As the SWG celebrates its seventeenth birthday this week, we think about the fans and communities who came before us who made our existence possible. The Library of Moria is one such archive.

Founded in 2002, it was already five years old when the SWG opened its website in 2007. But more importantly, the Library had done a lot of the hard and foundational work that allowed the SWG to be as open and accepting as it would become. Those who were part of early to mid-2000s fandom know that it was not always welcoming, and slashfic was a particular target. Authors on the Library of Moria not only wrote about LGBTQ+ relationships at a time when their very existence in the legendarium was a subject of strident debate, but they did it with joy, love, and a seemingly bottomless sense of humor. By the time we came into the fandom in 2005, minds were already beginning to change, thanks in part to the Library.

As the Library prepares to close its doors after twenty years—the fanworks will move to AO3 as part of the Open Doors project—we salute the archive that was a centerpiece of the fannish experience of so many. You can read this month's article here:  A Tribute to the Library of Moria.

This is also an open article, which means that we are willing to continue adding to it to include the voices of fans who want to preserve their memories of the Library of Moria. Was the Library important to you? Reply to this email to share your memories or, if you're not sure where to begin, to request a list of questions to get you started.