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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.

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.

Professor of history and director of the Michigan Historical Collections at the University of Michigan; professional correspondence, lecture and research notes, speeches, writings, and personal miscellanea.

The F. Clever Bald collection includes correspondence, speeches, lecture and research notes, and manuscripts of published and unpublished research writings. Of interest is Bald's manuscript of his "The University of Michigan in World War II." Other World War II materials include completed questionnaires which he sent out to Michigan colleges and universities relating to their activities during the war. There are also letters (1944-1946) received from Chester A. Antiau discussing his work with the U. S. Army Information and Education Service during World War II including comments on conditions in Italy and Germany. Other parts of the collection are the letters he wrote while serving in the 111th Ambulance Company. Other files concern his activities with the Michigan Historical Collections, the Civil War Centennial Observance Commission, and the Algonquin Club of Detroit.