Search

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.

Exhibition photographs and captions used in the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Rackham Building, 1988. Also includes related correspondence. Mainly photographs of distinguished Rackham Ph.D. holders.

The majority of the collection is comprised of folders on individual participants. They are arranged by academic division (I: Biological and Health Sciences, II: Physical Sciences and Engineering, III: Social Sciences and Education, IV: Humanities and the Arts) and within division, alphabetically by last name of participant. The materials include incoming and outgoing correspondence between the individual and Bentley Library archivists; the negative image, from which the exhibit photograph was made; and a copy of the caption used in the exhibit. When the positive image, from which the negative was made, was a copyrighted one, credit to the photographer was given at the bottom of the caption and the folder includes correspondence between the library and the photographer regarding permission to use the photograph in the exhibit. The researcher who is interested in reproducing images of exhibit participants is urged to review the respective folder materials carefully to insure proper compliance with copyright laws.

The remaining folders in the collection include materials from individuals who sent information after the exhibit deadline and therefore could not be included in it, and those who either declined or were unable to participate. The researcher will also find the nominations submitted by schools and departments, and the text which introduced the exhibit.

Records generated by administrators and offices charged with the financial activities of the University, including Secretary and Vice-President Shirley W. Smith and Controller and Assistant Secretary John C. Christensen; include general University financial records; records of land; trust fund records; proposed development and construction projects; operating records of buildings, divisions and other units.

The records of Financial Operations date from 1837 to 1982, primarily after 1910. The 27 linear feet of manuscript material, 52 oversized volumes and one reel of microfilm reflect not only the financial records normally associated with an accounting office, but also the broad range of subjects which became a concern under the leadership of Shirley Smith. What would eventually become Financial Operations may have served as a records storage office for many of the other units under Smith's control. In any event, Financial Operations became the guardian of a wide variety of records, documenting the University in a number of ways not normally expected of an accounting service.

Of particular note, the collection contains a variety of different record formats. Bound materials, in the form of books, are included in the boxes and when numbering more than one, are listed in the finding aid as multiple volumes. The collection also contains oversized volumes, in the form of large accounting books. These oversized volumes are numbered and stored separately. They are listed in the finding aid where intellectually appropriate, and designated by volume number. Enclosed in this finding aid is an index of the oversized volumes, organized by number, and their contents.

The collection is divided into six series: General University Financial Records; Trust Fund Records; Records of Land, Proposed Development and Construction; Operating Records of Buildings, Divisions and other Units; Miscellaneous Reports, Studies and Volumes; and Accounting Office Records.

The last will and testament of Horace H. Rackham provided for the establishment of a trust fund to provide for the health and welfare of individuals, particularly the sick, aged, the young, the poor, and other underprivileged. Much of the trust money went to the University of Michigan to be used for a building for the graduate school and an endowment to be used for different kinds of research. The Fund also awarded grants to agencies involved in child welfare, community culture, education, health, philanthropy, and science. The Fund distributed money from 1934 until about 1941. The series in this record group consist of administrative and executive files, and project applications and grant files.

The records of the Horace H. Rackham and Mary A. Rackham Fund document the continuing generosity of Horace Rackham and Mary Rackham to numerous charitable, educational, and scientific organizations and causes. The records contain the files of the Fund's trustees and directors and provide insight and information about such topics as the administration of a philanthropic fund-giving organization during the mid-1930s, the kinds of gifts made, the relationship among the Fund's trustees and officers, and the relationship between the Fund and the grant recipients. Because of the size of the gift, most of the documentation within the record group details the close ties between the Fund and the University of Michigan. These files concern not only the establishment of the Rackham endowment to the University, but also the different scientific and educational grants made. Additionally, these files detail the construction of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies building in Ann Arbor and the Rackham Educational Memorial building in Detroit.

The records of the Fund cover the period of 1929-1950 though they bulk largest for the period of the Fund's greatest activity, 1934-1940. The record group has been separated into two series: Combined Administrative and Executive Office Files and Project applications/grants.

Graduate School of the University of Michigan. Includes Bulletins and Announcements of courses and degree requirements, graduate student hand books and other information for graduate students.

The Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies Announcements, Bulletins and Handbooks series consists of publications directly related to graduate school policies and procedures and includes information on degree program requirements and curriculum.

Academic degree program requirements are defined in what is called the university "bulletin" or general catalog. For example, program requirements outline how many credits and what subjects a student needs to complete in order to receive a degree in an academic program within a specific school or college. At the University of Michigan, the degree program requirements are positioned as a contract between the university and the student with regard to the definition and program requirements.

Included in this series are the Announcement (or Bulletin), Graduate Student Handbook and Information for Graduate Students. Some publications (or their successors) may no longer be available in print but are available on the school s website.

Note that other publications produced by the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, such as Rackham Reports, are separately cataloged.

Graduate School of the University of Michigan. Records include dean's topical files, 1892-1996; files of associate deans; minutes of the executive board; project and grant files detailing faculty and student research; lists of degrees granted; records of fellowships and awards granted by the graduate school and university; and files relating to academic departments and programs, including reviews of degree programs.

The records of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies document the administration of the school, its academic programs and research projects and fellowships funded by the school and outside sources. The records include Dean's Files, minutes of the Executive Board and Administrative Council, Academic Unit and Program Evaluation files, and grants administration records.

Records of the Graduate School have been received by the library in numerous accessions, some large others quite small. Some accessions represent continuations or complements to previously received materials. This finding attempts to intellectually integrate continuing or similar record series received in multiple accessions.

The records are organized into a number of series. Among the more significant are:

1. Deans' Topical File
2. Research Records
3. University Units
4. Program Evaluations
5. Faculty Research Grants
6. Degree Lists
7. Faculty Fellowships, Grants and Awards
8. Graduate School Executive Board and Administrative Council

In 2008, the Rackham School of Graduate Studies announced that it would become a 'paperless' office and that future accessions to the Bentley Library would be electronic. The materials from 1990 to 2003 were thus digitized by Rackham staff (from the original paper records) and saved as PDF (Portable Document Format) files. As of 2012, these digital accessions comprise two subseries within the Graduate School Executive Board and Administrative Council series and Program Evaluation series.

University of Michigan unit established to coordinate loan of library materials to high schools and various local organizations, and to supplement the program of the Extension Service. Administrative files, including historical material, annual and monthly reports, and subject files; and published material consisting of bulletins, and printed reading lists and bibliographies.

The Library Extension Services' collection dates from 1916 to 1980. It is divided into two series, an administrative file and unit publications. The administrative file (1916-1980) is arranged alphabetically, one exception being historical material that has been grouped together at the beginning of the series. Included in the series is a nearly complete run of annual reports and information regarding branch libraries. Information regarding the Detroit branch is particularly extensive, and includes a number of annual reports (1959-1980). There is information regarding a cooperative project sponsored by the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Western Michigan University in the Saginaw area (ca. 1967). The series also contains several folders of information regarding a Special Committee re Cooperative Services of the Michigan Library Association (1960-1967).

The Publications series (1919-1979), has been supplemented by material collected previously by the Bentley Library and represents all of the publications of LES available at the Bentley. Included are the LES Bulletin of Information (1919-1920 to 1952), recommended books for secondary school libraries (1931-1952), alumni reading lists (1931-1948), and bibliographies on selected subjects (ca. 1975-ca. 1979).

The Photographs series includes images showing staff, exhibitions and other activities of the Library Extension Service and views of the library facilities.

Secretary of the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Transportation Authority (AATA). Minutes, 1969-1973, financial statements, reports, and photographs of the AATA largely concerning the problems of mass transportation and the development of the "Dial-a-Ride" system; also papers concerning the development of streets and automobile parking facilities in the city.

The Marjorie C. Brazer Papers covers the period of 1955 to 1983 and has been arranged mainly by the name of organization in which Brazer participated. The largest portion of the collection - Ann Arbor Transportation Authority - consists of minutes, policy and long-range planning documents, and subject files detailing the process by which the bus service for Ann Arbor was established, and the beginning of the Dial-a-Ride program. Other smaller organization files in the collection pertain to the Citizen's Association for Area Planning, the Detroit Committee for Neighborhood Conservation and Improved Housing, the Huron High Bi-Racial Committee, the League of Women Voters (Detroit), the League of Women Voters (Ann Arbor), and the Washtenaw County Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity. One file - Washtenaw County Political Campaigns - concerns Lloyd Ives' 1959 Ann Arbor mayoral campaign and Brazer's own 1968 campaign for county supervisor.

Of interest is the documentation of an oral history project undertaken by Brazer in 1983 and pertaining to the establishment and operation of the Rackham endowment to the University of Michigan. This materials is arranged into the Rackham Endowment Oral History Project series. The series includes oral history audiocassettes and administrative files for the project. Brazer's work on this project resulted in her Biography of an Endowment, published in 1985 by the Bentley Historical Library.

The collection also contains family school yearbooks.

University of Michigan professor of law, 1936-1944 and 1968-1972, vice president for university relations, 1944-1951, vice president and dean of faculties, 1951-1962, and executive vice president, 1962-1967. Papers include correspondence and reports concerning University affairs and some course materials from Niehuss' law classes. Included here are files relating to Niehuss' involvement in the University decision to fire three professors investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and in the review of the University's compliance to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Marvin Niehuss Papers document his career as Law School faculty member and university administrator. The papers include correspondence and reports concerning University affairs and some course materials from Niehuss' law classes. Included here are files relating to Niehuss' involvement in the University decision to fire three professors investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and in the review of the University's compliance to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Niehuss papers have arrived in three separate accessions. Researchers should be aware that there is significant overlap within the three accessions. Specific topics can be tracked across the various accessions. The papers are organized into two series: a small Miscellaneous File, 1945-1951, and Topical Files, 1923-1972.

Professor of biology and dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies; contain correspondence and other papers concerning his professional activities; and biographical sketch.

The Okkelberg collection is comprised of correspondence dating from 1910 to 1950, the approximate dates of his tenure at the University of Michigan. The correspondence is arranged chronologically and relates primarily to his career as a professor of zoology and to his work as an University of Michigan assistant and associate dean of the graduate school. Okkelberg corresponded with colleagues and administrators, within and outside the University of Michigan community. Correspondents include: Marion L. Burton, Oct. 1920, Robert M. Lovett, Sept. 1926, Jacob E. Reighard, July 1913, and Alexander G. Ruthven, June 1914 and April 1918.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. Central Files subgroup includes correspondence files of vice-presidents, associate and assistant vice-presidents, and other staff members within the vice-president's office.

The records of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs date from 1947 to 1997 and total more than 675 linear feet. The records are a rich source of information on the University of Michigan from the 1960s to the present. They contain a wide variety of material documenting the concerns of the administration and, to a lesser extent, the faculty and students regarding academic programs, student and faculty activities, and the administrative operations of the University of Michigan.

The records, which include the provost's files as well as the files of associate and assistant vice presidents, are arranged in three subgroups: Central Files, Staff Files, and Supplemental Files. The Central Files subgroup consists of the records maintained by the provost's office and is discussed in greater detail below. The Staff Files subgroup includes the records of assistant and associate vice presidents and of the assistants to the provost. The Supplemental Files subgroup contains material on specific topics to which a number of academic affairs staff contributed their efforts, including retreats, unit reviews, and searches. Each of the subgroups is fully described in a separate finding aid.

It should be noted that some of the records in the record group predate the founding of the Office of Academic Affairs. Such records were generally brought by vice presidents or staff members from previous positions or inherited from persons who formerly performed their duties.

The Central Files subgroup consists of 605 linear feet dating from the creation of the Office of Academic Affairs in the academic year 1961/1962 to 2012/2013. The records consist primarily of correspondence, minutes and other committee files, reports, and budget materials, reflecting the broad range of responsibilities and functions of the provost. Whereas the records of the Staff Files subgroup tend to document the process of policy formation and decision-making functions, the Central Files records more often contain finished products, such as reports and policy statements. For the researcher interested in the provost's views on a particular topic or issue, or the Office of Academic Affairs involvement in the academic and financial life of various schools and colleges, the Central Files subgroup is the single best starting point.

The records of the Central Files subgroup are broken into series by academic year, and each series consists of one or more of the following subseries: Alphabetical Files, Schools and Colleges Files, and Chronological Files. From 1961/1962 through 1973/1974 the series each consist of one subseries of Alphabetical Files. The Alphabetical Files are arranged alphabetically and include topical files as well as files regarding university academic, research, and service units.

From 1974/1975 to 1983/1984 the series are split into two subseries, Alphabetical Files and Schools and Colleges Files. The Alphabetical Files remain similar in content to previous years with the exception that files relating to academic units, namely schools, colleges, and their departments, now comprise the subseries Schools and Colleges Files. Records concerning centers, special libraries, museums, institutes, and interdisciplinary programs are filed in the Alphabetical Files subseries. The Schools and Colleges Files are arranged alphabetically by academic unit and contain materials relating to the annual budget requests, promotion and tenure decisions, internal and external reviews, dean evaluations, and changes in academic programs.

For the years 1974/1975 to 1981/1982, with the exception of 1976/1977, there is an "Index to Correspondence" located at the end of the Alphabetical Files which lists in chronological order the letters written by the vice president, the name of the recipient, the subject of the letter, and the heading under which it is filed.

From 1984/1985 to 1993/1994, 1998/1999-2008/2009 and 2010/2011-2011/2012 the series consist of three subseries: Alphabetical Files, Schools and Colleges Files, and Chronological Files. The Alphabetical Files and the Schools and Colleges Files, while becoming more voluminous over the years, remain similar in nature. The Chronological Files consist of all outgoing correspondence from the vice president and are arranged by month. The Chronological Files are useful if the researcher knows the date the vice president might have corresponded on a particular topic but is unsure of the heading used for filing in the Alphabetical Files.

The Alphabetical Files, as mentioned above, are a strong source of information on a variety of topics relating to the administration of a large university, including the university's relationship with state and federal governments, issues confronting institutions of higher education at various points in time (student unrest and affirmative action, for example), collaborative efforts with other Big Ten and area colleges and universities, and the creation and revision of university policies. The minutes of the Academic Affairs Advisory Council (AAAC) are an especially good source of information on the activities of the Office of Academic Affairs. The AAAC, composed of the deans of the schools and colleges, directors of institutes, centers, and special libraries, and the staff of the Office of Academic Affairs, was established to hold monthly meetings to discuss educational policy, planning for growth, and special studies.

Because folder titles on a particular subject may vary from year to year, researchers are advised to be imaginative in searching for information in the topical files. It should also be noted that information on any given subject can probably be found in various places in the collection.

The 2010 and 2011 series feature the addition of the Archived Website subseries. These were created to preserve the office's public website over time. The subseries document the mission, activities, policies, and individuals involved in the operation of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs as they are presented on its public website. Content includes important news and announcements, publications (such as reports and administrative documents), and information about committees, initiatives, and events. This archived website will be captured on a regular, ongoing basis as part of the University of Michigan Web Archives, hosted at https://archive-it.org/organizations/934.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. The Staff Files subgroup contains the files of individual of vice-presidents, associate and assistant vice-presidents, and other staff members within the vice-president's office.

The Staff Files subgroup of the record group Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs consists of 570 linear feet and spans the years from 1947 to 2013. The Staff Files subgroup is comprised of the records of the associate and assistant vice presidents for academic affairs. Whereas the records of the Central Files subgroup often contain finished products, such as reports and policy statements, the Staff Files subgroup tends to document the process of policy formation and other decision-making functions. Scattered through the associate and assistant vice presidents' papers, for example, are frank statements of opinion regarding various schools and programs, candidates for promotion, and the relationship between the branches of the university, as well as notes on meetings with faculty members, committee activities, and other subjects.

The Staff Files subgroup includes the records of the following past and current associate and assistant vice presidents, listed in the order in which their records first appear in the boxlist: Ernest R. Zimmermann, Carolyne K. Davis, Edward A. Dougherty, Richard A. English, Robert L. Williams, John H. Romani, Mary Ann Swain, Robert S. Holbrook, W. Allen Spivey, Robert B. Holmes, Niara Sudarkasa, Robin Jacoby, Robert Sauve, E. Kay Dawson, Susan Lipschutz, Paul Courant, Marilyn Knepp, Pamela A. Raymond, Katharine Soper, Karen Gibbons, John Godfrey, Nancy Cantor, A. Lawrence Fincher, Ralph P. Nichols, Valerie Castle, Glenda Haskell, Linda Gillum, Janet Weiss, Ben van der Plijm, Sharon Schmidt, Kathleen (Kati) Bauer, James Hilton, Stephanie Riegle, Catherine Shaw, Philip Hanlon, Teresa Sullivan, Anne Berens, Brian Konz, John King, Lester Monts, Martha E. Pollack, Lori Haskins, and Ron Fitzgerald. The records of an individual, while still in office, are received by the archives on an ongoing basis.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. Supplemental Files subgroup includes material on a number of subjects that was filed separately from the vice presidents' or staff's papers when the record group was received.

The Supplemental Files subgroup of the record group Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs consists of 155 linear feet (in 159 boxes) and spans the years from 1953 to 2013. This subgroup consists of material that was not interfiled with the vice presidents' or staff's papers when the record group was received. The records generally were not created or maintained by any one staff member in the Office of Academic Affairs, but rather are the result of the examination of a particular issue or topic over a period of time by a variety of people.

There are 14 series of varying sizes which comprise this subgroup. For an alphabetical list of the series in this subgroup, please consult the Summary Contents List in the Arrangement section of the finding aid.

The Rackham Student Government facilitates student-faculty communication, provides funding for student activities, and appoints graduate-student representatives to university committees. The organization has operated under several different, earlier titles, including the Graduate Student Council and Graduate Assembly. This record group includes minutes, grant requests, correspondence, reports, and publications.

The Rackham Student Government record group consists of minutes, grant proposals, correspondence, publications, and reports. The record group is divided into four series: Minutes and Supporting Materials, Elections, Grant Requests, and Topical Files. All series are arranged chronologically, except the Topical Files series, which is arranged alphabetically.

Physicist, University of Michigan professor, dean of the graduate school; correspondence, writings, speeches, organizational files, audio-visual materials.

Although the Ralph A. Sawyer collection includes materials relating to all phases of his career, beginning with his studies at the University of Chicago in 1918-1919, the strength of the files are for those activities outside of the University of Michigan, notably his work with the U.S. Navy laboratories, Joint Task Force One, the American Institute of Physics, and the Optical Society of America. Files dealing with his University of Michigan activities are less complete as these materials will be found with the records of those units which Sawyer headed.

Architectural and engineering firm established in 1853 and headquartered in Detroit, Mich. with offices throughout the United States. Collection contains architectural drawings of five Michigan projects located in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Flint.

This collection consists of architectural drawings for five projects: the Gregory Mayer & Thom and Society of Arts and Crafts buildings in Detroit, the Industrial Mutual Association (IMA) Auditorium in Flint, and the University of Michigan's Chemistry and Rackham buildings in Ann Arbor.

Artificially constructed collection of University of Michigan publications received from a variety of sources. The publications have been sorted by the name of the creating unit, office or organization. Publications within the units or organizations have not been arranged.

The Publications in this artificially constructed collection of drop boxes include annual reports, brochures, bulletins, catalogs, directories, ephemera including flyers, invitations, posters, and programs, histories, manuals, newsletters, proceedings of conferences, reports, and topical publications.

A small number of publications for which no creating organization is discernible are listed at the end of this finding aid by title. These publications include a number of student newsletters and campus guides. Major continuing units are represented as well as smaller and defunct units.

Some university publications have been individually cataloged and exist in their own record groups. As this collection serves as an unprocessed drop box for university publications, not all units will be represented. Most of the units represented consist of a few folders of material, unless otherwise indicated in the finding aid. Consult MIRLYN for individually cataloged items as well as other related items.