![[Street Librarian in Dumpster full of books]](dumpster.jpg)
Keep your eyes open.
Pick up printed matter wherever you go: community centers, co-ops, record stores, coffee shops, laundromats, doctors' offices, the sidewalk.
Glean information from these about other unfamiliar publications.
Send for sample copies of things that sound interesting.
Don't be afraid to occasionally read things with smeary ink, sharp staples, small print, and clumsy design.
Attend zine shows, comics conventions, book fairs, and the like.
Ask friends who travel to send you their finds. (Reimburse them or reciprocate.)
Make a deal with someone at a newsstand or bookstore to procure the samples they receive from distributors. (Tip of the hat to Jim Danky for this idea.)
Monitor Internet discussion groups.
Foster connections with everyone in the community--including prisoners, children, homeless people, publishers, authors, journalists, and activists.
Those publications given away in your foyers-- local arts papers, lesbigay magazines, ethnic newspapers: catalog these and keep back issues.
Leave the comfort of your offices and reference desks to go treasure hunting out of doors.
mail me: stlibrarian@yahoo.com
Photo thanks to Krista Cleary.