“This issue of Transformative Works and Cultures seeks to address that perceived gap in the fan studies literature by extensively engaging with the Sherlockian fandom that dates back to the 1890s. The essays in this issue shed additional light on the explosion of the fandom by taking a look backward, examining Sherlock Holmes fandoms (for they are all fandoms) through the lens of historical context or with an eye to the fandoms' sometimes fraught cultural divisions.”

Transformative Works and Culture's issue 23 is out, and it's all about Sherlock Holmes fans & fandoms, from historical to present day. Share your favorite articles! https://goo.gl/bOEODC

“When we were defining the Web Cultures collection, fan fiction and other kinds of fan works were identified as significant because fandom enacts so many of the key elements of folklore and vernacular culture. As a result, there are a range of fandom-focused sites that were selected for the collection. We were also interested in harvesting sites where communities had worked to synthesize, organize and collect examples of practice.”

Did you know that Fanlore is preserved by the US Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center? Their archive head tells us what their collection is about and why Fanlore is part of it: https://goo.gl/zRnERW