Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

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Collection

Academic Women's Caucus (University of Michigan) records, 1970-2015 (majority within 1975-1998)

5.5 linear feet

Organization of women faculty members established to exchange information about their status as faculty women and to investigate and resolve issues of special concern. records include history, awards files, correspondence, minutes, topical files, photographs, and video and sound recordings.

The records of the Academic Women's Caucus (AWC) provide an almost complete history of the AWC from its origins to the present, although the materials documenting the years 1972-1974 are not particularly strong. Many of the early records are from the co-chair Aline Soules. The records do provide valuable documentation of the general concerns of women faculty members at a major research university.

Collection

Albert Kahn Associates records, 1825-2014 (majority within 1900-1945)

166 linear feet (in 180 boxes; textual materials, photographs, and audiovisual materials) — 90 portfolios (photographs) — 22 scrapbooks (sample architectural materials) — 131 oversize volumes (books) — 12,731 drawings (in 45 drawers and 114 tubes; architectural drawings) — 111 MB (online)

Online
Albert Kahn was a Detroit-based architect, active from 1896 to 1942. He founded the firm, Albert Kahn Associated Architects & Engineers, which is today known as Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. He was best known for his industrial design work, including the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park and River Rouge plants; numerous commercial buildings in Detroit such as the Fisher Building, Detroit Athletic Club, and General Motors Building; and much of the University of Michigan's Central Campus, including Angell Hall, the Clements Library, and Hill Auditorium, as well as the Willow Run Bomber Plant near Ann Arbor, Michigan. After Kahn's death in 1942, his architectural firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., has continued to be a worldwide leader in the design of factory buildings that enhance the manufacturing process. The Albert Kahn Associates records are composed of materials produced by Albert Kahn the architect, as well as materials produced by his firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., and include correspondence, company files, photographs, published materials, and architectural drawings.

The Albert Kahn Associates records offer researchers the opportunity to study the correspondence, transcripts of speeches, photographs, and architectural drawings of the preeminent, American, industrial architect, Albert Kahn, and his firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. On March 21, 2003 (the 134th anniversary of Albert Kahn's birthday), Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. (AKA) donated this collection to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan to ensure the conservation and accessibility of these records. Through this gift, AKA has shown its commitment to preserving the legacy of Kahn, whose factories on five continents influenced the development of industrial architecture and whose commercial, residential and institutional buildings define the character of Detroit and the University of Michigan today. The collection encompasses 166 linear feet (in 180 boxes) of correspondence, transcripts of speeches, newspaper and journal articles, company files, audiovisual materials, photographs and slides, as well as 90 leather portfolios containing photographs of completed buildings, 22 albums of sample architectural materials, 131 books, and 12,731 architectural drawings in 45 flat-file drawers and 114 oversize tubes.

The narrative and visual materials in the collection illuminate the breadth of Kahn's career and highlight the work of his architectural firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., which continued to develop projects after his death, and remains a living institution. In pairing the textual materials with the photographs and architectural drawings associated with Kahn's projects, this collection offers a rich perspective on the master architect himself, illuminating his personal views on his own architecture and its place in a changing and often tumultuous world.

Collection

Arnold Weinstein papers, 1956-2013

12.3 linear feet (in 13 boxes including oversize) — 1 oversize volume — 18.3 GB (online)

Online
Papers of Arnold Weinstein, American poet, playwright, librettist, and translator. Material in both paper and digital formats includes manuscript drafts and final versions of libretti, music scores with Weinstein's lyrics, manuscript and published literary works; research and background material related to individual works and projects, as well as programs, publicity material and reviews of shows. Also commercially produced and non-commercial audio and video recordings.

The Papers of Arnold Weinstein collection documents the work of the American librettist, playwright and poet between the late 1950s through the 2000s.

Collection

Barbara Bach papers, 1960-2008 (majority within 1975-2007)

9.3 linear feet (in 10 boxes)

Barbara Bach first worked as a Boston area schoolteacher and creator of television documentaries. After receiving a Master's degree in Education in 1969, she became an Ann Arbor, Mich. businesswoman, networking facilitator, fundraiser, and lifelong educator/mentor to individuals and organizations. The collection includes business records, association newsletters, campaign literature, photographs, and correspondence representing her multiple careers as an entrepreneur, legislative aide, community activist, and executive director in a policy environment promoting economic development in Michigan.

The Barbara Bach papers reflect a context of turbulent economic conditions and ground-breaking socio-political events. Some defining highlights of Bach's political efforts include her work with the Ann Arbor Public Schools Title IX Monitoring Committee for gender equality in sports, her nonpartisan campaign work for the county-wide Washtenaw County SAFE House proposal to assist victims of domestic violence, and her Democratic Party campaign work on behalf of Albert H. Wheeler, Ann Arbor's first African American mayor.

However, Bach's business experience and activities on behalf of economic development and job training in the State of Michigan, in connection with the Michigan Community Colleges Association (MCCA) and as Executive Director of the Inventors' Council of Michigan (INCOM), represent the bulk of the collection.

During the 1980s, community colleges were becoming a focal point for job-related training as a precursor to economic development. Organizations such as the Michigan Technology Council (MTC), with support from the University of Michigan, brought together leaders from business, industry, and government in an effort to facilitate technology transfer through commercial applications and new product development.

Economic recession had helped to heighten interest, at all levels of government, in the policy concept of economic development through entrepreneurial successes. Ideally, through teaching, research, and networking assistance, an entrepreneurial "supercenter" would encourage new product and business development, ultimately creating jobs throughout the economy.

Throughout much of her career in Michigan, Barbara Bach was known as Barbara Eldersveld. The collection also includes some materials from her early public service activities in Massachusetts as Barbara Damon.

The collection is organized into eight series: Personal/Biographical, Greater Boston Area, Teaching and Educational Settings, Political, Business and Entrepreneurial, State Government, Inventors' Council of Michigan (INCOM), and Ann Arbor Community Service.

Collection

Black Student Union (University of Michigan) records, 1969-2018 (majority within 1987-2008)

4.8 linear feet (in 6 boxes) — 256 MB (online)

Online
Student organization at the University of Michigan established in 1968 for students of African descent. The materials in the collection include minutes, correspondence, agendas, officer reports and topical files on issues including the Michigan Mandate and the 2000 Michigamua protest. The collection also contains photographs, audio/visual recordings, Twitter posts, and event flyers.

The Black Student Union (University of Michigan) records document the various activities of the Black Student Union at U-M. Materials in this collection include agendas, budgets, correspondence, event flyers, minutes, officer reports, photographs, topical files, Twitter posts, and audio/visual recordings.

Collection

Bradley R. Cross papers, 1967-1983 (majority within 1978-1979)

1.3 linear feet (in 2 boxes) — 3 oversize folders

Papers of Bradley Cross, Ann Arbor, Mich. environmental activist and businessman. The bulk of the collection includes material related to the Kimberly Hills Neighborhood Association (KHNA) in Pittsfield Township in Ann Arbor, Mich. and its fight to preserve neighborhood natural area by preventing it from commercial development. The legal case filed by KHNA went to the Michigan Supreme Court but was overturned in 1983. This material is dated between 1977 and 1983 and includes correspondence, court documents, maps and plans, position papers, publications, articles and newspaper clippings covering the case, photographs, and audiovisual material. Collection also includes a small number of collected materials related to anti-Vietnam war protests in Michigan and across the country, and Michigan politics, all dated in the 1960s. Included here are publications, campaign signs, and photographs.

The papers document Cross' work as an environmental activist and businessman. The bulk of the collection includes material related to the Kimberly Hills Neighborhood Association (KHNA) in Pittsfield Township in Ann Arbor, Mich. and its fight to preserve neighborhood natural area by preventing it from commercial development. Other material documents antiwar and political activism. The collection is organized into two series, Politics and Activism and Kimberly Hills Neighborhood Association.

Collection

Center for Ethnic and Religious Studies (University of Michigan-Dearborn) records, 1968-2016 (majority within 1990-2016)

14.4 linear feet — 240 MB (online) — 1 oversize folder

Online
Founded in 2001 as the Center for Religion and Society at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the Center houses and supports the interdisciplinary minor in Religious Studies, and advances research on religion and its relationship to American society. The Pluralism Project, developed by Claude Jacobs, focused on religion and religious communities in Detroit, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, Michigan. The Center's records primarily document the Pluralism Project and the files of the director, Claude Jacobs. The collection also contains publications and printed material from religious communities across Michigan.

The Center for Ethnic and Religious Studies records primarily document the Pluralism Project collaboration between the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Harvard University. The records highlight communities within the southeast Michigan and the greater Detroit area in particular, as well as the Pluralism Project itself.

Claude Jacobs' Director's files document his time as Director of the Pluralism Project and professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

The collection also includes Michigan religious communities material includes inspirational/instructional texts, pamphlets, fliers, newsletters, community outreach, and various programs.

Collection

Dave Siglin papers, 1967-2008

35 linear feet (in 37 boxes) — 1 oversize volume

Program Director at the Ark, Ann Arbor, Michigan music club. The collection includes the Ark's financial records and select correspondence, printed materials such as concert calendars, flyers, and posters, sound recordings, photographs of Ark performances, informal snapshots and publicity photos of performers.

The Dave Siglin papers date from 1968-2008 and primarily document Siglin's management role at the Ark, an Ann Arbor music club. The papers have been arranged into four series: Administrative Records; Printed Materials; Photographs; Sound Recordings.

Collection

David L. Camp papers, 1984-2014 (majority within 1990-2014)

25.25 linear feet (in 29 boxes) — 98.1 GB — 1 oversize volume — 1 oversize folder — 1 archived website

Online
Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1991-2014, and served on the House Ways and Means Committee, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Collection primarily documents Dave Camp's political career including campaign materials such as surveys, speeches, photographs, and audiovisual materials. Congressional papers comprise Camp's legislative and committee work on welfare reform, healthcare, and economic policy; administrative and press files maintained by Camp's office include schedules, issue briefing books, legislative planning documents, correspondence, photographs, and audiovisual materials.

The collection documents Dave Camp's personal life and political career including his 12 terms in the United States House of Representatives (1991-2014). The papers include a scrapbook detailing Camp's early political career; personal correspondence; campaign materials such as surveys, debate notes, campaign ads, and interview clips; written, annotated, and recorded speeches; and photographs with constituents and at various district events.

The bulk of the collection covers Camp's congressional papers comprised of office files such as schedules, reports, issue briefing books, correspondence, legislative planning documents, year-end accomplishments, and photographs; legislative and committee files including bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Congressman Camp, floor statements, and other legislative materials documenting late 20th and early 21st century American economic and health policy; and press files including press releases, press clips, op-ed articles, and recorded media appearances on national and local Michigan radio and television.

The collection includes 425 pieces of audiovisual material, described in the Container Listing at the item level.

Collection

David M. Dennison papers, 1884-1989 (majority within 1926-1976)

8 linear feet

Online
Papers of David M. Dennison, professor of physics at the University of Michigan; contain lecture notes and exam materials, correspondence, speeches, files relating to research in theoretical physics, University of Michigan and travel files.

The David M. Dennison Papers contain both the personal correspondence of the Dennison family and items relating to David M. Dennison's research and teaching while at the University of Michigan.

The first part of the collection is correspondence from 1894-1896 from James Lutheran Dennison and his wife to their son Walter Dennison, the father of David M. Dennison. One folder contains correspondence from George Dennison and his wife Nina to his brother Walter Dennison also from the 1890s.

Biographical and personal materials for David M Dennison are comprised of letters from David M. Dennison and his wife, Helen Lenette Johnson, memorial materials from David's death, home finances, and travel information. Family documents in this collection are comprised mostly of his son Edwin's Ph.D. research at the University of Michigan. Dennison's papers include various speeches, articles, and other writings about the physics he was studying, primarily focused on the later part of Dennison's time at the University. Materials from the University of Michigan include lecture notes and exams from the many physics classes Dennison taught. Documents relating to administration of the physics department and David's colleagues are also a part of this collection. Of note is David and Helen's correspondence and connection to the Niels Bohr Institute.

Audio-visual materials in the collection include photographs of David and Helen from the early 1900s through the 1970s. There are also two cassette tapes with recording of talks given by David, as well as photograph negatives and spectroscopic plates, lantern slides depicting astronomical images pertaining to his astro-physics research.

Collection

Department of English Language and Literature (University of Michigan) Helen Zell Writers' Program records, 1986-2008

6.7 linear feet (in 10 boxes)

The Helen Zell Writers' Program was established in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan in 1982 as the Zell Visiting Writers' Series within the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program. The program hosts poets and fiction writers to the University of Michigan campus every year. The program changed its name from the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program to Helen Zell Writers' Program in 2013. The records contain audiocassettes and videotapes (VHS) for the Zell Visiting Writers' Series from Fall 1999 to Winter 2003, and digital videos (MiniDV) for Master of Fine Arts Program Alumni readings from 2002. Additional files containing correspondence, photographs, and publicity materials for the Zell Visiting Writers' Series are also included.

Audio and video recordings of the Zell Visiting Writers' Series from Fall 1999 to Winter 2003, and digital videos (MiniDV) for Master of Fine Arts Program Alumni readings from 2002. Also correspondence, photographs, and publicity materials for the Zell Visiting Writers' Series.

Collection

Department of English Language and Literature (University of Michigan) records, 1919-2005 (majority within 1960-1979)

41.2 linear feet (in 43 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

Correspondence, topical files, photographs, and printed material relating to the operation and activities of the department, primarily after 1960 during the administrations of Warner Rice, Russell A. Fraser, John L. Styan, Jay L. Robinson, John R. Knott, Robert Weisbuch, and Martha Vicinus; also include scattered files before 1960 and after 1979.

The bulk of the records of the Department of English Language and Literature are from the years 1960 to 1979 and generally coincide with the chairmanships of Warner Rice, Russell Fraser, John Styan, and Jay Robinson. The records primarily document the internal workings of the department and its relationship with other units in the university. The majority of the records were created by the department itself and consist of minutes of committee and faculty meetings, correspondence, department reviews, course outlines, position requests, and newsletters and publications.

The records of the Department of English Language and Literature are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Topical Files, Photographs, Executive Committee, Chair's Files, Presentations, and Faculty Files.

Collection

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries records, 1909-2016 (majority within 1980s-2000s)

23 linear feet — 8 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder — 12.4 GB (online)

Online
The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries began in 1909 as an organization offering food, shelter, and church services to the homeless of Detroit. Since then it has grown in size and scope as it now offers treatment for addiction, mental health services, and more throughout the Detroit Metropolitan area. The bulk of the collection includes project reports, program meeting minutes, photographs, and audio and video recordings relating to the organization. The collection also includes files of the organization's leaders administrators: Chad Audi, Donald DeVos, Barbara Willis, among others.

The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries records primarily include materials dating from the 1980s up through the 2010s. A portion of the collection documents the early years, between the early and mid-1900s. The collection includes administrative records, project reports, as well as photographs and other publicity material.

Collection

Don Binkowski collected materials, 1825-2013

16.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 1 oversize volume — 15.6 GB (online)

Online
Binkowski was a district judge from Warren, Michigan who collected extensively about Democratic politics and the Polish American community in Michigan. The collection includes materials collected by Binkowski on Democratic politics, the Polish community in Michigan, the cities of Detroit, Warren, and Hamtramck, Michigan, and collected letters, postage covers, and stamps.

The collection includes materials collected by Binkowski on Democratic politics, the Polish community in Michigan, the cities of Detroit, Warren, and Hamtramck, Michigan history in general, and collected letters, postage covers, and stamps. Digital materials include video files and an archived website. Photographs include images of strike violence, 1934-1938, at various Michigan firms; photos of Polish American public figures and organizations, also photos of political meetings and elected officials. Audio cassettes mostly contain recorded interviews with Polish American political figures.

Collection

First Congregational Church (Ann Arbor, Mich.) records, 1847-2017

27 linear feet — 3 oversize volumes — 2 phonograph records — 1 oversize folder

The First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was organized and established on March 23, 1847. Records include administrative files, subject files, published material, and both visual and audio-material.

The records of the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor have been divided into the following series: History/Background Information; Administration; Financial Records; Church Organizations; Topical Files; Miscellaneous later records; Photographs; Publications; Phonograph records; and Reverend Terry N. Smith. The records document church administration, membership activities, and the relationship of the church to its denomination and to other area churches. Included are records of communicants, baptisms and marriages (1873-1905); pew subscriptions and accounts (1878-1939) and other membership information; church bulletins and newsletters; minutes and reports of the board of trustees, board of deacons, church council, and various subcommittees; records of men's and women's church groups such as the King's Daughters, the Ladies Aid Society, the Women's Fellowship Society, and the Women's Foreign Missionary Society; records relating to the church's affiliation with the Ann Arbor-Washtenaw Council of Churches; files pertaining to the proposed merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church with the Congregational Church in the 1950s; and materials documenting the work of Reverend Terry N. Smith.

Collection

Gilbert and Sullivan Society (University of Michigan) records, 1947-2011

22.5 linear feet (in 26 boxes) — 9 oversize volumes

University of Michigan group established in 1946 devoted to production of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Records include production files with programs, photographs, reviews and newspaper clippings, and scattered production notes and memoranda; topical files relating to the Society, its friends organization, and its publication; slides of productions; Society newsletter, "Gasbag"; posters; phonorecords, tapes, and videos of productions.

The records of UMGASS have been divided into ten series: Slides, Topical Files, Production Files, Posters, Memorabilia Volumes, Magnetic Tape Recordings, Sound Recordings, Audiotapes, Videotapes, and Scrapbooks. Because materials on one production can include photographs, scrapbooks, recordings, or slides- all of which live within different boxes of the collection -- a directory has been compiled in the Production Files series. The directory lists the year and title of the UMGASS production for which the library has materials and a lettered key exists that denotes the physical existence and location of materials within the collection.

Collection

Harmonie Society of Detroit records, 1881-1993 (majority within 1922-1993)

2.3 linear feet — 1 banner

The Harmonie Society of Detroit, also known as the Harmonie Club of Detroit, was an organization that allowed German American members of the Detroit community the opportunity to come together and sing traditional German music. The building, which still stands at 267 East Grand River, became a gathering place for German Americans. The collection consists of organizational records, sheet music and songbooks used by the members of the club. Also included are photographs, audio recordings, and programs from German music festivals.

The materials within the Harmonie Society of Detroit (or, the Harmonie Club) records cover the organizations operations and history. The bulk of the collection consists of sheet music that was used by the Society members.

Collection

Harvey Ovshinsky papers, 1948-2014

12.7 linear feet — 1 oversize box — 3 oversize volumes — 4.22 GB (online)

Online
Writer, journalist, news broadcaster, radio host, television producer, creative consultant, and teacher in Detroit, Mich. Includes materials related to Ovshinsky's founding of Detroit's first underground newspaper, The Fifth Estate, as well as photographs, correspondence, writings, personal memorabilia, legal materials, press articles, topical files, transcripts and audiovisual materials representing Ovshinsky's work in radio and television from the 1960s through the 2000s.

The collection traces Harvey Ovshinsky's personal and professional development as a writer, journalist, news broadcaster, radio host, television producer, creative consultant, and teacher. The Personal files include autobiographical writings providing insights into the events in Ovshinsky's childhood and adolescence that led to his early interest in writing and journalism. The Professional files contain the first issues of The Fifth Estate, and extensive memorabilia and press coverage on various radio stations and video and television production companies where Ovshinsky was employed. This series encompasses material on the history of Detroit's counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s. The Project files also include topical files on Detroit culture and history, which inspired many of Ovshinsky's documentaries and creative writing.

Materials from Ovshinsky's teaching career and transcripts from his speaking engagements in the Professional files reveal his approach to teaching writing, while drafts for films, stories, and television series in the Project files offer a view into Ovshinsky's creative process. Files named "War Dances" appear throughout both the Professional files and the Project files series. "War Dances" were an integral part of Ovshinsky's approach to both problem solving and the creative process. "War Dances" were personal notes and reflections in which Ovshinsky assessed his present situation, identified his goals and imagined paths to the solution of a problem or to the final stages of a project. Materials from the subseries Educational and children's properties in the Project files include extensive topical files from Ovshinsky's research on how children learn through play. Samples of Ovshinsky's work in radio, television, educational programming and public speaking are available in Audiovisual materials.

Collection

Ian Bund papers, 1969-2019, undated

11.4 linear feet (in 12 boxes)

Ian Bund is an American venture capital professional. He was involved with numerous, often Michigan-based, venture capital limited partnerships, companies, and corporations, including Doan Associates, Innovation Capital, the Michigan Investment Fund L.P. (MIF), MBW Venture Partners Limited Partnership (MBW), and the Plymouth and White Pines families of funds. Includes correspondence, financial records, presentations, reports, speaking and teaching materials, and topical files.

The Ian Bund papers primarily document the professional, speaking, and teaching activities of venture capital professional Ian Bund. Material in the collection is dated from 1969-2019 and includes correspondence, financial records, presentations, reports, speaking and teaching materials, and topical files.

Collection

Institute for Social Research (University of Michigan) records, 1936-2017 (scattered) (majority within 1946-2010)

143.8 linear feet (in 146 boxes) — 54.83 GB (online)

Online
The Institute for Social Research (ISR), an interdisciplinary center for social science research, was created in 1949 when the Research Center for Group Dynamics (founded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology) joined the university's Survey Research Center. ISR houses the Center for Political Studies (CPS), Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), Population Studies Center (PSC), Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD), and the Survey Research Center (SRC). Records document the founding and development of ISR and its related centers and programs and include audiovisual materials, minutes, correspondence, topical files, reports, and proposals. Administrative records include governance committees and director's files. Records of the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) consist of grant proposals, survey instruments, focus group transcriptions, correspondence, bulletins, and internal governance records created under the auspices of PRBA and its various projects. Records of the Research Center for Group Dynamics are primarily the papers of director Kurt Lewin, including manuscripts and talks. Survey Research Center records consist largely of proposal and project files, although they also include faculty oral histories. The records of the Population Studies Center consist of lectures from its founder, Dr. Ronald Freedman, while the Center for Political Studies contains one binder of material from the American National Election Survey conducted in 1980.

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) records are dated from 1936-2017 (scattered) and consist of 143.8 linear feet (in 146 boxes) and digital files (online). Materials in this record group include audiovisual material, committee files (which include minutes and agendas), correspondence, directors' files, oral histories, publications, reports, and topical files. These records document the founding and subsequent development of ISR as well as its centers and programs, particularly the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) and the Survey Research Center (SRC). The records also provide an overview of ISR's administration and the evolution of social science survey research methodology.

There are gaps in the records, which can be addressed in part through the papers of Rensis Likert, Angus Campbell, Dorwin P. Cartwright, and Philip E. Converse—all of which are held at the Bentley Historical Library (BHL). When viewed in conjunction with other ISR-related personal papers in the Bentley Historical Library, a rich and detailed picture of the growth of ISR as a center and the social science research discipline emerges.