The Rock & Roll Public Library tells the story of rock and roll history through ephemera including books and magazines, fashion and art, as well as records and films. It draws on an extensive archive of more than a thousand materials built up over years by guitarist Mick Jones, a founding member of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite.

The archive is being explored in closer detail in a new magazine, the first issue of which looks at DIY culture, including fanzines, fashion, and recording setups. “The magazine to me is like a record, with each article a separate track and it tells a story – my story. And by extension through our shared culture, all of our stories,” says Jones.

Part of the archive is also being presented to the public in a temporary London exhibition coinciding with the launch of the magazine.

“Over the past few years we have been sorting through and categorising the Rock & Roll Public Library. There are literally tens of thousands of items in the collection. This is the first time we’ve been able to get a complete overview and that’s allowed us to choose items that are representative of the RRPL as a whole,” explains Kirk Lake, who is part of the Rock & Roll Public Library team.

“The magazine was designed to be an introduction and to act as a kind of portable exhibition in its own right. The physical exhibition grew out of the magazine and echoes its format.”

The exhibition is inspired by ‘over the counter culture’ and the face-to-face interactions people have through bookshops, newsstands, record stores and video rental libraries. The show features environments evoking living rooms and listening booths where visitors can physically interact with record collections, books and VHS tapes.

“There are various items that relate directly to Mick’s musical career including a poster for The Clash’s first headline show, stage worn clothes and musical equipment. There’s some previously unseen art by the graffiti pioneer Futura 2000, and lots of punk zines and ephemera. You can also see comics and magazines dating right back to the early 1900s,” Lake explains.

“Both the magazine and exhibition very loosely chart the journey of an imaginary figure from childhood, through their teens, into art school, into making music and art and having their eyes opened to the world.”

Although they have only just launched their first issue and show, the team have already begun thinking about the next one. “This [current] exhibition expands on and complements the first issue of the magazine which is a general overview of the archive,” Lake explains. “The next issue, London Electric, is more tightly themed and future versions of the exhibition will evolve alongside the magazine.”

The Rock & Roll Public Library exhibition runs at Farsight Gallery, London until March 16, where the magazine is available to buy; rocknrollpl.com