PREsERVING THE U.S. UNDERGROUND AND ALTERNATIVE PREss OF THE 1960s AND 70S ' : HISTORY, PROSPECTS, AND MICROFORM SOURCES Daniel C. Tsang Copyright c 1991 Daniel C. Tsang What constitutes the underground or alternative press of the 1960s and 1970s is a matter of dispute. Various compilers or observers have defmedthe press Tsang is a social sciences bibliographer and lecturer in differentways . Robert H. Muller subtitledhis classic at the University of California, Irvine. He is a volunteer two-volume study, From Radical Leftto ExtremeRight, indexer for the Alternative Press Index, and indexed the as follows: "A bibliography of current periodicals of firsttwelve issues of CovertAction InformationBulletin, protest, controversy, advocacy, or dissent... " 1 The as well as two biographies by former CIA officers. His Alternative Press Index in 1969 was subtitled: "An review of anti-surveillance periodicals in LibraryJournal index to the publications which amplify the cry for was the only material released from his CIA file; the social change and social justice. "2 Danley, in his remainder of his dossier remains classified for national introduction to Undergrounds: A Union Ust , noted . security reasons. He reviews Asian American and lesbian that "no two definitions are likely be the .same. "3 to and gay periodicals for Magazines for Libraries, edits Lutz preferred"alternativepress," sincethe periodicals Alternative Collections and UCinsider, and heads the attemptedto "present an alternative to the establishment Lesbian and Gay Declassified Documentation Project. press. "4 In a subsequent edition of what he continued He serves on the editorialboards of Journalof Homosexu­ nonetheless to call Underground Press Directory,Lutz and Paidiko.. dismissed "underground" as a "poor word" to describe ality the publications, since they are "certainly very open Acknowledgment: This article is based in part on and above ground. nS Furthermore, Cook, in a critical research first conducted at the University of Michigan essay, argued that the "underground press of the late (Tsang, 1977). Thanks to the following for their assis­ 1960s ...was not written for workers," but instead "ap­ tance: Elaine Clever and Tom Whitehead, Temple pealed primarily to middle-class youth who had the University; Kathy Ratliff, UMI; BillWalker, Gay and money and leisure time to explore 'lifestyles' that posed Lesbian Historical Society of NorthernCalifornia; Keith alternatives to the 'nine five' work week that to McKinney, New York Public Library; Jim Danley,State threatened to engulf them." The term was "an inaccu­ Historical Society ofWisconsin; Chuck Eckman and Bill rate name used mostly for its romantic connotations," University of CaUfornia, Berkeley; Sara Eich­ according to Cook.6 What seems clear is that under­ Roberts, Kevin Fredette, and Eric MacDonald, University ground press, as contemporaries definedit, applied horn, to California, Irvine; and UCI student assistants Jonathan the publications generated by the social and political of Bloomfield and Eddie for their cheerfulness in upheavals that eruptedin the 1960s;Spiers argued that Lee Providing research help. Errors are the author's responsi­ before 1965 the underground press just did not exist. 7 bility, of course. Please report any errors, missing It did, of course, but not in the way we later under­ microform titles, or new titles as they filmed, to the stood it. Zald and Whitaker have gone even further, are author at 380 Main Library, University of California,PO arguing that, in the United States, the underground CA 92713;(714) press of the Vietnam era never existed, since the Box 19557, Irvire, 8564978,dsang@uci .ech. - MICROFORM SoURCESFOR UNDERGROUND - VOICES FROM UNDERGROUND 81 111E PREss TilE publishers were not "secretive, covert organizations," It is incumbent upon librarians and other library except for the Weather Underground.8 workers of today not to act as censors of what future In this essay, the focus is on social change or generations may want to read. What is good or poor radical publications the United States published taste, after all, is a variable across time and among during the 1960s andin 1970s. Unlike most studies of people. Taste should not be the criterion to base a the period that betray a cultural bias by focusing only decision on whether or not one should preserve the on papers edited by white men, I will aim to be more underground and alternative press. Who are we to ecumenical and include among the underground and prevent future historians from studying the protest alternative press those published by and for ethnic, movements of the 1960s and its associated ephemera, feminist, and gay communities. just because we happen to be hung up over quality? Nor should political correctness dictate our decisions in collection development or preservation.10 role Our THE CASE FOR MICROFILMING THE as library workers is to preserve research materials for UNDERGROUND AND ALTERNATIVE PRESS posterity and to provide service-in public librariesas in academic libraries-to all patrons, whether serious Why should one attempt to preserve the under­ researchers or not. Our role is definitely not to act as ground or alternative press in microform?Very simply guardians of morality or of establishment views. it is because ftlm, under archival conditions, lasts much Several dozen libraries already maintain special longer than newsprint. But that answer, of course, is collections of underground or alternative publications inadequate. Is the press preserving? 11•12.13 and students and faculty have used these resourc­ worlh Xerox University Microfilms [now University es for casual reading or serious study.14 Additional Microftlms International] apparently felt that some of community-based movementarchives abound, especially 1�·1 the underground press material of the time was "in poor those collecting lesbian and gay periodicals. 6 The taste" and initially stopped microfilming it, according fact that only a limited number of academic libraries to then-UMI official Stevens Rice, who was an instruc­ maintain such collections underscores the need for tor of reprography at the University of Michigan when improved access to the material. Ease of access can he made this remark. Indeed, Muller has noted that: be facilitated if these materials are preserved micro­ and form copies distributed. A great obstacle is the traditional concern of Judith F. Krug, who directs the American Library librarians about quality. The main purpose of Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, was book selection, in professional rhetoric, is to quoted (in an undated Bell and Howell advertisement choose the good,screen out the shoddy, and build for the Underground Newspaper Microftlm Collection up a "choice" collection that will educate and circulating in the 1970s) as follows: "In the long run, elevate the public by offering them the "best." the newspapers will have great historical and research considerations of " quality" may be inappro­ value. Unfortunately, the stock on which they are Yet, priate when it comes to choosing polemic tracts. printed is not of the best quality, and immediate How important, after all, is the style in which attempts to preserve them must be made. If this is not an opinion is expressed? What if a viewpoint be done, the whole period of turmoil that we are currendy printed on poor paper, with typography, experiencing will be lost to history." In the same bad many errors in spelling, inelegant language, and brochure, Herbert Finch, curator and archivist at much profanity? What if the reasoning be illogi­ Cornell University, was quoted as saying: cal? The drawings lacking in artistry? What if this viewpoint shoddily tricked out is, further­ I think that a compilation of these newspapers, so more, eagerly by only a few hundred or a easily available on microfilm, should become an read thousand people? A tract, though half-liter­ few outstanding source of information for scholars ate, is still a document. If it puts forward myths who wish to study in this era of student unrest or lies, with intent to deceive, should it be and rebellion which has influential on been so suchgrounds many librarians reject contemporary history. Since these papers, even excluded? On astrology, numerology, palmistry, descriptions at the time of publication, are very difficult to of dubious medical cures, etc. It is hard to know acquire through ordinary channels, I think that where to draw the line. What a librarian should it is most important that you try to make your avoid is excluding a point of viewbecause he is filmed set as comprehensive as possible. offended by the way in which it is presented.9 The fact that many institutions of higher educatiOD have deemed it important to collect and preserve such 82 VOICES FROM THE UNDERGROUND - DANIEL C. TSAJIIG - "ephemera" attests to the necessity of preserving such Underground Newspaper MicrofLlm Collection[subse­ material on film, as well as facilitating access to the quently called Underground Press Collection, see material (through sale and loan of film). appendix B) was heralded as an "unbiased view of the Beyond preservationand ease of access, there are '60s and '70s" in its promotional literature, and com­ several more reasons why the alternative press should prised initially some titles. However, reviewers 600 be microfilmed. In those libraries that currently sub­ to a person panned the initial release of the collection. scribe to such publications, space can be a problem, The basic criticism was over the lack of a system. which would be partly resolvedby keeping the material Weber, longtime curator of the UDiversity of Mich­ Ed on film. A more important factor would be that wear igan's Labadie Collection, believes the apparently firm and tear will cause the material to deteriorate. Another at the time filmedonly what they could get their hands major consideration is the risk of loss, through fire, on. He had spent two days examining some rolls from damage, or theft. A microfilm master of a periodical, the collection, borrowedfrom the Center for Research storedsafely, will thus ensure that the serial is not lost Libraries.