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

Magazine

  • Jazz, Guns, and Governments
    Spring 2016

    A U.S.-led effort in 1965 to win over Communist hearts and minds through music landed U-M Jazz Band members in the middle of gunfire in the Dominican Republic. This strange tale of U-M students, concerts, and Red Scare politics is showcased in a new collection at the Bentley, 50 years in the making.

    Complete Story
  • Bound and Determined
    Spring 2016

    The class of 1849 was the fifth class to graduate in the University of Michigan’s young history, and they worked to ensure their time on campus would be memorialized for generations to come.

    Complete Story
  • The Forgotten Feminists

    One U-M class uncovers lost aspects of Civil Rights history and makes them available online.

    Complete Story
  • Perfect Harmony
    Spring 2016

    Detroit’s Harmonie Club was once the hub of German singing groups, whose music fueled fellowship and cultural pride. When the Harmonie Club went belly up, its historic German music was in danger of being lost forever—but found a safe home at the Bentley.

    Complete Story
  • Where Manhood is Drugged and Destroyed
    Fall 2015

    In 1902, teetotaler Carrie Nation came to Ann Arbor to further the cause of temperance. Her fight paved the way for Prohibition and the expanded role of women in the political landscape.

    Complete Story
  • The Life of Dr. Death
    Fall 2015

    Jack Kevorkian’s collection of papers, art, photographs, and more is now at the Bentley, showcasing the controversial life of an artist, a composer, and a person who drastically moved the needle in the right-to-die discussion.

    Complete Story
  • Out of Print
    Fall 2015

    New digitization efforts mean more access to Bentley materials, including videos and audio recordings such as John F. Kennedy’s speech on the Michigan Union steps.

    Complete Story