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The records of the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan include council proceedings (1834-1919); assessment rolls (1830, 1839, and 1958-1959); scrapbooks relating to city government (1904-1951); and records and photographs detailing the city's waste management and recycling program beginning in the 1980s. Miscellaneous materials include plats of the wards, 1912; election returns, 1847-1852; records of the former city of East Ann Arbor and the Village of Ann Arbor (Lower Town); and minutes of the Ann Arbor Park Commission (1905-1956). Also of interest are files concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad and the city's street railway and interurban system.

The series in this record group include: Election returns; Bonds; Assessment Rolls; Miscellaneous; City of East Ann Arbor; Council proceedings; Scrapbooks; Ann Arbor Park Commission; Village of Ann Arbor (Lower Town); Photographs; Recycling and Environmental Issues; and Other City Records.

Professor of electrical engineering at University of Michigan and Ann Arbor, Michigan city councilman. Correspondence and other materials concerning professional interests and inventions, council activities, particularly urban renewal and effort to improve methods of garbage disposal and halt spread of trichinosis; and files relating to professional society, Tau Beta Pi, activities.

The papers of Arthur Dearth Moore document his career teacher and researcher at the University of Michigan, pioneering work in the field of electrostatics, activities in professional organizations, and his service on the Ann Arbor City Council. The papers have been divided into the following groups of material: Biographical; Correspondence; Tau Beta Pi; Naval Ordnance Laboratory; Organizations; Instructional Materials; Published Works; Unpublished Works; Hydrocal; Electrostatics Society of America; Reference Files-Electrostatics; Ann Arbor City Council; and Miscellaneous.

Student papers, 1930-1987 prepared for classes in history at the University of Michigan (primarily Michigan history class taught by Lewis G. VanderVelde, but also including research papers for classes taught by Sidney Fine and others); topics concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; and local community history.

The student papers are organized alphabetically by author in two series, which are similar in date range and topics covered. Topics of papers concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; local community history and University of Michigan history. A topical index to the papers is available in the first box of the collection.

Papers of Douglas D. Crary (1910-2005), professor of geography at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor City Council member, and active participant in numerous civic and community affairs, particularly those related to development and planning. The series in the collection are: Municipal Affairs; University of Michigan; Political Affairs; Huron River Watershed Council; Community Activity; Ann Arbor Planning Commission; Clippings; Miscellaneous local activities; and World War II activities.

The personal papers of Douglas Crary reflect his public activities rather than his private life. The papers have been divided into nine series: Municipal Affairs, 1962-1976; University of Michigan, 1965; Political Affairs, 1964-1970; Huron River Watershed Council, 1965-1973; Community Activity, 1981-1988; Ann Arbor Planning Commission, 1965-1977; Clippings, circa 1965-1980, Miscellaneous local activities; and World War II activities.

Administrative and organizational records; files relating to elections and local and state issues.

The records of the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area have been arranged into the following series: Organizational Records, 1942-1966 (mainly Mrs. Ivan Duff files); Health Care and Planning Issues, 1966-1973; Administrative, 1920-1990; Elections, 1946-1982; Issues, 1944-1981: and Topical files, 1969-1983. As the records came from different donors, there is some inevitable overlap between the various series.

Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1978-1985. Mayoralty files and photographs.

This collection of Belcher's papers is confined exclusively to his tenure as mayor of Ann Arbor, 1978-1985. As mayor, Belcher received copies of many of the memos and letters sent to and from the various city departments. Hence this collection represents, to some extent, the records of the city administration as a whole, not just the papers of the mayor. But there are significant gaps in the collection, and some gaps represent major concerns of Belcher's mayoralty. There is virtually no material concerning the Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA) or the Housing Commission. (Indeed, of the five principal city commissions, only Planning is represented here.) Most of the city offices and departments have folders in the mayor's files except the Assistant to the City Administrator for Labor Negotiations and Relations, the Data Processing office, and the Bicycle Coordinator of the Transportation Department.

The arrangement of the papers generally reflects their original order. To be sure, in most cases the original order was maintained even though cumbersome and duplicative, because the file system seemed to reflect the priorities, attitudes, and procedures of the mayor's office. When possible the contents list provides cross-references to assist the researcher in overcoming some of the complications of the arrangement. The Belcher mayoralty papers are arranged in seven series: Personal; Official Communications; City Government; Planning File; Conferences, Leagues, and Councils; Topical File; and Photographs.