to be used for various lefty causes, some of which you may find interesting. Go check it out, and maybe get a library card and check out some zines, too.