A Tribute to the Library of Moria

That was certainly the sense I always had, as a member of the fandom, and my work as a researcher on archives hasn't changed that perception. It was interesting to me how discussing archives in the early/mid 2000s almost always brings up conflict as a defining force in a community's history, but it was the exact opposite with LoM: People noted the lack of conflict, and despite the fact that they were archiving some of the most controversial fic being written at the time, going back through what remains of the historical record, there is very little sense of that. It did not in any way seem to dominate the way that they saw themselves or interacted with the wider fandom.

As someone who has tried to guide a community toward being open and supportive, I came away with so much admiration for the LoM admins and authors and a much better sense of what we (meaning the later archives to arrive on the scene) owe to the work that they took on.

A wonderful look back at the fandom's history! I only became aware of LoM when I saw that AO3 was importing the archive, but I had a lot of fun poking around through it and sharing it with a few Tolkien servers to look back through older fic. As fandom grows and develops as a community I think it's really interesting to look back with articles like this on how things have changed and the spaces of fandom have shifted.

I totally agree! When I fell somewhat accidentally into becoming a Tolkien fandom history researcher, the culture and evolution of archives has grabbed my interest the most. I started lurking in fandom in 2004, so I saw a lot of it unfold and then, of course, became a part of it through the SWG. LoM was actually one of the most fascinating sites in my survey research: Authors who used LoM were among those who took knowing their canon most seriously and took having fun the most seriously. In this way, they prefigured fandom today. They didn't identify overt social justice motives for writing slash but clearly had a HUGE impact in that area, just by existing (and never apologizing for or defending the right to that existence). In this way, they made way for fandom today.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting. ^_^

As a fandom newbie for whom the community aspect plays a major part, this is a fascinating read. (Along with the other Cultus articles about fandom history.) I know things are inevitably in flux, yet it does feel sad that the community shifted so much that it has led to the Library of Moria closing its doors. (Just like its namesake.)

It's also interesting reading Himring's memories, and I do hope others add their experiences of LoM too.

Yes, I very much feel like the Elves, tempted into using the Rings of Power to preserve things. Having "come of age" fannishly in the era of small archives and running a small archive myself (that has changed my life in so many wonderful ways), I would be tempted to wear a ring to stop the slow downfall of these archives being outpaced by technology. Russandol and I were talking on Discord DM today at length about platforms for building small archives. I do worry that everyone flocks to AO3, then discover what they've lost, and the skill to easily start up a small archive has atrophied. Smaller sites provided community and culture that a large site--even a fan-run site with noble motives, like AO3--can never provide.

Also! Happy SWG anniversary! <3

I missed all of this as I didn't read fanfic until I joined AO3 a few years ago, having abandoned fantasy fandom in the late 1970s as being far too male and adversarial. The Library of Moria must have been wonderful, as somewhere that was accepting and innovative. 

That's a perfect description of exactly what it was! Having lived through that era, you don't of course realize it when you're living it, but looking back, their interest in canon without sacrificing being welcoming and having fun has become a model for fandom today, and of course, their work making slash and femslash mainstream made today's fandom possible.

Thanks for reading and commenting! :D

Boy, that takes me back... I remember the LOM homepage well. It was one of the first sites where I read Tolkien slash back in the early 2000s, and I remember it as a place of joy and wonder. I hadn't known slash existed before then.

Also this: "A theme throughout Tolkien's works is the bittersweet lesson that even the most beautiful and most enduring of things must end. Yet amidst that loss, the memory of the goodness that was carries forth into the world: a star gone but its light lingering, undimmed." So true and so poignant. Actually made me tear up.

I tried to look at it through a positive lens! Watching the archives close that were such a part of my own early fannish experience and always seemed like they'd be around has been sad. But when I started researching LoM, I realized what a tremendous impact they had, not just on individual people (who often discovered slash through LoM) but the fandom as a whole. My Tolkien Fanfiction Survey research in 2015 showed that LoM authors were among the authors who took knowing their canon most seriously and took having fun the most seriously. They were committed to being welcoming when other archives were putting up barriers. I often credited the "second generation" archives that came out post-LotR-films as establishing some of those values in the fandom, but I saw through this project that the LoM was there first.

Thanks so much for reading and for the kind comment!