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University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library

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Address:

1150 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113, USA
bentley.ref@umich.edu

Bentley Historical Library records, 1919 - 2023 (majority within 1970 - 2013)

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Restrictions:
The Bentley Historical Library records are open for research except for certain records restricted by statute or university policy. Restricted material includes personnel-related files, including...

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Summary

Creator:
Bentley Historical Library.
Abstract:
The Bentley Historical Library houses the Michigan Historical collections, which documents the history of Michigan; and the University Archives and Records Program, which maintains the historical record of the University of Michigan. Founded in 1935 as the Michigan Historical Collections, directors of the library include Lewis G. Vander Velde, F. Clever Bald, Robert M. Warner, Francis X. Blouin, Jr., and Terrence J. McDonald. The records include administrative files, correspondence, meeting materials, files on exhibits, archived websites, images, audio-visual media, and documentation of special projects such as the Vatican Archives project.
Extent:
79 linear feet
2 oversize boxes
1 oversize folder
3 drawers
33.5 GB (online)
Call Number:
87245 Bimu C445 2 Ac
Authors:
Finding aid created by University Archives Staff, 1991 - 2015

Background

Scope and Content:

The records of the Bentley Historical Library were received in six main accessions 1991, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2014. Together the records comprise 79 linear feet, plus two oversize boxes, and oversize folder, three flat file drawers, and more than 16 GB of data spanning the years 1935-2014. The researcher should consult the summary box list on page vii for a quick overview of the materials in the collection.

Biographical / Historical:

The origin of the Bentley Historical Library (BHL) can be traced to two related projects initiated in the 1930s at the University of Michigan. In early 1934, Professor Lewis G. Vander Velde successfully applied for a $700 grant to locate and collect printed material relating to the history of Michigan. Approximately a year later, in November 1935, University of Michigan President Alexander Ruthven appointed a Committee on University Archives and authorized it to gather together the university's historical records. Vander Velde served as secretary to this committee. Space was set aside in the William L. Clements Library for both projects, and Vander Velde, with the assistance of a single graduate student, undertook both projects. In June 1938, the two enterprises moved into three rooms of the newly completed Rackham Building. That same year the Regents named the endeavor the Michigan Historical Collections (MHC). In 1973, the library moved from its quarters in the Rackham Building into the newly completed Bentley Historical Library on the university's north campus. For the first time, the MHC had for a home a facility designed and built for the processing and use of the manuscript and archival materials that it had been collecting for nearly forty years.

In the formative years of the MHC, Vander Velde supervised a surprisingly large staff. Funds from the Works Progress Administration made possible the hiring of a large number of special assistants. In 1939, twenty individuals were packing, processing, and cleaning records as they were collected. Although World War II quickly drained away the funds used to pay these many employees, a great deal of work was accomplished and Vander Velde retained some professional assistance. In 1938 or 1939, Vander Velde hired a full-time assistant primarily to collect historical records. In 1951, he added a permanent printed works librarian to the staff.

In 1947, Vander Velde was appointed chair of the university's history department. To lighten his administrative burden at the MHC, F. Clever Bald was appointed to the newly created post, assistant director. Vander Velde retained the title of director of the MHC until 1960, when he retired and was succeeded by Bald. In 1966 Bald retired and was succeeded by Robert M. Warner. In 1980, Warner resigned as director to become head of the National Archives. Richard Doolen served as acting director until 1981 when Francis X. Blouin, Jr. became the fourth director of the BHL. Blouin served more than thirty years, stepping down in 2013, to be succeeded by Terrence J. McDonald, the former dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.

In 1979, a separate program for the administration of the university archives was formally established. The University Archives and Records Program (UARP) became a separate division alongside the MHC, which continued to focus on documenting the state of Michigan. Reference services and conservation were reconfigured as divisions providing a structure of four divisions (MHC, UARP, Reference and Access, and Preservation and Conservation) under the broader designation of the Bentley Historical Library (BHL).

In 2004, an addition to the Bentley Historical Library's building was completed. This project increased the storage capacity for the library's collections and provided new offices for staff members of UARP. The new wing's dedication coincided with the publication of The Bentley Historical Library: Its History and Purpose, an in-depth review of the library and its collections.

Francis Blouin also oversaw the creation of the Digital Curation Division in 2011. The unit was given responsibility for implementing solutions for the long-term preservation and management of the library's digital assets. Digital Curation supports the mission of the library's other branches by administering born digital and digitized materials for the University Archives and Michigan Historical Collections and also promoting access to digital archives for Reference and Access Services.

In September 2013 Terrence J. McDonald, former Dean of the university's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, assumed the directorship of the Bentley Historical Library. Under his leadership, the library hired its first development officer and participated in the university's Victors for Michigan capital campaign. McDonald also oversaw the reorganization of, the library's units in the summer of 2014. The Academic Programs and Collection Development division assumed responsibility for classroom instruction, reference and access services, outreach, and field work at the University of Michigan and around the state. The Curation division rationalized the processing activities of the MHC, UARP and the Digital Curation Division, incorporating procedures for both physical and digital archives, and also assumed responsibility for web archiving and digitization activities. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bentley Library was closed to the public. Reading room services became available by appointment only in January 2021 but no on-site classes or meetings took place. In adition to reference staff, a limited number of staff worked in the building on select priority projects. On-site classes and meetings were reintroduced in May 2022. Terry McDonald's term as the Director ended in August 2022. Nancy Bartlett served as an Interim director until May 2023, when Alexis Antracoli became the next director.

Directors of the MHC / BHL:
Date Event
1935-1960 Lewis G. Vander Velde
1960-1966 F. Clever Bald
1966-1980 Robert M. Warner
1980-1981 Richard M. Doolen (acting)
1981-2013 Francis X. Blouin, Jr.
2013-2022 Terrence J. McDonald
2022-2023 Nancy R. Bartlett (Interim)
2023- Alexis Antracoli
Acquisition Information:
Periodic additions received (Donor no. 1991 ).
Processing information:

In preparing digital material for long-term preservation and access, the Bentley Historical Library adheres to professional best practices and standards to ensure that content will retain its authenticity and integrity. For more information on procedures for the ingest and processing of digital materials, please see Bentley Historical Library Digital Processing Note. Access to digital material may be provided either as a direct link to an individual file or as a downloadable package of files bundled in a zip file.

Arrangement:

The records of the Bentley are divided into six subgroups: Administrative Records; Division Records; Outreach: Education, Publicity, and Exhibits; Audio-Visual Material; Architectural Drawings, and Archived Website.

Summary Contents List
  1. Administrative Records
    • Executive Committee Meeting -- box 1
    • Friends Meetings -- box 1
    • Staff Meetings -- box 63
    • Director's Office/Central Files
      • Lewis Vander Velde -- Box 2
      • F. Clever Bald-- Box 2
      • Robert M. Warner -- boxes 3-4
      • Richard M. Doolen -- 4
      • Francis X. Blouin Jr.
        • (General) -- boxes 6-10, 56-60, 77-78, box 79 [restricted]
        • Visual Culture and Archives Symposium -- online
        • Vatican Archives project -- boxes 11-14
        • William Wallach (Associate Director) -- boxes 50, 61-63
        • Staff recommendations -- box 15 [restricted]
      • Non-Donor Correspondence Files
        • 1935-1968 -- boxes 16-18
        • 1961-1987 -- boxes 19-21
        • 1982-2005 -- boxes 21-25
      • Historical Society of Michigan -- box 64
  2. Division Records
    • Access and Reference Services -- boxes 26-28
    • Michigan Historical Collection
      • Office Diaries --boxes 29-30
      • Reports -- boxes 31-32, 66-67
      • Miscellaneous -- boxes 32-33, 65-67, 72-75
      • Lost and recataloged collections cardfile -- box 68
      • Preservation and Conservation -- boxes 34-35, 69
    • University Archives and Records Program
      • Agendas and Minutes -- box 36
      • Staff files -- boxes 36-41, 76-77
      • MeMail project -- box 69 and online
    • Digital Curation
      • Papers, strategies, and procedures -- online
  3. Outreach:
    • Archival Education -- box 42, 70
    • Press Clippings -- box 42
    • Exhibits and Art Work -- boxes 43-50, 70
  4. Audio-Visual Material
    • Publication Production Files -- box 51
    • Artwork Inventory -- box 52
    • Photographs -- boxes 53-54, 71
    • Audiotapes and videotapes -- box 54, 71
    • Films -- box 55
    • Architectural Drawings -- drawers 1-3
    • Digital Materials -- online
  5. Archived Website -- online,
Accruals:

Periodic additions to the records are expected.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The Bentley Historical Library records are open for research except for certain records restricted by statute or university policy. Restricted material includes personnel-related files, including search, review, promotion, and tenure files; student educational records; client/patient records; and records of executive officers of the university.

The Bentley Historical Library record group includes restricted material in the following categories:

  1. Personnel Related Records (Grant applications) -- Box 15
  2. Student Academic Records -- Box 39
  3. Administrative records -- Box 79

The collection contains audio tapes from which digital copies have been made. Source tapes are for staff use only. Audio files are only available in the Bentley Historical Library reading room on designated Bentley Library computers.

Access Restrictions for University of Michigan Records

University records are public records and once fully processed are generally open to research use. Records that contain personally identifiable information will be restricted in order to protect individual privacy. Certain administrative records are restricted in accordance with university policy as outlined below. The restriction of university records is subject to compliance with applicable laws, including the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Categories of Restricted Records

  • Student educational records: FERPA's protection of personally identifiable information in a student's education records ends at the time of a student's death and therefore is a matter of institutional policy. As a courtesy to the families of recently deceased students who were enrolled at the time of death, the University generally will not release information from their education records for five years without the consent of the deceased student's next of kin. Eighty-five (85) years after the date the records were first created, the University will presume that the student is deceased. Thereafter the student's education records will be open. Student records at the Bentley Historical Library are restricted for eighty-five (85) years, but may also be made available upon proof of the death of the student.
  • Executive records: Records generated by the university's executive officers, deans, directors, department heads, and their designated support staff are restricted for twenty (20) years from the date of their creation.

Restricted files are indicated in the contents list of the collection’s finding aid with a restriction note indicating the restriction type and the date of expiration.

For further information on the restriction policy and placing Freedom of Information Act requests for restricted material, consult the reference archivist at the Bentley Historical Library (bentley.ref@umich.edu) or the University of Michigan Freedom of Information Office website (https://foia.vpcomm.umich.edu/).

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright is held by the Regents of the University of Michigan but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[item], folder, box, Bentley Historical Library records, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan

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Collection

Bentley Historical Library records, 1919 - 2023 (majority within 1970 - 2013)
Call Number 87245 Bimu C445 2 Ac
Total components 2,204
Items available online Online 150
Last indexed 2024-01-11