Infoshop

Not to be confused with Infoshop.org.
Interior of Left Bank Books, Seattle, Washington in 2006.

An infoshop is a storefront or social center that serves as a node for the distribution of political, subcultural and arts information, typically in the form of books, zines, stickers and posters. Infoshops often serve as a meeting space and resource hub for local activist groups. Many infoshops also serve as zine libraries, helping to preserve zine culture.[1]

Infoshops are particularly prevalent in Western Europe and North America, but can be found around the world. According to an Utne Reader article, author Chris Atton describes British infoshops as having grown "out of the squatted anarchist centres of the 1980s, such as the 121 Centre in Brixton, London."[2] Another big influence was the regular European-wide International Infoshop Meetings of the 1990s.

Writing in Maximum RocknRoll, anarchist librarian Chuck Munson places North American infoshops in the lineage of Vietnam War era peace and justice centers.[3]

In June 2006, the Infoshop Network, a network spanning Canada and the United States, was formed at the Infoshop Gathering in Baltimore, Maryland.[4]

List of infoshops

Exterior of L'Insoumise/Documentations, Informations, Références et Archives (DIRA), an infoshop in Montreal, Canada.
A panoramic view of the interior of the Lucy Parsons Center in Boston, United States.

See also


References

  1. ↑ http://zinewiki.com/Zine#Preservation
  2. ↑ Street Libraries: Infoshops and Alternative Reading Rooms
  3. ↑ Maximumrocknroll article on infoshops
  4. ↑ The Infoshop Network

External links

Infoshop Directories

Media