The Northwestern University Libraries' John Cage Collection is an extensive archive of primary materials documenting the life and work of the 20th century’s most revolutionary composer. Established by Cage in the early 1970s, the collection grew considerably over the following decades as Cage placed more and more materials at Northwestern until his death in 1992. Since then, the archive has been expanded further with acquisitions obtained through donation and purchase. As a major repository of original Cage materials, the collection supports the work of scholars worldwide and has been a source for many books, articles and dissertations. 

The John Cage Collection is described in great detail in four major finding aids. Please use these aids to familiarize yourself with collection content and place requests prior to your visit and direct any questions to specialcollections@northwestern.edu.

Established in 2013 to promote further use of the John Cage Collection, the Northwestern University Libraries John Cage Research Grant is a competitive award for one or more scholars whose research requires substantial on-site use of the Cage Collection.  Please see this link for application information.