Known initially for his protest music of the era, Bob Dylan became not only an icon among the anti-Vietnam War movement, but also a rock-and-roll innovator, injecting his lyrics with poignant social commentary and raising the bar of the literary trope in rock music. Recognizing Dylan’s talent and his role as an unavoidable influence of American culture, LaSalle University’s Connelly Library has amassed a significant collection of materials dedicated solely to the iconic musician.

The collection includes:

“Academic institutions traditionally haven’t collected the works and biographical material of Bob Dylan or, for that matter, any other contemporary ‘popular music’ artists, but I believe that academic libraries should provide the resources necessary for studying contemporary phenomena when they are of unavoidable influence within the culture. There is an extraordinary concentration of attention on this artist world wide, with at least 10 exhaustive and serious magazines that do nothing but offer comment on Dylan and his concerts. The level of obsessive detail is breathtaking. Dylan is somehow representative of identity for people and remains a benchmark of American popular culture internationally; the continuing vitality of this man's writing is unquestionable.”

~ John Baky, Director, Connelly Library

For more information, download the full essay on the collection.