Slow media, locally grown, pesticide-free.

We don't know where the sign came from, but it's true. Photo by Thuy Ngo.

We don't know where the sign came from, but it's true. Photo by Thuy Ngo.

WE WILL BE CLOSED SATURDAY, JULY 4th!

Next volunteer meeting:
Tuesday, July 14th, 7pm (6:30pm for new volunteer orientation!)
2129 N. Rockwell Chicago, IL 60647

The Chicago Underground Library is a new model for open, location-specific archiving of independent and small press media. We are always seeking books, magazines, zines, journals, broadsides, newspapers, and art books of all types, genres, and print runs from the Chicago area. (And maybe your city, too. Be patient, or ask us how to start your own.)

Open Acquisitions
We accept everything from the area (ever), regardless of perceived quality or importance in order to create a detailed index from which connections among the publications will emerge.

Obsessive Cataloging
Keeping records of everyone who contributed to a work, as well as keywording every subject, allows us to map the evolution (historically and contemporaneously) of Chicago’s communities and movements and encourage the production of new media by providing context, inspiration, and programming designed to support collaboration.

Ongoing Ambitions
Currently focusing on print, the CUL intends to expand into audio, video, performance documentation, and ephemera as our infrastructure permits.

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    2003 2004 2005 2006 Activism Albert DeGenova Anarchism Art Brandon Wetherbee Carlos Fernandez Charles Rossiter Cherie Caswell Dost Constance Vogel Criminal Justice Culture Death E. Donald Two-Rivers Employment Essay Family Fiction Greg Kuepfer Hagen W. Dost Immigration Jared Smith Joseph M. Giordano Judith Valente Kristy Bowen Larry Janowski Lynn Fitzgerald Martha Modena Vertreace Mary Blinn Maureen Tolman Flannery Mike Poizone Music Nina Corwin P. Hertel Personal Philosophy Poetry Police Politics Pop Culture Religion Robert Klein Engler