The Bentley Historical Library will be closed for winter break December 23, 2024 – January 1, 2025.

Winter 2021

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  • When Every Box Is the Last Box

    Students and faculty from U-M’s History Department collaborated with the Bentley to find creative ways to produce a successful research project, even without physical access to archival materials.

    Complete Story
  • Lifting His Voice

    Willis C. Patterson’s newly donated papers at the Bentley document a tireless fight for African American music to take its rightful place in the vocal canon.

    Complete Story
  • Collecting During Covid-19

    How the Bentley Historical Library is archiving the Covid-19 pandemic in real-time.

    Complete Story
  • Bridge the Gap

    The plan to build a bridge across the Straits of Mackinac began in earnest in the 1880s. But it wasn’t until 1954 that construction began on the Mackinac Bridge. What happened in the interim?

    Complete Story
  • Total Eclipse of the Sun

    In the summer of 1878, U-M Professor James Watson headed west to observe a solar eclipse, confident he would find a new planet. Instead, he discovered the limitations of science in the late-1800s and the fine line separating fascination and folly.

    Complete Story
  • Filling in the Silences

    Incarcerated individuals are some of the last people to have their stories and experiences archived. The Bentley is working to change that by partnering with U-M researchers on a new initiative.

    Complete Story
  • An Arctic Escape

    With the world watching, two pilots went down over Greenland in 1928. Their rescue would hinge on William Hobbs, a professor-turned-adventurer leading U-M’s Greenland Expedition.

    Complete Story