This has happened to many of us — we’ve lost our libraries.

Some because when your home is the whole world, you often move and accumulate selectively. Some because precarious conditions force you to move between places of residence. Some because when you flee from war, you take only what fits in one suitcase or in the trunk of a car. Some because the bookshelf disappeared along with the home.

We are an entire generation — a generation of those who don’t collect libraries and don’t get attached to places and people because they will have to leave them. Around us, there are not only losses — but also much preserved and invisible that we have a chance to see.

ilostmylibrary publishes art books, zines about the overlooked, unpopular, and peripheral, about what is not “on time”. Some of these books are self-supporting publishing projects and are available for purchase. Some are published in partnership with patrons and donors and are distributed among cultural institutions and art enthusiasts.