The Michipedia Project
Spring 2015

Historical materials meet everyone’s favorite search engine in this issue’s notes from Bentley Director Terrence J. McDonald.

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The Battle for the Heavens
Fall 2014

In 1912, a proposed coal power plant just down the street from the Detroit Observatory pitted the University’s astronomy faculty against the energy needs of a growing campus. Bentley letters reveal a showdown.

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The Long View
Fall 2014

As a student and Michigan Daily photographer, Jay Cassidy captured the turbulent, defiant, electric period of the late 1960s. Now a Hollywood film editor, Cassidy recently gave 5,000 of his photos to the Bentley.

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Michigan’s Polar Bears
Fall 2014

The Great War was over, the armistice signed. But for one group of soldiers, the battles continued when they were sent to the far eastern front, to the frozen climes of Northern Russia.

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Framing the Future
Fall 2014

At 89 years old, famed architect Gunnar Birkerts shows no signs of retiring. His collections at the Bentley showcase his architectural thought processes, leading to the recent opening of his National Library of Latvia.

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Slide Over Here
Fall 2014

Before Power Point presentations or Flickr, the best way for a group to see a single image was through lantern slides. The Bentley has hundreds of these slides in its collections, providing a new old way to see U-M.

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Hair-Razing Memories
Fall 2014

In 1903, campus hazing rituals included students shearing each other’s heads before the annual Freshman Banquet. A scrapbook at the Bentley documents the hair-removing adventures with actual locks.

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