Bentley Historical Library

News Stories

  • Black and white portrait of Oscar Baker.

    Beyond These Hallowed Halls

    In 1899, Oscar W. Baker Sr. was accepted into the University of Michigan Law School, becoming the 100th African American student to attend U-M. After graduation, Baker would make remarkable contributions and achievements working for racial and social justice.

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  • The Improbable Herpetologist

    Frogs, salamanders, and lizards, oh my! In the early 20th century, Helen Thompson Gaige defied gender stereotypes by becoming an expert in zoology and launching herself into adventures to collect and study specimens. Her one-of-a-kind legacy endures in the archive.

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  • Laptop resting on a lap while a second person holding an tablet points to the laptop screen

    A Better Way to Explore the Archives

    The University of Michigan has launched a new way to search finding aids, which describe the contexts of archival collection boxes or folders, like those at the Bentley. This new system helps researchers better discover and request the materials relevant to their work.

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  • Alexis Antracoli looks at camera in this portrait photograph.

    Alexis Antracoli Named New Bentley Director

    The Bentley Historical Library is pleased to announce that the Regents of the University of Michigan have approved Alexis Antracoli as the library’s next director. Antracoli will work with archivists and other professionals overseeing the Bentley’s vast collections.

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  • African American Scholarships During the Great Depression

    During the 1930s and beyond, scholarships gave African American graduate students from southern states the opportunity to come north to study. Read more about one researcher’s quest to learn more about the scholarships and their impact at U-M.

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  • Before the Black Action Movement

    A distinguished panel of U-M African American alumni, representatives of the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County, and the Bentley Historical Library will discuss the African American presence in Washtenaw County prior to 1970.

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  • The Mystery of the Unidentified Painting

    Who painted it? And why does the Bentley have it? One small piece of artwork frames complex issues about what happens when archival collections contain harmful or racist content. Learn more about the Bentley’s role in a campus-wide reparative curation effort.

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