Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The Nursing History Society aims to preserve the history of nursing at the University of Michigan. Society was officially formed in 1983 with the purpose of engaging in activities directed toward the preservation of the history of nursing at the University of Michigan. Records include administrative files, meeting minutes, programs, membership materials, and reports; historical files date from 1936 and include materials on the subject of nursing history, class notes, nursing manuals, oral history tapes, and photographs.

The records for the Nursing History Society consist of administrative records, including minutes, programs, membership materials, and reports; historical files dating back to 1936, collected material on the subject of nursing history, University of Michigan nursing class notes, nursing manuals, oral history tapes, and photographs.

Established in 1891 as the University of Michigan Training School for Nurses, the School of Nursing offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees and continuing education in nursing specializations including medical-surgical nursing, psychiatric mental health nursing, and nursing administration. The record group includes administrative and topical files of the dean, committee and faculty records, photographs, and research area files.

The physical records of the School of Nursing measure 112 feet, 2 oversize folders, and 1.24 GB (online), with an additional 9 feet of material in records center storage. Physical records date from 1891 to 2010, although the great majority of the material was created after 1940 by the current School of Nursing; the School of Nursing website has been archived since the early 2000s.

Only fragmentary records of the school's two predecessor units are found in the collection. Reflecting the source of the material, the collection has been arranged into broad subgroups, the titles of which usually reflect the dean from whose office the records originated.