John Labovitz’ e‐zine list is a useful, well‐designed site. It is not cluttered with useless graphics nor is it hindered by unnecessary frames. Easy‐on‐the‐eye color schemes, clear and logical listings, and helpful links make it a site to be appreciated.
Labovitz clearly states the purpose and scope of e‐zine list at the top of the page: “This is a directory of electronic “zines around the world, accessible via the Web, Gopher, FTP, email, and other services. The list is updated approximately monthly; the edition reviewed was updated 7 June ’97 and contained 1867 zines”. It also included a link for those needing a definition or further description of e‐zines. One possible problem is the currency. I accessed the site on October 9, 1997, four months after the last “approximately monthly” update. I e‐mailed Labovitz to inquire about this and learned that he has been working on a new design which has taken longer than expected. Once the re‐design is launched, probably in November, he will return to monthly updates. Although it hasn’t been updated in a few months, the site is not full of frustrating dead links. When I did a random sample of a dozen or so categories, I found only one entirely dead link and just a handful of the “we’ve moved” type of messages.
Labovitz offers a subject guide (which is a list of the 80 most popular keywords) and also offers an alphabetical list by title, which is split into eight ranges for easy searching. In addition, Labovitz provides access to a list of all keywords used (over 2000) and a list of the “most obscure” keywords, “most obscure” being defined as those which link to only one e‐zine. The list of titles covered by e‐zine list is also available as a text‐only file for downloading or printing. Labovitz’s suggested uses include being able to share the list with someone who only has personal access to e‐ mail. We should also note that this site does not currently have a search engine tool. However, this may be one of the new features coming with the revised site. Labovitz has a user survey and has posted past results at the site. One item on this survey asks the user if he or she would like to see a search feature added in the future. As of June 7, 1997, 62 per cent of 561 respondents thought it “would be nice”, 24 per cent found it “essential”, and the remaining 12 per cent deemed a search engine as “not necessary”. The fact that the majority of those surveyed thought a search engine just “would be nice” endorses the utility of Labovitz’s keyword guide approach. Since he employs a wide array of general and specific keywords for cataloging the e‐zines, the keyword guide approach does work well for searching. E‐zines which fit more than one category are listed under as many keywords as appropriate. Labovitz includes categories of popular interest (such as humor, science fiction, and travel); but the e‐zine list does offer access to a number of academic subjects (such as philosophy, literature, and history). A good number of the e‐zines available here contain works by new voices and information on emerging issues in particular fields. Along with various electronic discussion groups and on‐line resources, these e‐zines can provide scholars and students with valuable material for study and research. There are other guides to e‐zines available, including Chip Rowe’s book The Book of Zines: Readings from the Fringe (New York: Henry Holt, 1997) and its companion web site (http://www.zinebook.com/). Rowe covers print and electronic zines, and, in addition to providing information about individual zines, covers topics such as the history of zines, copyright issues, and other topics dealing with publishing and promoting zines. In a review of the book, Gordon Flagg (Booklist, May, 15, 1997: 1543) notes that zines are important sources of information and that Rowe’s book covers much ground. However, Flagg describes Rowe’s categorization as topical, but lacking in overall coherence (1543). I should note that e‐zine list includes links to information on the publication and promotion of e‐zines. Other guides available on the Web include Hensley International’s Brevard Internet Guide E‐zine Rack (http://www.hi‐inc.com/big/big_zine.htm#regional), which is an easy‐to‐use site, but offers access to less than 60 e‐zines, some of which are merely on‐line versions of mainstream publications. E3: E‐zine E‐Mail Emporium (http://www.apex. net/users/jyoung/e3/) arranges its e‐zines into 17 broad categories, but only offers access to approximately 80 e‐zines. After comparing Labovitz’ site with other available resources, I would highly recommend e‐zine list for reference and research uses. The style and layout of the site make for pleasant and efficient browsing; and, most important, the e‐zine list provides access to the greatest number of e‐zines in a wide array of popular and academic subjects. I do not know what his re‐design will entail; but I feel certain the site will retain its qualities of being useful and usable.
