Among the artefacts to be displayed at Punk 1976-1978, a free exhibition opening this week at the British Library, are 14 fanzines. Titles such as Ripped & Torn, 48 Thrills and London’s Burning were produced by young men and women on a budget of nothing, the products of an intense but brief moment. Quintessentially ephemeral, they nevertheless speak to us four decades on.

Inspired by the Sex Pistols and Mark Perry’s Sniffin’ Glue, the fanzine explosion of 1976 and 1977 remains one of the purest and most creative responses to British punk. The speed and cheapness of the format – A4 pages photocopied and stapled together – allowed for instant reportage and considerable creativity. There was no censorship: anything went.

The handwritten articles, stark montages and jagged juxtapositions of image and text capture a moment at which events were happening almost too fast to process. They also embody the impulsivity – not to wait for approval or funding, but just to do it – that remains one of the most inspirational ideas to emerge from first-wave punk. The creators of these fanzines were young and excited, engaged with the changes happening in front of their eyes. Some of that potential was realised in conventional terms: among their one-time editors are authors, academics, journalists, a political secretary to Tony Blair, and Shane MacGowan. They remain an inspiration to young editors and designers who seek to harness their energy and spirit.