Collection Equity Award - Oregon Health & Science University

Graphic medicine and narrative medicine are two disciplines used to create empathy and understanding between patients and health care providers.The Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Library is home to a 35-item collection of graphic medicine titles. The Library started this collection to provide OHSU’s community with a greater range of materials to use in their studies, instruction, and practice. We want to expand the scope and access by adding zines. A zine, short for fanzine or magazine, is a self-publication, usually made on paper and reproduced with a photocopier or printer. Zine creators are often motivated by a desire to share knowledge or experience with people in marginalized or less-empowered communities. Zines diversify traditional library collections in that they are cheap, personal, and provide viewpoints not often seen in mainstream publications.We plan to purchase zines broadly related to health (physical and mental), medicine, and the human condition and make them available for browsing and checkout. We hope to get these zines into the hands of patients, physicians, educators, and the general public.