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Fan Fiction in the Library

LudiPriceandLynRobinson

CentreforInformationScience,City,UniversityofLondon

Authors’textofpaperacceptedforTransformativeWorksandCultures,No.25,dueSeptember15th2017.

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ThisisthefullpaperofapresentationthatwasgivenattheFanStudiesNetworkConference,UniversityofEastAnglia,June2016. Abstract AlthoughseveralnotablecollectionsoffanfictionexistinlibrariessuchastheSandyHereldFanzineCollectionatTexasA&MUniversity(http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/149935),andthedigitalfanzinearchivesattheUniversityofIowa(http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/resources/fandomresources/),theattentiongiventothesystematicselection,acquisition,indexing,preservationandsharingoffanworksisnotasnotableintheUKasitmightbe,giventhepopularityoffandom,thevolumeofcreativeworksthatexists,andtherateatwhichnewtextsareproduced.ThispaperpresentstheresultsofaninvestigationintotheextenttowhichfanfictioniscollectedandmanagedbyUKlibraries,andattemptstoascertainthereasonsunderlyingcollectionpolicyinlocal,public,special,academicandnationalinstitutions.Thisreportisbasedonareviewofrecentliterature,ananalysisofthecollectionpoliciesofaselectionofUKlibraries,andabriefsurveyoftheviewsofLibrary&InformationSciencestudents.TheempiricalworkwascarriedoutinSpring2016.Resultsshowthatthereisindeed,alittleknownandlesserunderstood‘darkside’tofanfiction,inregardtohowitisunderstoodandvalued,whichfeedsaninvisible,blackholeinourculturalheritage.Keywords—Fanfiction;Fanzines;Fanworks;UKlibraries;Archives;Collectionpolicy.

1. Introduction AlthoughseveralnotablecollectionsoffanfictionexistinlibrariessuchastheSandyHereldFanzineCollectionatTexasA&MUniversity(http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/149935),andthedigitalfanzinearchivesattheUniversityofIowa(http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/resources/fandomresources/),theattentiongiventothesystematicselection,acquisition,indexing,preservationandsharingoffanworksisnotasnotableintheUKasitmightbe,giventhepopularityoffandom,thevolumeofcreativeworksthatexists,andtherateatwhichnewtextsareproduced.ThatthemostsignificantcollectionsareintheUSislikelytobeduetothegreaternumber,andbetterresourcing,ofUSresearchlibraries,ratherthantoanydifferenceinviewpointbetweentheUSandUKlibrarycommunities.ThispaperpresentstheresultsofaninvestigationintotheextenttowhichfanfictioniscollectedandmanagedbyUKlibraries,andattemptstoascertainthereasonsunderlyingcollectionpolicyinlocal,public,special,academicandnationalinstitutions.Wetake'fanfiction'tobethespecificallycreativewritingcomponentofthelargerareaof'fanwork',whichencompassesawidervarietyofdocumentformat,includingartwork,video,animation,music,costume,poetry,installations,3Dworlds,etc.

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Itshouldbenotedattheoutsetthatthecollectionoffanworksdoesnotnecessarilymeanthepromotionofsuchmaterialsortheprovisionofequalaccessandcollocationoftheseitemswithotheritemsinalibrary'scollection.Theymaybecollectedforarchivalpurposes,or(exemplifiedbythetwocollectionsnotedabove)insupportofresearchandadvancedstudy,ratherthanforthemoregeneralentertainment,leisureorculturalreasonsthatwouldbetheremitofthepubliclibrary.Theymaybekeptininspecialcollections,housedinadesignatedlibraryordepartment,withdifferentproceduresforaccessandcirculation.Conversely,theirusemaybepromotedbyspeciallibraryeventsandpresentations,aimedasmuchatthegeneralpublicasatspecialists;andevenifalibrarydoesnotcollectfanworks,itsstaffmaydirectuserstoonlinesources.Thepotentiallyverydifferenttreatmentoffanworksinlibrariesformsthebackdroptothisstudy.

Thestudywasdesignedinsuchawaythatitsfindingsshouldberelevanttoavarietyofaudiences:fansinterestedinfinding,readingorotherwiseengagingwithfanworksforenjoyment,referenceorresearch;archivists,libraryandinformationprofessionalswishingtoestablish,preserveorrefertocollectionsoffanworks;scholarsresearchingfandom,fanstudiesorthewiderrealmofspeculativefiction;educatorsinterestedinthewaysinwhichengagingwithfanworkscanencouragecreativityandintellectualdevelopment;authors;media/entertainmentindustryprofessionals;communityleadersconcernedwithbeinginformedaboutthesortofworldspeoplewishtocreate;andthewidercommunity,concernedwithcollectingandpreservingasignificantpartofourculturalheritage.

2. Background and data collection

Therehasbeen,overthepastfiveyears,anincreaseinthereportingoffan-relatednewsandissuesinthemedia,doubtlessfueledbytheencroachingofapreviouslynichedomainintomainstreamconcernsincludingcopyrightandpublishing,mediaindustryinterest,education,libraries,andpolicydevelopment.Seeforexample:Duan2015,Evans2016,Frisbie2016,Grady2016,Johnson2016,Lieu2016,Miller2015andVandeSar2016.

Despitetheexpandingreportage,discussionandengagementwithfanworks,collectionsandcollectionpoliciesforfanfiction–perhapsthemostnotablesubsetoffanworks–withinmemoryinstitutionsintheUKseemedscant,althoughwewereawareofnotablezinecollectionsintheUS,andthezine/fanzinecollectionsattheLondonCollegeofCommunication(http://www.arts.ac.uk/study-at-ual/library-services/collections-and-archives/london-college-of-communication/),BritishLibrary(http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/news/zines(part1)/zines1.html)andtheGlasgowWomen’sLibrary(https://womenslibrary.org.uk/2013/09/04/zine-collection/),amongstothers.

Inordertogathersomeempiricalevidenceabouttheextenttowhichfanfictionisconsideredbythelibraryandinformation(LIS)sector,wecarriedoutasmallinvestigationcomprisingaliteraturereview,examinationofasampleofcollectionpolicies,andasurveyofmembersofourLibrarySchoolcohort.

TocovertheLISliteraturewhereinformationonfanfictioncollectionsislikelytobefound,thetwomostrelevantdatabases–LibraryandInformationScienceAbstracts,andLibraryandInformationScienceTechnologyAbstracts–weresearched,withasupplementarywebsearchviaGoogleScholar.ThesearcheslookedforanyusageofthetermsFANS,FANFICTION,FANWORKS,FANZINES,andalsothebroaderZINES,inthecontextofLIBRARIESandCOLLECTIONS(searchtermsincludedboth

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singularandvariants,andalsofan/fictionandfan/worksasbothsingle-wordanddouble-wordterms).Allmaterialmentioningfanfictionwasregardedasrelevant;formaterialdealingwithzinesandwithlibraryinteractionwithfans,aselectionwasmadeofrepresentativeitems.

Forthesecondpartofthisshortstudy,awebsearchwascarriedoutforcollectiondevelopmentandmanagementpoliciesinUKlibraries.Aselectionofthepoliciesfoundonline,asrepresentativeaspossibleofdifferentsectorsoflibraries,wasexamined,foranyreferencetofanworks.Onepolicy,notavailableonline,wasgiventousinphysicalformat.Thisprocessislimitedinasmuchasitisbiasedtowardsthoselibrarieswhichhaveaformalcollectionpolicy,andonewhichisopenlyavailableonline;thisislikelytoexcludesmallerlibraries,suchasschoollibrariesandsmallerspecialandvolunteerlibraries.Itisalso,ofcourse,thecasethatlibrariesmaycollectfanworksadhocwithoutmentioningthisinaformalcollectionpolicy,orthatfanworksmaybesubsumedunderamoregeneralcategoryofmaterialcollected;thisistrueofanalogousformsofmaterial,suchasgraphicnovels(SlaterandKardos2017).However,mentioninacollectionpolicycanbetakenasanindicationofaninstitutionalrecognitionoftheimportanceofaformofmaterial,anditistheformalacknowledgementandcollectionoffanfictionthatthisinvestigationaddresses.

Inordertounderstandthereasonsbehindthisparadoxicalsituation,wherethereisanoticeablebodyofworkandinterestinfanworks–andyetalimitedformalrecognitionofthiswithincollectionpoliciesandinternalprocesseswithintheLIScommunity–weinvitedourcurrentlibraryschoolstudents(thoseregisteredintheacademicyear2015/2016)andalumnitocompleteashort,onlinequestionnaireaboutfanfiction,arguablythemostwell-knowntypeoffanwork.Therationalebehindsurveyingthisgroupwasthatourcohortrepresentsthenextgenerationoflibraryandinformationprofessionals,andtheirviewsonfanfictionwouldthereforebelikelytoberepresentativeoffuturecollectionpolicy.ThesurveywaspromotedtoourcohortviaTwitter–usingthecourseTwitterhashtag,#citylis–andviapostingsonthecourse’se-learningenvironment(Moodle)bulletinboard.

ThesurveywasconductedonlinethroughEsurveyCreator(https://www.esurveycreator.com/),andcomprised13questions,collectingquantitativeandqualitativedata.Thefirst3weredemographicquestions(gender,agerange,nationality).Theremaining10dealtwithknowledgeandawarenessoffanfiction,andwiththerespondent’sattitudetowardslibrariescollectingfanfiction.Twenty-fiveparticipantsresponded.Theresponserateisdifficulttoquantify,asitcannotbeknownhowmanyalumniwouldhaveseenthepromotionofthesurvey;however,thecurrentcohortcomprised45students,sothattheresponseisprobablyintheorderof40-50%.

Oftherespondents22(88%)hadheardoffanfictionbeforejoiningthecourse–thenext4questionswereonlytobeansweredbytheserespondents,andconcernedtheirexperienceswithfanfiction.Thefinalquestionswereansweredbyallparticipants,andfocusedontheconceptoffanfictioncollectionsinlibraries.Threeofthequestions(‘Pleasedescribe,inyourownwords,whatyouunderstandbytheterm‘fanfiction’’,‘Whendidyoufirsthearaboutfanfiction,orunderstandwhatitwas?’and‘Doyouthinklibraries,archives,orotherinstitutionsshouldcollectfanfiction?’)wereopenquestions,andallowedformorequalitativedata.

Demographicallyspeaking,almosthalfoftherespondentsweresplitequallybetweenthegenders–52%female,48%male.Theagerangerepresentedwas20-40;themajority(44%)wasaged25-30.MostwereBritish,butthereweretwoAmericans,oneSpaniardandoneKorean.

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3. Results and discussion ThereisverylittlematerialtobefoundintheliteratureeitheroffanstudiesorofLISonthegenericconceptsofcollectingfanfiction,orotherformsoffanworks.Thisconfirmstheviewthatthesystematiccollectionoffan-createdmaterialsisoverlookedbythemainstreamLISsector,andthatthereislittledialoguebetweentheLISdisciplineandthecommunityassociatedwithfanworks.

Onlyasmallnumberofitemswereidentifiedasgivingspecificmentiontofanfictioninlibrarycollections,withrathermoreperipherallyrelevantitemsdealingwithservicestofansingeneral,andtorelevantissueswithcollectionsofzinesingeneral,ratherthanfanzinesspecifically.Theonlyarticletodealsolelyanddirectlywithissuesoffanfictioncollectionsis18yearsold(Hart,Shoolbred,ButcherandKane1999).Thisnotedthatmanylibrary/informationpractitionersignoredfan-producedmaterialsonthegroundsthatmuchwasephemeral,andthatthemajorityfelloutsidenormalbibliographiccontrol.Thesameseemstobethecasetodaytojudgefromthisreview;theseauthors’1999appealforinformationprofessionalstobecomebetterinformedaboutfanliteratureanditspotentialasaresourceforpublicandacademiclibrariesseemstohavebeengenerallyignored.

Morerecentarticlesfocusingoncollectionsinvolvingfanfictiondealwiththespecificsofparticularcollections,forexample,theSandyHereldzinecollection(Brett2013;2015),andthespeculativefictioncollectionattheUniversityofIowa(Chant2015).ThearticlebyHart,Shoolbred,ButcherandKane(1999)isshownascitedonceinWebofScienceand12timesinGoogleScholar,butnoneofthecitingarticlesdiscussfanfictioncollections.

Aninterestingpapermadereferencetofanfictionasapartofwhatiscalledthe‘anti-collection’(Martens2011),wherearchivesandcollectionsaremaintainedbythoseoutsidethemainmemoryinstitutions;inthiscase,fanfictioncollectionsformapartofthetransformativesector,whichMartensdescribesasaplaceinwhich“creativeinformationobjectsarecontinuouslybeingreusedandrenewed”(2011,574).Suchcollectionsareorganizedandmaintainedbyfansthemselves.Indeed,fansdoanexcellentjobofcollectingandorganizingfanworks;someonlinecollections,suchasArchiveofOurOwn(http://archiveofourown.org/),rivalprofessionaldigitalarchives.Nonetheless,mostsuchcollectionsrelyonadhocfundingandresources,whichareoftenpersonal,andcandisappearovernight:asAbigaildeKosnikputsit“digitalobjectsareevenmorepronetosuddendisappearancethanphysicalones–ahostingcompanycandecidenottohostyourfanfictionworksanymore,oranarchivistcan‘flounce’fromtheirarchiveandsimplyshutitdown,orasocialmediaplatformcanopttodeletefanficstorieswithoutnotifyinganyone,orserverscansimplycrash”(Jenkins2016).

Theliteraturegaveusseveralindicationsastowhyfanfictionislargelyignoredbylibraries,ofwhichthemostsignificantwerethatfanworkswere'notproperbooks',andthattheycouldnotbeeasilyfittedintolibrarystructuresandprocesses.

Theideathatfanworksaresomehowdifferentfrom‘properbooks’anddonotbelonginlibraries,implicitinseveralitemsidentifiedinthelibraryliteraturereview,ismadeexplicitbythesecommentsaboutfanfictionontheGoodReads(https://www.goodreads.com/)bookreviewsite:

“Ithoughtthissitewasforrealbooks.Isthereanywaytorestrictmysearchestoavoidthisstuff?”“IthoughtthissitewasforreviewsaboutbooksthatIcouldgetfromthelibrary.”

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Readerssuchasthesemight,infact,findthatfanfictionsatisfiestheirtastesinleisurereading,buttheymakethejudgmentthatitisnotequivalenttocommerciallypublishedcontent,particularlyiftheyhavenotbeenexposedtoitsexistenceorpractices.Thislackofawarenessandunderstandingisprobablysharedbymanylibrarians,presentandpast,includingthosewhocreatedthebulkofexistinglibrarycollectionsandcollectiondevelopmentpractices.Thissetsupaviciouscircle:librariesdon’tcollectfanfictionbecausetheirpatronsdon’texpectittobetherebecausetheyknowlibrariesdon’tcollectit.

Furthermore,fanfiction,incommonwithotherunconventionalliterature,posesproblemsfortheusualcollectionprocesseswithinlibraries:selection,acquisition,cataloguing,organization,preservation,etc.(Hart,Shoolbred,ButcherandKane1999).Thenatureoffanworks–oftennotformallypublishedsolackingISBNandsimilaridentifiers,notavailablethroughusualacquisitionprocesses,variedinformatandquality,notreviewedinthesourcesreferredtobylibraries,notprovidedwithmetadatabycentralizedbodies,etc.–meansthattheyaredifficulttohandlewithintheusualcollectionmanagementpoliciesofalibrary.Theliteraturereviewshowsthattheseissuesarebeingaddressedforthezinegenreingeneral(Freedman2006;Koh2008;Gardner2009;Lymn2013;Brett2015),andalsowithmediasuchasgraphicnovels(SlaterandKardos2017),andthismayinfluencepolicyonfanworksinthefuture.Developmentsincataloguingpracticeforsuchmaterialsshouldalsohelp(Freedman2006;Lember,LipkinandLee2013).Handlingissuesofcopyrightandintellectualpropertyisalsoproblematicforfanworks,asnotedbelow.

Despitetheseissues,librariesarebecomingincreasinglyinterestedincateringtofansaslibraryusers(Pearson2006;Brenner2013),inrecommendingsourcesandexamplesoffanfiction(GriffisandHones2008;Philpot2014),inusingfanfictionforliteraryinstruction(Kell2009),andinrunningin-libraryfanevents(Rogerts-Whitehead2015;Atkinson2015).However,althoughsomeauthorsrecommendthattheyshouldbe“includingonlinefanfictionaspartofourcollectionofreadingresources”(GriffisandJones2008,62),thereviewindicatesthatthecollectingoffanworksbylibrariesremainsverylimitedandunder-developed.

Librarycollectionpoliciesgovernalltheprocessesinvolvedinthecreationandmaintenanceofacollection,includingselection,acquisition,accessioning,preservation,provisionofaccess,andweeding/disposal.Theyaregovernedbythebasicquestionsofwhatpurposethecollectionserves,andforwhomitisbeingmaintained.Thesewilldiffer,necessarily,betweentypesoflibrary,butwemightexpectanylibrarythatattachedimportancetofan-createdmaterialstomentionthemspecificallyintheirpolicy,becauseoftheirdistinctivenature.

Theresultsofour(admittedlysmall-scale)surveyareclear.FanworksplaynopartinthecollectionpoliciesofUKlibraries.Nomentionismadeofthem,eitherpositivelytobecollected,ornegativelytobeexcluded;theyaresimplynotmentioned.Toillustratethis,thepoliciesofthefollowing10libraries,representingthenational,academic(oldandnewinstitutions),public,andspeciallibrarysectors,hadnomentionoffanworks,andthesameistrueofmanysimilarexamplesexamined:

• BritishLibrary(includingwebarchive)(http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/coldevpol)• NationalLibraryofScotland(http://www.nls.uk/media/22402/NLS_COLLDEV.pdf)• CambridgeUniversityLibrary(http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/CDP_framework.pdf)• UniversityCollegeLondonLibrary(https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/about/strategies-

policies/cmp/policy)• OxfordBrookesUniversityLibrary(https://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/library-

services/library-policy-and-regulations/collection-management-policy)

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• UniversityoftheArtsLibrary(http://www.arts.ac.uk/media/arts/study-at-ual/library-services/documents/Collection_Development_and_Management_Policy_2013.pdf)

• CityofLondonLibrariesandArchives(policynotonline,providedbylibrary)• Tamesidepubliclibraries

(http://www.tameside.gov.uk/TamesideMBC/media/libraries/stockpolicy.pdf)• Wiltshirepubliclibraries(http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/public_library_stock_policy.pdf)• BishopsgateInstituteLibraryandArchive(http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/Library/Library-

and-Archive-Collections)

Whilsttheredoesnotappeartobeanymentionoffanworksinanyofthecollectionpoliciesavailableonlinefromthelibrariesexamined,somelibrariesdohavecollectionsoffanworks,mosttypicallyoffanzines,orzinesingeneral.TheBritishLibraryhasalargecollectionofmostlycountercultureandnichezines;theGlasgowWoman’sLibraryhasazinecollectionfocusingonzinesby,forandaboutwomen;andtheSalfordZineLibrary(http://www.salfordzinelibrary.co.uk/),whichspecificallycollectszines,isaself-publishingarchive.Whilsttheredoesnotappeartobeacollectionwhichdealssolelywithfanzines,itisworthnotinghowthesecollectionsareacquiredintheabsenceofaformalcollectionpolicy.Duringthereviewofthecollectionpolicies,threemainacquisitionpathsforfanzineswereascertained:

• legaldeposit(inthecaseoftheBritishLibrary)• donations• thepersonalinterestofthelibrarian/archivist

Thiswouldcertainlyaccountfortheratherminimal,andcertainlyadhoc,examplesoffanzinecollectionsinUKlibraries.

Turningtotheattitudesofnewentrantstothelibrary/informationprofession,asnotedinsection2.6,88%oftherespondentshadheardoffanfictionbeforejoiningthecourse.59%readorhadreadfanfiction,31%wroteorhadwrittenfanfiction,and13%activelycollectedfanfiction.Nevertheless,only52%feltthatmemoryinstitutionssuchaslibrariesshouldcollectfanfiction.Figure1depictsresponsestosixofthe13questions.

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Figure1.Responsestoquestions5,7,9,10,11and12.

Thissuggeststhatthereisahighawarenessandengagementwithfanfiction,evenwhentherewasnotanin-depthunderstandingofitsnature.Thismaybeascribedtoitsgradualencroachmentintothemainstreammedia.Asoneparticipantnotedinresponsetothequestion“Whendidyoufirsthearaboutfanfiction?”:

Ithasbeenagradualdiscoveryoverthepastcoupleofyears.Thetermseemstobepartofourculturenow.(Participant19)

Yetdespitethisapparentpenetrationintoourculturalconsciousness,opiniononitsvalueasculturalheritagewasmixed.Reasonsforthiscorrelatedwiththereasonsascertainedfromtheliteraturereview.Oneparticipantsuggested:

I’mtornonthesubject.Ontheonehanditisanimportantculturalinstitutionatthispoint,andprovideswonderfulinsightforthosestudyingfanworks,feminism,LGBTissuesamongothersubjects.Ontheotherhand,partofthereasonfanfictionissodiverseandweirdandsprawlingisitsinherentillegalityandnot-for-profitstatus.(Participant4)

Someviewsexpressedwereinherentlypositiveaboutlibrariescollectingfanfiction:

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Librariesshouldpreservefanfictionjustastheywouldanyotherdocumentsbecauseotherwisetheinformationthosedocumentscontainandallthepotentialusesthatinformationhavearelost.(Participant1)

Itholdsalotofculturalsignificanceforthewaypeoplereacttopopularculture,andcouldbeanimportanthistoricalresourceforthefuture.(Participant3)

Itisliterature,partoftheculturalrecord.Itshouldbepreservedsoitcanbereadforpleasureaswellasstudiedasliteratureandfromasocialandculturalperspective.Shouldbeavailabletotextmineaswell.(Participant20)

Othersdidnotbelieveitnecessary:

Ithinkonlinearchivesmanagethemselveswellandalreadyhavegreatmetadataandinformationmanagement.(Participant6)

Ithinkfanfictionasanaltrepresentationoffictionaluniverses,shouldmaintaintheirothernessbybeingapartfromtheiroriginuniverse.Institutionbasedlibraries,archivesshouldbefortheoriginuniverseformats,purelybecauseIthinkfanfictionshouldbeorganisedorcuratedbythosethatcreateandloveit,thefans.(Participants18)

Thereisfartoomuchofitanditisawasteofresources[…]Andmostfanfictionisonlyofinteresttopeoplewhobelongtothatparticularfandomandnotthewiderpopulace.(Participant10)

More,however,tookamorenuancedstance,suggestingthatoveralltherewasawillingnesstoconsiderthecollectionoffanfictionbymemoryinstitutions.Howeverseveralcaveatswereexpressed,relatedtorelevance,format,copyright,qualityandquantity,andexpertise,asdiscussedbelow:

Relevance—Someparticipantsfeltthatfanfiction’sgrowingculturalimportancewarrantedattentionfromlibrariesandarchives,buthadconcernsaboutitsoverallrelevancetoalibrarycollection.Participant12thoughtthat“[i]twouldneedtoberelevanttothecollections”,andparticipant15saidthat“itdependsontheinstitutionwhethertheyfeeltheycanorshouldcollectit,andinwhatforms–dependingontheirremit,anditsrelevancetothat,andtherequirementsoftheirusers.”Othersmadeitcleartheywouldhavenoobjectionsifthecollectionwas“inscope”,“legitimate”,andiftherewere“sufficientgrounds”forcollection.Participant23suggestedthat“thereisnoreasontothinksomespeciallibraries,archivesorinstitutioncollectingthemshouldnotexist,iftheyhavefundandresourcesareenough[sic]todothisjob.”

Format—Mostfanfictionisindigitalformat,whichwasaconcerntomanyrespondents.Participant4thoughtthatphysicalfanfictioncollectionswouldnotbeviable,adding,“[u]nlessitwerestoredinadigitalonlyaspectsimilartotheInternetWayBackmachine”.Participant15thoughtthat“[t]hereshouldbesomekindofformalarchivingbynationallibraries,butwouldthisbedoneforonlinecontentviawebarchiving?”Participant25notedthatit“woulddependontheformat,Idon'tknowhowmuchfanfictionisprintedIknowalotisavailableonlinesoitwouldbeaquestionofworkingwithsiteownersoverarchiving”.

Anotherproblemisthatmuchfanfictionisdynamicandephemeral,oftenunfinished,editedanddeletedatthewhimoftheauthor:

[…]itcouldbeahardthingtocataloguewhenitcomestoadigitalrepository.Ithinkitwouldbecooltobeabletocheckoutaphysicalcopyofafanfiction,butasafanfiction

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writermyself,IknowIhavemanyunfinishedstoriesoutthere,andevenstoriesthatIfinishandthendecidetogobackyearslaterandrevamp.I'mnotsurehowalibrarycouldaccountfortheevolvingnatureoffanfics.(Participant8)

Oneparticipantofferedasolutiontothisproblem:

Iffreeandonline,thenlinksintheOPAC(andpotentiallyotherpromotion)wouldberequiredtohelpusersfindit.(Participant12)

Thismiddlegroundallowsforthedigital,dynamicformatofmostfanfiction,andproposesasortofcatalogueoflinksaspartofalibrary’sOPAC(OnlinePublicAccessCatalogue).Suchlinkscouldbetoonlinecollections,suchasfanfictionarchives,ortoindividualitems;thelatterbeingmoreuseful,andpresumablywhattherespondentintended.

Copyrightandintellectualproperty—Copyrightisandhasbeenasignificantstumblingblockwithregardstowiderrecognitionoffanfiction,andasHart,Shoolbred,ButcherandKanenotedin1999isachiefreasonforitbeingignoredbymemoryinstitutions.Thereisdoubtaboutthelegalityoffanfiction,whichusescharactersandworldsderivedfromauthorsandpublisherswhoholdcopyrightovertheoriginalworks,andwhomayhavedifferentviewsabouttheacceptabilityoffanworks.Thislackofcertaintyhasbeenadisincentivetolibrariesactivelycollectingandpromotingfanworks(GriffisandJones2008;Koulikov2012;Christian2013).Theissuewasindeedmentionedbyseveralparticipants.Participant14askstheobviousquestion:“howaboutthecopyrightofthecharacters/intellectualproperty”?Participant25alsobroughtupcopyrightissuesinrelationtodigitallyarchivingfanfiction.Itisinterestingtonotethatalthoughcopyrightwasoftenmentioned,itwasmainlyasaninherentthoughproblematicqualityoffanfiction–otherwisetherewaslittlein-depthdiscussionofthoseissues,possiblybecausecopyrightisafundamentallycomplexissue,andnotwellunderstoodbypractitioners.ThismightsuggestthatfurtherinstructiononthistopicshouldbeencouragedwithinLIS,ifnotwithinwidercontexts.

Qualityandquantity—Thequalityandquantityoffanfictionwasalsoasignificantissue.Participant8pointedoutthat“fanfictionissohugeandthequalityandtypevariessomuch(halfapagesongficsvs.largerworks,tonsofunfinishedwork,grammaticallychallenged/hardtoreadvs.professionallevelwriting)”.Thiswasechoedbyparticipant23:“Idon'tthinkitshouldbenecessarilyandactivelycollectedatthelevelofpubliclibraryduetoitsnature;quiteimpromptu,ephemeral,amateurishandnumerous”;andparticipant5concludedthat“there'sadangeritcouldmushroomandexpandasacollectiontolargerthanwascontrollable.”

Expertise—Afewparticipantsnotedthatexpertisewasasignificantissue.Asparticipant10observed:“Whogetstochoosewhich[…]fanfictioniscollectedandwhichisn’t”.Therewasalsothesuggestionthatinformationprofessionalswouldlacktherequisiteknowledgeoffanfictiontoeffectivelycollectit:

Traditionalinstitutionstendtobeveryproceduralintheirunderstandingororganisationofworks,Ijustcan’tseehowtheycoulddojusticetothehaphazardanddemocraticnatureoffanfictionuniverses.(Participant18)

ThereseemedtobeasenseamongstsomeparticipantsthattherewasaninherentincompatibilitybetweentheworldofLISandfandom–thatfanfictionbyitsnaturemakesitscollectionathornyissuetotackle.Asparticipant8mentionedinsection3.32,therewouldbeproblemscataloguingit;participant4thoughtitperhapstoo“diverseandweirdandsprawling”;participant6thoughtthatfanarchivesalreadyhave“greatmetadataandinformationmanagement”.ThesearejustsomeofthecomplicationsthatmightcausetranslationproblemsbetweentheworldofLISandfandom.

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Participant11,however,notedthebenefitsthatcouldbehadfrombothparties,iftheywerewillingtoworktogether:

Ithinklibrariesbeinginvolvedincollectingfanfictionwouldbebeneficialforfans,aslongastheyconsultedfansre:metadata,asfanfictionhasitsownvocabularythatlaypeoplemightnotbefamiliarwith(e.gfluff,AU)butthatfanswouldexpectwhensearchingafanfictionarchive.

Overall,themajorityofrespondentsthoughtthatfanfictionwasculturallysignificantenoughtowarrantfurtherattentionfromlibrariesandarchives.However,mostexpressedanattitudeofcaution.Itisundeniablethatfanfiction,andotherfanworks,presentacomplexitythatischallengingtotheGLAM(Galleries,Libraries,ArchivesandMuseums)sector.Yet–atleastinthiscohortoffutureinformationprofessionals–therewasaclearawarenessofandengagementwithfandom,andthismightpresentasolutiontotheproblemsofdialoguebetweenthetwoworlds.Indeed,severaloftheparticipantsself-identifiedasfans,andnotedtheexistingrichtaxonomiesandinformationmanagementstrategiesthathavealreadybeenadoptedbyfans.IfthedisciplineofLISistoturnitsattentiontowardsthecollectionandpreservationoffanworksinthefuture,adialoguewiththefansthemselveswouldthereforebedesirable.

4. Conclusions and recommendations TherearenonationalplansorpoliciesforthecollectionoffanfictionwithintheUKatthetimeofwriting.Atinstitutionallevel,somecollectionsoffanzinesexist,butthelimitedcollection,indexing,archivingandpreservationofawiderselectionofworksleavesagrowinggapinourculturalheritage.Fanfiction,andindeedallfanworks,instantiateasignificantbodyofcreativetalentacrossawidevarietyofdisciplinesincludingart,creativewriting,poetryandmusic.Thetechnicalskillsneededtocreatefanworkscanbeconsiderable,involvingsound,video,animation,handicrafts,programing,andahighdegreeofInternet,webandsocialmediasavvy.Itisperhapsworthconsideringwhethermoreshouldbedonetocomprehendthescopeoffanworks,andtoatleastunderstandwhatwearenotcollecting.

Theissuesassociatedwiththecollectionoffanfictionandfanworksareinarguablycomplex.Thebodyofworkisenormous,andinstitutionsarepressedforresources.Fundingforthistypeofresearchandpracticeisminimaltonon-existent.Therearenotjustdigitalworkstoconsider,asmanyworksexistonlyinprinted,analogueformat,ofteninlimitedquantities.Twoothertopicsthatposeparticularlysignificantchallengesfortheinformationprofessions,andwhichwouldbenefitfromfurtherstudy,canbeidentified.

Firstisthesetofquestionsregardingcopyrightandpublishing.Althoughfanworksarechallengingrestrictivelimitationsoncreativity,distribution,andcommercialactivity,littleseemstobechanginginreality,andtheissuessurroundingtherightsofcanonicalauthorsareimportantandvalid.Whilethisclearlydoesnotpreventtheinclusionoffanworksinsomecurrentlibrarycollections,thelackofclarityisaninhibitiononwiderprovision.Greaterattentiontotheseissuesinprofessionaldebates,andinlibrary/informationeducation,isdesirable.

Secondisthequestionofhowwedefinedocuments.Althoughmemoryinstitutionsincludeanalogueanddigitalmedia,suchasimages,audioandvideo,inadditiontoprinteddocumentsintheircollections,therapidescalationofdigitalresourceformatsischallenginghowwedefinea‘document’,andhencewhatwecollect.Manyfanworksaremultimodaltexts,andotherscan

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includevideogamemods,artinstallations,performanceartandperformances.Theincreasingavailabilityoftechnologiesassociatedwithvirtualandaugmentedrealityofferyetmorepossiblemediaformatsforfanworks.Theissueisnotonlyshouldwecollectandpreservetheseworks,buthow.Aparticularproblemistheephemeralnatureofmanyfanworks,andtheirlackofcompatibilitywiththedigitalcontentmanagementsystemstypicallyemployedinlibraries.Sincenovendorsoflibrarysystemscaterforfanworks,librarieswishingtoprovideaccesstosuchmaterialswouldeitherhavetocollaboratetoprovideplatformsfortheiruse,orwouldhavetoprovideonlybasicretrievalandaccessfunctions.

Thequestionoftheplaceoffanfictioninlibrariesisadeceptivelysimpleone,someofitscomplexitybeingbroughtoutinthisstudy.Studiesinthefuturemightexaminetheprovisionoffanworksinlibrarieswhentheyarenotmentionedincollectionspolicies,particularlysmallerschoolandpubliclibrarieswhichmaynothaveaformalcollectionpolicy.SuchquestionscannotbeansweredbyeithertheLISorfanstudiesdisciplinesalone.Itisaconversationthatweshouldhavetogether,withaviewtodevelopingafullerunderstandingoftheissues,andconsequentlyasetofcollaborativerecommendationsforlibrarypoliciesandprocessestopresentthisimportantformofmaterialtobestadvantage.ThereiscertainlymuchthatLIScanlearnfromfansintheirinnovativeapproachestocollectingmultimodalandnon-traditionaldocuments;andperhapsfuturecollaborativeprojectscanallowfansaccesstoformalinstitutionaltechnologyandexpertiseinthewidercollection,presentationandpreservationoffanworks.

5. Acknowledgements

Wewouldliketothankthe2015/2016cohortofourLibrarySchoolcourse,whokindlyparticipatedinoursurvey,andcontributedtheirmanyinsightfulcommentsandthoughts.Wealsoextendourgratitudetotheanonymousrefereesfortheirmanysuggestionsandinsightsintohowthisarticlecouldbeimproved.

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