Events & Workshops
Our events focus on highlighting the many ways you might dig into the archives.
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Vintage Victors: Historic U-M Football Films at the Observatory
- 12:00 – 5:00 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person
Kick off Wolverine football season with vintage U-M football films on the Observatory’s 14-foot screen, a pop-up exhibit of football treasures, and opportunities to meet archivists and explore U-M football […]
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
September Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Bentley Library
- 5:30 – 6:30 pm
- Bentley Historical Library
- In-Person
Get an insider’s view of the incredible historical materials at the Bentley.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
October Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Bentley Library
- 5:30 – 6:30 pm
- In-Person
Get an insider’s view of the incredible historical materials at the Bentley.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
November Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Bentley Library
- 5:30 – 6:30 pm
- In-Person
Get an insider’s view of the incredible historical materials at the Bentley.
Wednesday, December 9, 2026
December Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Bentley Library
- 5:30 – 6:30 pm
- In-Person
Get an insider’s view of the incredible historical materials at the Bentley.
Past Events
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Conversations Across Continents: Philippine Histories and Memories in the Manuel Quezon Papers
- 9:00 – 11:00 am
- Virtual
Join archivists and scholars for a conversation across continents to celebrate the opening of the Manuel Quezon Papers online.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
August Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Bentley Library
- 5:30 – 6:30 pm
- Bentley Historical Library
- In-Person
Get an insider’s view of the incredible historical materials at the Bentley.
Friday, July 24, 2026
Walking Tour: Creating Michigan: Key Moments in U-M’s Early History
- 6:00 – 7:30 pm
- Meet at the Angell Hall steps facing State Street
- In-Person
Explore the first 70 years of U-M history, from the University’s Native American land accession and its origins in Detroit in 1817 to its move to Ann Arbor and emergence as a research university after 1837.
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
July Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Bentley Library
- 5:30 – 6:30 pm
- Bentley Historical Library
- In-Person
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Lost Campus: The University of Michigan’s Vanished but not Forgotten Spaces
- 6:00 – 8:00 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person & Virtual
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Archiving the World: The Bentley Library and U-M’s International Aspirations
- 6:00 – 8:00 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Go, Blue: A History of Michigan Athletics and International Travel
- 6:00 – 7:30 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person
Thursday, February 19, 2026
A Place for Politics, Protest, & Performance: Exploring the Hidden Histories of Hill Auditorium
- 6:00 – 7:30 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person
Thursday, December 11, 2025
The Children’s Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Michigan, 1955 – 1990
- 6:00 – 7:30 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person
Thursday, October 16, 2025
The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations
- 6:00 – 7:30 pm
- Judy & Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory
- In-Person
Exhibits
Explore history through these exhibits, both in person and online.
Digital Exhibit
A New Universe of Research
In the late 1800s, new technologies revolutionized astronomy. But U-M missed out – that is, until William Hussey returned to campus. Learn about the ways in which the University of Michigan returned to the forefront of astronomical research.
Digital Exhibit
Willis Ward: More Than the Game
Willis Ward is indelibly identified with the 1934 University of Michigan vs. Georgia Tech football game in Ann Arbor, during which he was infamously benched for being Black. This exhibit goes beyond the game into his rich life and legacy.
Digital Exhibit
As to the Woman Question: The Admission of Women to the University of Michigan
One hundred and fifty years ago, Madelon Stockwell became the first woman to attend the University of Michigan, but she did not arrive at this achievement in isolation. These are the stories of the pioneering women who proved they belonged at U-M too.
Digital Exhibit
Constructing Gender: The Origins of Michigan’s Union and League
Gender differences are literally built into the architecture of the Michigan Union and League buildings. This digital exhibit explores the ways the in which the University envisioned separate zones of campus for men and women in the early twentieth century.