The Bentley Historical Library is open to the public by appointment. Learn more here.

News Stories

  • Bartlett Named Interim Director

    Nancy Bartlett, an archivist who has worked in various roles at the Bentley Historical Library for more than three decades, has been named the library’s interim director.

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  • Strong as Steel

    Cornelius L. Henderson was a pioneering steel engineer and architect who helped construct two of the major Great Lakes crossings between the United States and Canada. Read more on the African American Student Project page.

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  • Search for Next Bentley Director Underway

    A nine-member committee of faculty members, staff members and a graduate student is looking for a successor to Terrence McDonald, who has announced that he will step down Aug. 31 to return to the LSA faculty.

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  • Studying Race and Racism at U-M

    The Bentley Historical Library is part of a new U-M project to study, document, and better understand the university’s history with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion — with the history of race and racism at U-M as its first major focus.

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  • The Elegant Philosophy of Ones and Zeros

    The University of Michigan College of Engineering in the 1930s was the perfect environment to nurture Claude Shannon’s curious mind. Aspects of Shannon’s U-M experience can be found in the archives, before he became the “father of information theory.”

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  • Decolonizing U-M Philippine Collections

    The Bentley Historical Library is part of a new cross-campus project to disclose the harmful ways Philippine collections came to U-M, and to begin reparation work on these important materials. The project includes researchers, students, librarians, archivists, and more.

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  • Seeing Anew

    The Detroit Observatory was built in 1854 and quickly became the centerpiece of scientific advancement at U-M. Now, 168 years later and after a three-year expansion project, it is ready for the public to again explore the stars. Are you ready for a visit?

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