A large assortment of 1980s era punk rock posters is now housed in Green Library Special Collections. Part of the Tom Law San Francisco Bay Area Punk and Rock Handbill and Poster Collection, the cache of original concert posters had been gathered by San Francisco resident Tom Law during the late 1970s and 1980s.

Law collected the posters as a hobby, attracted by the diversity and uniqueness of the artwork, most of which are hand-drawn illustrations and collages.

There are 1,400 posters in the collection, which spans from 1983-86. It represents over 100 bands and 29 clubs, most of which no longer exist. The addition is anticipated to provide research opportunities across several subjects, including art history, music history and cultural studies, as the posters reflect both the cultural and political climate of the time.

The collection is “a time capsule of the period,” said head music librarian Jerry McBride to the Stanford Report.

Stanford bid on the collection this past spring at the request of several Stanford music professors.