Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

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.

A cross-disciplinary center for the study of Chinese history, culture and contemporary Chinese society at the University of Michigan, includes administrative records of the Center and information on research, lecture series, exhibits and other activities of the center.

The Center for Chinese Studies record group consists primarily of material for the years 1962 to 1994. Overall strengths of the collection include documentation of PASE, records of the Asia Library (1962-1982), and course information from curriculum development (1960s). Yearly budget and financial records are fairly complete, except for the period from 1971 to 1976. The gap is unfortunate because it was during these years that the Ford Foundation grants ended and the center had to search for new funding sources. Other material is broadly illustrative of the diversity of the tasks undertaken by the center.

The record group, as received by the Bentley Library, mostly consisted of loose documents and random topical folders. It now consists of topical folders arranged alphabetically within five series. The series Directors Correspondence and the Asia Library are in their original order, as received by the library; Administrative Records, Activities, and Printed Materials are artificial groupings created to provide order and easy access to the records.

The Bentley Historical Library received another large transfer of records from the Center for Chinese Studies in 1997. Spanning the years 1966 through 1994, these consist primarily of administrative files and information pertaining to the activities which the Center for Chinese Studies organized or in which it participated. The records were relatively well organized when it was attained by the Bentley Library. The original order of the records was retained with the exception of some files pertaining to the East Asian Capital Campaign. These were reorganized so that they could be located in one series.

The records of the University of Michigan College Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP U-M) document the chapter's activities from 1968 to 1989, and 2017 to 2019. First established on May 8, 1951, the student chapter focuses on educating its membership and the wider university community on local and national issues related to racial injustice. This collection contains physical and digital materials that document the chapter's role in minority recruitment and retention for U-M, strengthening relations between U-M faculty, staff, and the chapter leadership, involvement in NAACP conventions, and other internal and community activities. Materials include administrative records, reports, conference materials, correspondence, flyers, clippings, photographs and video recordings, among other materials.

This collection contains physical and digital materials that document the chapter's role in minority recruitment and retention for U-M, strengthening relations between U-M faculty, staff, and the chapter leadership, involvement in NAACP conventions, and other internal and community activities. Materials include administrative records, reports, conference materials, correspondence, flyers, clippings, photographs and video recordings, among other materials. The order within each file has been maintained.

Student organization at the University of Michigan established in 1968 for students of African descent. The materials in the collection include minutes, correspondence, agendas, officer reports and topical files on issues including the Michigan Mandate and the 2000 Michigamua protest. The collection also contains photographs, audio/visual recordings, Twitter posts, and event flyers.

The Black Student Union (University of Michigan) records document the various activities of the Black Student Union at U-M. Materials in this collection include agendas, budgets, correspondence, event flyers, minutes, officer reports, photographs, topical files, Twitter posts, and audio/visual recordings.

Organization established in 1993 to research, collect, preserve and exhibit cultural and historical materials relating to the life and work of African Americans in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Record book, folder, and a scrapbook containing minutes, program files, correspondence, financial records, by-laws, publications, and clippings.

Record book containing minutes, program files, newsletters, correspondence, financial records, and constitution and by-laws; also scrapbook of clippings, programs, brochures, and other informational items.

Alan B. Howes was professor of English at the University of Michigan from 1955 to 2001. He was involved in the formation of several unique programs, such as the NDEA Summer Institute for English Teachers, the New England Literature Program, and the Professional Semester. This collection includes correspondence, material from Howes' teaching career and involvement with these programs, and an assortment of Howes' writings.

The Alan B. Howes Papers document Howes' career in teaching, primarily his many years as professor of English at the University of Michigan, and his involvement in programs such as the NDEA Summer Institute for English Teachers, the Professional Semester, and the New England Literature Program (NELP). The records are arranged into nine series: Biographical, Correspondence, Course Materials The Michigan English Teacher, NDEA Summer Institute for English Teachers, New England Literature Program, Photos, Professional Semester, and Projects and Papers.

Alan Abrams is a Detroit-based press agent/public relations consultant in the music business; publicist for Motown Record Corporation, 1964-1966, later with Stax Records, 1967-1968. The collection consists of press releases, clippings, publicity material, scrapbooks containing press coverage of the recording artists that he represented, including the Supremes, photographs, and his writings about Motown, Otis Redding, and Florence Ballard.

The Al Abrams collection contains scrapbooks, correspondence, press releases, photographs, and memoirs detailing Abrams' work as a publicist and press agent for Detroit's Motown and for Stax Records in Memphis. The collection is valuable for its documentation of Motown in the period of the early to mid-1960s when this Detroit company was beginning its great string of record successes. Abrams was a great collector of press and other materials about the artists who worked for Motown and Stax-Volt.

The Abrams collection measures two linear feet and four oversize volumes whose contents have been foldered. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Motown Record Company, Stax Record Company, Al Abrams Associates, Miscellaneous, Visual Materials, and Scrapbooks.

Albert Kahn was a Detroit-based architect, active from 1896 to 1942. He founded the firm, Albert Kahn Associated Architects & Engineers, which is today known as Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. He was best known for his industrial design work, including the Ford Motor Company's Highland Park and River Rouge plants; numerous commercial buildings in Detroit such as the Fisher Building, Detroit Athletic Club, and General Motors Building; and much of the University of Michigan's Central Campus, including Angell Hall, the Clements Library, and Hill Auditorium, as well as the Willow Run Bomber Plant near Ann Arbor, Michigan. After Kahn's death in 1942, his architectural firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., has continued to be a worldwide leader in the design of factory buildings that enhance the manufacturing process. The Albert Kahn Associates records are composed of materials produced by Albert Kahn the architect, as well as materials produced by his firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., and include correspondence, company files, photographs, published materials, and architectural drawings.

The Albert Kahn Associates records offer researchers the opportunity to study the correspondence, transcripts of speeches, photographs, and architectural drawings of the preeminent, American, industrial architect, Albert Kahn, and his firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. On March 21, 2003 (the 134th anniversary of Albert Kahn's birthday), Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. (AKA) donated this collection to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan to ensure the conservation and accessibility of these records. Through this gift, AKA has shown its commitment to preserving the legacy of Kahn, whose factories on five continents influenced the development of industrial architecture and whose commercial, residential and institutional buildings define the character of Detroit and the University of Michigan today. The collection encompasses 166 linear feet (in 180 boxes) of correspondence, transcripts of speeches, newspaper and journal articles, company files, audiovisual materials, photographs and slides, as well as 90 leather portfolios containing photographs of completed buildings, 22 albums of sample architectural materials, 131 books, and 12,731 architectural drawings in 45 flat-file drawers and 114 oversize tubes.

The narrative and visual materials in the collection illuminate the breadth of Kahn's career and highlight the work of his architectural firm, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., which continued to develop projects after his death, and remains a living institution. In pairing the textual materials with the photographs and architectural drawings associated with Kahn's projects, this collection offers a rich perspective on the master architect himself, illuminating his personal views on his own architecture and its place in a changing and often tumultuous world.

Ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, pilot and ex-P.O.W., collection of personal papers and records from the Tuskegee Airmen national organization and Detroit Chapter, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum in Detroit, Michigan.

The Alexander Jefferson papers are divided into five series: Personal Papers, Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated, Tuskegee Airmen Detroit Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum, and Photographs.

Concert pianist, active in Armenian American organizations, fundraiser; files relating to her organizational activities.

The Alice Haidostian papers have been arranged into a single Organizational Activities / Topical series. The files consist of organizational mailings, newsletters, informational material, but also including some correspondence, fundraising materials, notes, and memoranda reflecting Haidostian's own work with the various organizations. The largest set of files relate to her work with Armenian General Benevolent Union Alex Manoogian School, Wayne County Medical Society Auxiliary, Project HOPE Women's Division, and the University of Michigan Armenian Studies Program.