Chicago Great Lakes Underground Press collection

Series 1 represents Art zines which have the world of art as their subject. They can be designed as art objects, using many printing and reproduction techniques. They can include drawings and photography as well as analysis or critique of art.

Series 2 features the comic zine, or mini-comic, a publication which is primarily concerned with the use of comic language such as: frame foramt, speech and thought bubbles, and repetition of drawings. Many zines in this collection contain comics; however, some zines within this category feature comics as their main subject.

Series 3 contains literary magazines, poetry chapbooks, little magazines, and plays. This category contains the most titles within the broader collection. Some are produced by one author, while others include works of many authors. They sometimes gather the work of individuals in organizations such as universities, colleges, high schools, or park districts.

Series 4 feature music zines. The key parts of a music zine are band interviews, band features, record reviews, tour diaries, "scene reports," general gossip, and musical-political debates. Of all the major zine categories, music zines have the most ads. Because of the wide interest in music, these are some of the most widely distributed zines.

Series 5 contains zines produced by individuals or small groups. These zines include stories, drawings, record reviews, and interviews with bands, artists, other zine writers, friends, or the random guy working at the convenience store. These zines analyze and react to popular culture. Personal zines couple text and art to create a unique type of publication.

Series 6 concerns zines as resources. These zine guides are concerned with other zines, the publishers of those zines, and events in the zine world. They include general guides with addresses for ordering zines and lists of places to print magazines. They may also include "how-to" topics, such as production techniques.

Series 7 is used as a catch-all for zines that do not fit into the other categories. For example, a zine about coffee, or a conspiracy newsletter can be found in this category.

Series 8 zines attempt to make readers aware of political and social issues. Many topics are covered and often overlap within a zine: gender identity, feminism, rape, abortion rights, media literacy/television, ecology, vegetarianism, veganism, socialism, anarchism, communism, democracy, racial identity, classism, urbanism, labor issues, fetishism, activism, etc. Typically, news items and current events are joined with editorials, columns, and rants. These zines and newsletters are published regularly and the publication may continue for several years.

The March 2016 Addition series contains zines donated by a variety of zine collectors and creators between the years 2006 and 2016.