The Bentley Historical Library will be closed for the day on May 26, 2025, and will close early at 1:00 pm on May 28, 2025.
Use the U-M Library Search to explore the Bentley's collections.
Hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closures
1150 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113 U.S.A.
734-764-3482
Students from the “Michigan in the World” program are hard at work in the archives!
This annual paid internship helps U-M students gain critical research skills, while exploring different aspects of Michigan’s history. This year, they’re digging into the history of hate movements in the Great Lakes area, and what caused them, using records from the archives.
To analyze the papers these movements left behind, students ask questions like: who wrote this? What do they want you to believe? What methods are they using to try and convince you that this is true?
“I’ve enjoyed learning how and what information is accessible to people, how to search for and analyze rhetoric, and how it impacts everything else,” says Eden, one of the students in this program.
Alongside faculty and staff from the History Department, the Bentley Historical Library, and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, these students are examining topics like historical antisemitism in Detroit, while getting hands-on experience with primary sources like letters, press releases, oral histories, and more.
When asked why this work is important, the answer is simple, according to U-M student Jeanette:
“It’s important that hate is something we recognize, so we don’t repeat it.”
In the future, the students in this program will create an exhibit showcasing their work! You can find past "Michigan in the World" projects on the History Department`s "Michigan in the World" website.
📸: The Michigan in the World program at the Bentley Historical Library
#UMich #MichiganHistory #HistoryInternship #Archives #StudentResearchers #PrimarySources
Students from the “Michigan in the World” program are hard at work in the archives!
This annual paid internship helps U-M students gain critical research skills, while exploring different aspects of Michigan’s history. This year, they’re digging into the history of hate movements in the Great Lakes area, and what caused them, using records from the archives.
To analyze the papers these movements left behind, students ask questions like: who wrote this? What do they want you to believe? What methods are they using to try and convince you that this is true?
“I’ve enjoyed learning how and what information is accessible to people, how to search for and analyze rhetoric, and how it impacts everything else,” says Eden, one of the students in this program.
Alongside faculty and staff from the History Department, the Bentley Historical Library, and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, these students are examining topics like historical antisemitism in Detroit, while getting hands-on experience with primary sources like letters, press releases, oral histories, and more.
When asked why this work is important, the answer is simple, according to U-M student Jeanette:
“It’s important that hate is something we recognize, so we don’t repeat it.”
In the future, the students in this program will create an exhibit showcasing their work! You can find past "Michigan in the World" projects on the History Department`s "Michigan in the World" website.
📸: The Michigan in the World program at the Bentley Historical Library
#UMich #MichiganHistory #HistoryInternship #Archives #StudentResearchers #PrimarySources
...
This week we welcomed visitors from the Ethiopian Archives and Library Service! 📖
As part of a series of visits to local libraries and archives, our archivists gave a tour of the Bentley’s facilities, and shared preservation techniques!
We had a wonderful time meeting our archival colleagues, who work to preserve the historical records of Ethiopia, many of which are rare and unique.
Their visit focused on learning about Michigan’s archives and libraries, by exploring things like U-M’s methods for scanning historical documents, in order to help preserve their records of Ethiopian history.
Thank you to the Ethiopian Archives and Library Service team for visiting; it was so nice to meet you!
Special thanks to David A. Wallace from U-M’s School of Information, as well, for organizing these visits to libraries across campus & beyond! ⭐
📸: Photos by Lara Zielin
#UMich #Archives #VisitingArchivists #Preservation #Digitization #ArchivesTour
This week we welcomed visitors from the Ethiopian Archives and Library Service! 📖
As part of a series of visits to local libraries and archives, our archivists gave a tour of the Bentley’s facilities, and shared preservation techniques!
We had a wonderful time meeting our archival colleagues, who work to preserve the historical records of Ethiopia, many of which are rare and unique.
Their visit focused on learning about Michigan’s archives and libraries, by exploring things like U-M’s methods for scanning historical documents, in order to help preserve their records of Ethiopian history.
Thank you to the Ethiopian Archives and Library Service team for visiting; it was so nice to meet you!
Special thanks to David A. Wallace from U-M’s School of Information, as well, for organizing these visits to libraries across campus & beyond! ⭐
📸: Photos by Lara Zielin
#UMich #Archives #VisitingArchivists #Preservation #Digitization #ArchivesTour
...
Meet Jane, a student history docent at U-M’s Detroit Observatory who just recently graduated from U-M! 🎓
Jane is passionate about history, and her favorite part of working at the Observatory has been sharing fun facts about the history of U-M with the community:
“I loved sharing the winding, drama-filled story of the creation of the Law Quad, and the silly facts about our second director, James Craig Watson, who was once knighted by the Ottoman Empire,” Jane says.
This year, Jane earned her degree in Honors History and Sociology from U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts!
After graduation, Jane is moving to New York City to work as a paralegal at Cravath, Swaine, & Moore LLP, before pursuing law school.
Congratulations, Jane!!! 🎉
#GoBlue #UMich #MGoGrad #Congratulations #DetroitObservatory #Paralegal #FutureLawyer #OurStudentsAreAwesome
Meet Jane, a student history docent at U-M’s Detroit Observatory who just recently graduated from U-M! 🎓
Jane is passionate about history, and her favorite part of working at the Observatory has been sharing fun facts about the history of U-M with the community:
“I loved sharing the winding, drama-filled story of the creation of the Law Quad, and the silly facts about our second director, James Craig Watson, who was once knighted by the Ottoman Empire,” Jane says.
This year, Jane earned her degree in Honors History and Sociology from U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts!
After graduation, Jane is moving to New York City to work as a paralegal at Cravath, Swaine, & Moore LLP, before pursuing law school.
Congratulations, Jane!!! 🎉
#GoBlue #UMich #MGoGrad #Congratulations #DetroitObservatory #Paralegal #FutureLawyer #OurStudentsAreAwesome
...
Shira has been doing wonderful hands-on work in the Bentley’s Conservation Lab, as a student history docent for U-M’s Detroit Observatory!
Alongside our expert conservator, Shira has created supportive structures called “cradles” which will be used to exhibit historical items at the Detroit Observatory, on Central Campus!
These cradles help keep old objects like books safely propped up, so that people can enjoy seeing them in display cases, while keeping them in great condition for years to come. 📖
“I love that I get to work with my hands,” Shira says. In these photos, you can see them at work with some historical books in the Conservation Lab!
Shira just graduated from U-M with a degree in the History of Art, with minors in Museum Studies and History, and is particularly interested in art movements like Surrealism, as well as philosophical questions about art.
“I want to keep working with objects, in a museum archive or library,” Shira says, describing their plans for the future. After that, they plan to pursue a master’s degree in library or museum work!
Congratulations, Shira!!! 🎉
#GoBlue #UMich #MGoGrad #Congratulations #DetroitObservatory #ConservationLab #FutureLibrarian #FutureMuseumProfessional #OurStudentsAreAwesome
Shira has been doing wonderful hands-on work in the Bentley’s Conservation Lab, as a student history docent for U-M’s Detroit Observatory!
Alongside our expert conservator, Shira has created supportive structures called “cradles” which will be used to exhibit historical items at the Detroit Observatory, on Central Campus!
These cradles help keep old objects like books safely propped up, so that people can enjoy seeing them in display cases, while keeping them in great condition for years to come. 📖
“I love that I get to work with my hands,” Shira says. In these photos, you can see them at work with some historical books in the Conservation Lab!
Shira just graduated from U-M with a degree in the History of Art, with minors in Museum Studies and History, and is particularly interested in art movements like Surrealism, as well as philosophical questions about art.
“I want to keep working with objects, in a museum archive or library,” Shira says, describing their plans for the future. After that, they plan to pursue a master’s degree in library or museum work!
Congratulations, Shira!!! 🎉
#GoBlue #UMich #MGoGrad #Congratulations #DetroitObservatory #ConservationLab #FutureLibrarian #FutureMuseumProfessional #OurStudentsAreAwesome
...
Hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closures
1150 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113 U.S.A.
734-764-3482