A Collection of Zines: Powerhouses for Social Change

By Commons Librarian

Contents

Introduction

Zines are little powerhouses for social change. They’re handmade, uncensored, and open to anyone—meaning you don’t need permission or a big budget to share your story or stand up for what matters.

Whether it’s learning how to organise and campaign, celebrating a grassroots action or discovering how to archive a protests, zines bring people together in ways big platforms can’t. In a world where algorithms decide what we see, zines let us slow down, connect, and keep our voices in our own hands.

Zines have always been more than just creative outlets—they’re also tools for amplifying marginalized voices and driving social change. As accessible, uncensored mediums, zines provide individuals and communities with the space to tell their stories, share struggles, and advocate for change. – Brian Matthews

Explore the collection of zines in the Commons library and the links to many other zines below. Let us know if you have a zine to recommend.

Zines are also incredibly accessible which makes them the perfect tool in activism – if anyone can make a zine then anyone can take part in changing and educating other people. – Ioana Simion

Zines

Organising! A Remedy for Despair: How Workers at the University of Melbourne won back $45 million in Stolen Wages

Cover of Organising! A Remedy for Despair which includes an image of workers holding placards reading Change The Rules

This zine was a case study by the Commons library of a campaign about winning back stolen wages. The zine accompanied the full report and was developed to capture the campaign timeline, perspectives from union activists and lessons for those seeking to challenge exploitation.