Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The television production studio and media services unit of the University of Michigan, commonly referred to as "Michigan Media." It was formed in 1978 through the merger of the university Television Center and the university Audio-Visual Education Center. The Television Center began producing educational programs for broadcast on commercial and public stations in 1950. The Audio-Visual Education Center produced films for the university and operated a film distribution library. The Media Resources Center closed in 1986. The collection consists of documentary type film and video and film and video of television programs produced by the Media Resources Center and its predecessors.

The University of Michigan Media Resources Center Films and Videotapes collection consists of "archives" film footage produced or collected by the Center and television programs and films produced by the Center. The "archives" films are divide into three series; Archives Film (Series AF), Film File (Series AF) and Audio-Visual Education Center Film File Series AVEC Film File. The television programs are organized based on the

Archives Films

The "archival films": consist of documentary style, 16mm film footage of a variety of University of Michigan events, buildings, and personalities. The series originated in 1959 when the Television Center began a project to create a "university film archives." Some of this footage was shot for the purpose of being incorporated into television programs, but much of the filming was done simply to create a film record of the university. Filming was done on a regular basis through about 1972. After that date the Michigan Media collection includes comparatively few "archival" films.

The subject matter of the archival films falls into several broad categories:

1. Series AF -- Archives Films and Series FF -- Film File
   • Ceremonial - including footage of awards ceremonies, inaugurations, graduations, building groundbreakings and dedications
   • Campus scenes - buildings and construction sites, students on the Diag, and general activity on campus
   • Athletic events and marching band performances
   • Student activities -- including protests, fraternity/sorority activities, homecoming, course registration, and social events.
   • Faculty and administrator interviews
   • Visiting dignitaries and participants in special programs and conferences on campus.
   • Films collected by the Television Center - these include several films from the 1920s and 1930s
2. Series AVEC Film File
   • Original footage shot for use in Audio-Visual Education Center films

Films in the three archival series range from a few minutes to more than an hour in length. The films may be negatives, original positives, or work prints. Some are identified as "trims," i.e. original footage edited out of finished productions. The work prints have often been cut and spliced and portions may be missing. Several titles were originally recorded on either two- or one-videotape reels or directly on 3/4-inch videotape cassette.

The early films, ca 1953-ca.1963, are generally black and white. After 1963 color film is more common. Many of the films, especially, from the early years, are silent. For some of these there are accompanying 16mm magnetic sound tracks or 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audio tapes.

The film description part of the finding aid is arranged by series film number or titles. Film numbers were assigned by the Television Center in an approximate chronological order. The description of individual films is based on a card File created by the Television Center and on a viewing of each film by Bentley staff.

The descriptive record for each film includes the film number; title; date; a brief summary of the content of the film; a listing of significant persons appearing in the film; and technical information on the color, sound, polarity, and length of the film.

The films are stored in canisters, usually on a core rather than a reel. A film number generally refers to an individual film title. There is sometimes more than one film number in a canister and occasionally more than one film number on a single reel or core. Alternate versions of a title are indicated by a lower case letter.

The Television Center gave the films titles which are more or less descriptive. These titles have been retained except for a few instances in which a more descriptive title was assigned or in which a uniform title was created for all parts of a multi-reel film. The individual reels of multi-part titles are designated by a lower case letter, e.g. 98a, 98b, 98c. For some titles the may be more than one film, possibly a negative, positive, work print, or other version. A few tittles have been digitized and are available on DVD and streaming files.

The listing for each film or program in includes a Title, date of production, and abstract/summary of the content of the film and ,when available, the names of persons or organizations featured in the film. University of Michigan faculty and staff are identified by departmental or administrative affiliation (e.g. Peter Gosling, UM-Geog. A list of abbreviations used is included in the Additional Descriptive Data Section of this finding aid.) Technical information for the films is provided in the format: Original: 16mm film, pos, b/w, sil, 343, 00:09:35. The order of the information is:

1. Format -- film / videotape / magnetic sound track
2. Polarity -- neg (negative) /. Pos (positive) / wp (work print)
3. Color -- b/w or color
4. Sound -- silent / sound / sof (sound on film)/ at (accompanying 1/4-inch audiotape)
5. Length -- expressed in feet (footage value is sometimes an estimate)
6. Running time -- in the form 01:33:25 (hours:minutes:seconds)
7. (in cases where there are several versions of a title, there may be multiple values for each category)

Television Programs and AVEC Films

The Television Programs consist of 16mm kinescope films and two-inch and 1-inch videotapes of programs produced by the Center for distribution to commercial and educational television stations. The collection represents only a portion of the television programs produced by the Center. There were no extant copies of some programs when the library acquired the collection.

The films and videotapes in the Michigan Media collection were appraised and only a portion have been selected for permanent retention by the Bentley Historical Library. A number of appraisal criteria were used in determining which television programs and films were retained:

1. subject matter relating to the University of Michigan;
2. subject matter relating to the state of Michigan;
3. subject matter of general, national interest;
4. participation of prominent UM faculty or staff;
5. participation of prominent Michigan personalities;
6. participation of persons of national or international significance;
7. programs marking significant technical or artistic developments at Michigan Media;
8. award winning programs.

The television programs are organized by series created by the Center. The series for the most part reflect different type of programming the Center produced, from the earliest "telecourses" to the independent programs produced under the title "Understanding Our World". to the multi-part programs that were the core of the "University of Michigan Television Hour. See the History section for details on the different series.

The description for individual programs includes the title and date of the program, a unique id number, and an abstract of the content of the program with listing of the host and guests on the program. A program may exist in one or more formats: kinescope negative, kinescope positive and 1-inch or 2-inch videotape. Technical information for each program is recorded in the format16mm kinescope film, neg. #511, Pos. #665, 2-inch video #458. (the negative number was treated as a production and for some programs recorded originally on videotape a negative was not actually produced). The television programs were generally either twelve, fifteen or thirty minutes in length Most are black and white and all have sound.

In 2009 a selection of television programs and films and tapes were digitized. for each tape or film selected a preservation Beta SP tape was made as well as a DVD use copy and a streaming file (mpeg4 and Flash). For some films a high resolution digital copy was made as well (mpeg2). The finding aid lists the original format(s) and the derivative formats for the digitized items.

The television production studio and media services unit of the University of Michigan, commonly referred to as "Michigan Media." It was formed in 1978 through the merger of the university Television Center and the university Audio-Visual Education Center. The Television Center began producing educational programs for broadcast on commercial and public stations in 1950. The Audio-Visual Education Center produced films for the university and operated a film distribution library. The Media Resources Center closed in 1986. The record group consists of administrative records including Broadcasting Committee minutes, annual reports, unit review material, correspondence, and budget material; scripts for television programs and films; press releases; telecourse outlines and study guides; and brochures and catalogs; also photographs; and films.

The records of the University of Michigan Media Resources Center document the production of educational television programs and films at the University of Michigan, 1950-1988. The collection includes administrative records, scripts, press releases and program summaries, photographs, and films and videotapes. This finding aid describes in detail the paper and photograph portion of the collection and briefly describes the film and videotape. A companion finding aid entitled "University of Michigan. Michigan Media. Program Descriptions" provides detailed descriptions of the films and videotapes in the collection. The Program Description finding aid is stored at the reference desk in the reading room of the Bentley Historical Library.

Office established to plan and coordinate events, exhibits, and publicity for the University of Michigan Medical School sesquicentennial. Records include committee minutes, event schedules and planning material, press releases, clippings, articles, publicity, script and production files for sesquicentennial video, and student life photographs. Also includes videotape and audio tape of media coverage of events and lapel pins and merchandise created for the sesquicentennial.

The records consist of material created and compiled by the staff of the Medical School Sesquicentennial Office. The records include a variety of information about the planning and production of special events, and publications and publicity for the 150-year anniversary of the Medical School.

The collection is divided into eight series: Sesquicentennial Committee Materials, Publicity, Exhibits and Displays, Events, Audio-Visual, Publications, and Artifacts.

The University of Michigan's first professional school; the Medical School record group includes historical and administrative records related to the school and its faculty and administrators, 1850-2010.

The records of the Medical School span over 160 years, beginning in 1850 and continuing through 2010. They include 389.7 linear feet of material, 10 oversize volumes, 9 oversize folders of miscellaneous documents, and 3.3 GB of digital material stored online. The records include dean's correspondence and subject files, executive committee minutes, faculty minutes, annual reports of departments, school accreditation and review files, a variety of special reports and studies, and extensive files on the Replacement Hospital Project (Taubman Center). The record group also contains photo prints depicting faculty, students and facilities, including a remarkable series of photographs taken by J. Jefferson Gibson circa 1893.

The Medical School records have been organized into five subgroups: Dean's Records, Subordinate Administrative Officers, Faculty Records, Audio-Visual Materials, and Miscellaneous records. Within each subgroup there are a number of series and these series may be further subdivided to reflect the date span of the records received in each accession.

The Medical School records have been received in several accessions and the physical arrangement of the records (the number order of the boxes) reflects the various installments in which they were received. The accessions sometimes reflected the tenure of a particular dean or other administrator, but frequently appear to have been somewhat arbitrary transfers of files. Records from individual subgroups, series and subseries often continue across multiple accessions--sometimes with consecutive date ranges, but often with overlapping date spans.

In this finding aid the records are described in their intellectual order -- subgroups and series are brought together irrespective of the particular accession in which they were received. As a result, in the detailed contents listing the box number order will not always be consecutive.

Advocacy organization started in 1937 to promote awareness of mental health issues and lobby for patient rights. The record group documents the evolution of mental health care and legislative and organizational efforts to improve the field.

Thee Mental Health Association in Michigan document the organization's efforts to promote and improve mental health care in the sate of Michigan. The record group includes correspondence, mailing, board and committee files, reports, files on annual meetings and regional meetings and workshops, MHAM publications and newsletters, and photographs. The records are arranged into the following series: Administrative Records, Conferences and Meetings, Newsletters, Reports, Site Visitation Program, Topical Files, Clippings, and Visual Materials.

The Metropolitan Christian Council (Detroit-Windsor) has been organizing the Detroit community around issues of faith since 1919. The record group documents the activities of the Council from the early 1920s until 2003. Records include annual reports produced by the Council, minutes from administrative meetings, pamphlets and promotional materials, photographs of council leadership and churches, topical files, and videotapes of television programs produced by the council.

The records of the Metropolitan Christian Council have been divided between two archival repositories. The first accession was given to the Walter Reuther Library, Wayne State University, in Detroit. A summary listing of these materials will be found in the Related Materials portion of this finding aid. In 2006, the Council, upon concurrence with archivists at the Reuther Library, donated additional records to the Bentley Historical Library. This second accession of records dates close to the founding of the organization and extends up to 2004. The series within the two accessions, however, do not seem to overlap and consist of different kinds of records.

The record group donated to the Bentley Library now comprises seven record series: Board of Directors, Council Packets, Programs, brochures, and other publications, Annual Reports, Topical Files, Television Programs, and General Assembly. In addition, the Council donated issues of its annual church directory and its newspaper -- The Newscaster-- which have been pulled from the records and cataloged separately.

Author and political consultant from Charlotte, Michigan who wrote a book on the Milo Radulovich Case; records include interviews, correspondence, newspaper clippings, Radulovich military records, research notes, and documentation relating to the writing and publication of To Strike at a King: The Turning Point in the McCarthy Witch-Hunt.

The collection consists of six series: Milo Radulovich Research materials, Writing and Publicity, Later Milo Radulovich materials, Other articles, Video materials, Sound materials, and Posters. The collection's strength lies in Ranville's interviews with Milo, his sister, and other's involved in Radulovich's Air Force Security Hearing, as well as in the other accumulated research materials.

Topical files and writings of Michelle Krebs, a Detroit-based freelance automotive writer who served as editorial coordinator and contributing editor for various publications of the automotive industry as well as contributing journalist for newspapers and general-interest magazines.

The Michelle Krebs collection includes her writings, in the form of newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as research materials collected as part of her professional work as analyst and journalist for the automotive industry. The papers are arranged in the following series: Writings, Topical Files, and Promotional Materials, Press Releases, and Publications, and Shows and Presentations Audio Visual Materials. The 2012 accession contains additions to the Topical Files, Promotional Materials, Press Releases, and Publications series.

Organization formed to coordinate support for abortion reform in Michigan in the 1972 statewide election. The record group includes position papers, surveys, mailings, press releases, correspondence, visual materials, and clippings relating to the campaign.

The papers of MARC have been organized both chronologically and by type of material. Papers from the drive for legislation (1969-1971) are followed by materials from the petition drive (1971-1972) and the referendum campaign (1972). Campaign materials include the publicity and press releases of MARC, organizing materials, publicity distributed by the group opposed to Proposition B, the Michigan Right to Life Committee, and correspondence.

The Michigan Citizen was a weekly African American newspaper published from 1978 to 2014, and distributed in Benton Harbor, the City of Highland Park, and the City of Detroit, Michigan. The Michigan Citizen Records consist of the weekly issues of the Michigan Citizen newspaper, the subject files used by the newspaper staff, reporter's notes, correspondence written to the editor of the Michigan Citizen, and hundreds of photographs.

The Michigan Citizen Records document various points of political, social, and economic history and events, relating to African Americans, that took place in southern Michigan from 1978-2015, with specific focuses on the cities of Benton Harbor, Detroit, and Highland Park.