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Explore different ways to search collections at the Bentley.
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The Bentley includes both the official University of Michigan archives and materials related to the history of the state.
You are searching the:
Like a traditional library catalog, this will help you find published materials such as books or maps. Learn More.
Finding Aids are like a table of contents for collections to help you find specific boxes and folders. Learn More
The website search allows you to search and find content on the website.
See What's Available Online
Access materials you can view right now, wherever you are. These are often part of a larger physical collection.
Expert staff at the Bentley are available to help researchers find what they need. Photo by Lon Horwedel.
Storied History
Bentley materials aren't relics—they are invitations.
Each box, photograph, letter, link, and recording opens a door into lived experience, revealing how people navigated their worlds and shaped the one we inhabit today. The incredible stories discovered here become part of magazine articles, exhibits, websites, books, and more.
Researcher Brad Hammond at a Center for Japanese Studies event called “Remembering the University of Michigan’s Wartime Japanese American Workers.” Photo by Leisa Thompson.
Members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at a banquet on April 10, 1910. Photo from the Richard Hill scrapbook.
Student docents at the Frankel Detroit Observatory designed and produced the Watcher in the Sky exhibit.
George Armstrong (left) with a friend in 1908, both students at U-M. Photo courtesy of Polly Paulson.
New letters recently added to the Joseph Campau collection. Photo by Lon Horwedel.
New to research?
Start with the basics:
Our materials are unique, and so is the search process. These three steps can help.
2. Request
Request and track materials you want to see at the library.
How to Request ItemsRelated How-tos
See Popular Research Topics and Get Help
Research Guides
Browse archivists’ suggestions for some of our most popular research topics.
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