Art Metropole

#16971

Publisher as Librarian/ Publisher is Archivist

Artist

Be Oakley

Date

2026

Publisher

Genderfail

Format

Artists' Books

Genre

Books on Books

Description

Publisher as Librarian/ Publisher is Archivist is an exploration of The GenderFail Archive,
comprised of 1606 publications or 816 Art Books + Artist Books and 790 Zines published largely by small and self-publishers. The cover features a double-sided 4-color CMYK risograph-printed dust jacket of 100 of the publications from our library featured in the book.

Many of us have robust collections of our fellow publishers’ work, sourced from Art Book Fairs, independent bookstores, and directly from each other. Unlike other art forms, we can AFFORD to buy and support the work we make. We become collectors of artist-made publishing without even thinking about it. We do not need rich people to fund our work; we NEED each other and our community to ensure we have the means to continue our work.

This publication begins with the now-6th printing of our essay, Imperfect Archiving, Archive as Practice. This essay speaks to my archiving and collecting ethic and my overall love of publications. The catalyst for Publisher as Librarian / Publisher Is Archivist was the desire to keep this essay in print. This new collection now starts with this essay as the opening chapter and as a new way of looking at myself as an imperfect librarian and archivist.

The 2nd part of this anthology showcases 100 of the 790 zines in my collection in Digital Afterlife of the Zine: Scanning as Dissemination. In this section, a QR code is provided to view all 100 zines printed in the book digitally, sharing a personal archive in a way I’ve never seen before. In addition, a Google Sheets master document is available via QR code links to explore the artists and publishers of all 100 zines. Between these two are other interventions, texts, and images that expand upon the publication’s main thesis.

1st Edition of 400

1. 
2.