Agent Roles

This vocabulary defines the roles that agents (people, collectives, organizations) can have in relation to zines.

About Roles

Roles describe how an agent contributed to a zine. An agent can have multiple roles for a single zine.

Common Roles

• creator: Primary author or creator
• editor: Edited the content
• illustrator: Created illustrations or artwork
• photographer: Provided photographs
• publisher: Published or distributed the zine
• contributor: General contributor

Usage in AgentCore2

In an AgentCore2 record:

{
  "agent_id": "agent001",
  "display_name": "Jane Zinester",
  "roles": ["creator", "editor", "illustrator"]
}

API Access

Get Agent Roles Vocabulary

The agent roles vocabulary is available via HTTP API in multiple formats:

JSON (default):

curl https://zinecore.org/api/vocabularies/agent_roles

SKOS/Turtle (W3C standard):

curl -H "Accept: text/turtle" \
  https://zinecore.org/api/vocabularies/agent_roles

CSV:

curl -H "Accept: text/csv" \
  https://zinecore.org/api/vocabularies/agent_roles

Stable URIs

Each role has a persistent URI:

• https://zinecore.org/vocab/agent-roles/creator
• https://zinecore.org/vocab/agent-roles/editor
• https://zinecore.org/vocab/agent-roles/illustrator

Term Definitions

creator

• Definition: The person, collective, or organization primarily responsible for the intellectual or artistic content
• Use when: This is the main author, maker, or originator of the zine
• Examples: Solo zinester writing a perzine / Band members creating their own fanzine
• Dublin Core equivalent: dcterms:creator

author

• Definition: Writer of textual content (when distinguishing from other creative roles)
• Use when: Specifically attributing written text in multi-role scenarios
• Examples: Author of essays in a compilation zine / Writer distinct from illustrator
• Note: For solo zines, "creator" is often sufficient; use "author" when role specificity matters

editor

• Definition: Person who selected, arranged, revised, or prepared content for publication
• Use when: Someone compiled/curated content or edited text for style/clarity
• Examples: Editor of a compilation zine / Copy editor who refined text / Curator who selected submissions
• Note: In zine culture, "editor" can mean content curation, not just copyediting

illustrator

• Definition: Creator of drawn, painted, or hand-created visual art
• Use when: Art was created specifically for the zine (not photography)
• Examples: Person who drew cover art / Artist who contributed illustrations
• Related: Distinct from "photographer" and "designer"

photographer

• Definition: Creator of photographic images
• Use when: Photos were taken specifically for or used in the zine
• Examples: Photographer of cover photo / Photo essayist / Documentary photographer
• Related: Distinct from "illustrator"

designer

• Definition: Person responsible for layout, typography, and visual design
• Use when: Someone designed the overall look, layout, or structure
• Examples: Graphic designer who laid out pages / Person who designed the cover
• Note: In solo zines, creator often designs too; use this when role is distinct

publisher

• Definition: Person or organization that produced and distributed the zine
• Use when: Publisher is distinct from creator (distros, infoshops, collectives)
• Examples: A distro that publishes collected zines / Zine collective that produces members' work
• Dublin Core equivalent: dcterms:publisher
• Note: Many zinesters are self-published; use when publisher ≠ creator

compiler

• Definition: Person who assembled content from various sources into a collection
• Use when: Someone gathered existing works or contributions into one zine
• Examples: Editor of a "best of" anthology / Organizer of a themed compilation
• Note: Overlaps with "editor" but emphasizes gathering/collecting

translator

• Definition: Person who translated text from one language to another
• Use when: Zine includes translated content
• Examples: Translator of a zine originally in another language / Multilingual zine with translation
• Dublin Core equivalent: Maps to dcterms:contributor with role specification

interviewer

• Definition: Person who conducted interviews featured in the zine
• Use when: Zine contains interviews and interviewer attribution matters
• Examples: Zinester who interviewed band members / Oral history interviewer
• Related: Pair with "interviewee"

interviewee

• Definition: Person who was interviewed in the zine
• Use when: Giving credit to interview subjects
• Examples: Band members interviewed / Community elders in oral history project
• Related: Pair with "interviewer"

Role Mapping in ZineCore2

Agent roles are used in ZineCore2 records, not AgentCore2:

{
  "@context": "https://zinecore.org/v2/context/zinecore2",
  "title": "Collaborative Zine",
  "creator": ["Alice"],
  "contributor": [
    {
      "agent": "Bob",
      "role": "illustrator"
    },
    {
      "agent": "Charlie",
      "role": "photographer"
    }
  ]
}

Selecting Roles

Creator vs Contributor

Creator (creator field):

• Primary intellectual/artistic responsibility
• Usually 1-3 people for a zine
• Required field in ZineCore2

Contributor (contributor field with role):

• Supporting or secondary roles
• Can be any number
• Optional field

Single vs Multiple Roles

One person can have multiple roles:

{
  "creator": ["Jane Doe"],
  "contributor": [
    {
      "agent": "Jane Doe",
      "role": "photographer"
    },
    {
      "agent": "Jane Doe",
      "role": "designer"
    }
  ]
}

Or more simply, if one person did everything:

{
  "creator": ["Jane Doe"]
}

Attribution Practices

Zine culture values:

• Pseudonyms: Use the name the creator used, even if you know their "real" name
• Anonymous: Use "Anonymous" as the creator if no attribution exists
• Collectives: Use the collective name as creator, with individual members as contributors if known

Mapping to MARC Relators

For library catalogers familiar with MARC, approximate mappings:

Note: MARC has 200+ relators; ZineCore2 includes only the most common for zines.

Collaborative Zines

For collaboration types:

Split zines (two distinct sections):

{
  "creator": ["Alice", "Bob"],
  "public_notes": "Split zine: front half by Alice, back half by Bob"
}

Compilation zines (many contributors):

{
  "creator": ["Editor Collective"],
  "contributor": [
    {"agent": "Alice", "role": "author"},
    {"agent": "Bob", "role": "author"},
    {"agent": "Charlie", "role": "illustrator"}
  ]
}

Co-created zines (shared authorship):

{
  "creator": ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
}

Suggesting New Roles

To propose a new role:

1. Check if it's covered by existing terms (many roles map to "contributor")
2. Demonstrate that it's common in zine culture (not a one-off)
3. Submit via GitHub issues

Common omissions (and why):

• "Printer": Usually covered by production notes, not creator role
• "Distributor": Use "publisher" or document separately in HoldingCore2
• "Colorist": Rare in zine context; use "illustrator"