What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9:30am - 7pm Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm Saturday 9:30am - 1:30pm

Bentley Historical Library

Home
United States
Ann Arbor, MI
Bentley Historical Library

Where Michigan’s history lives. Open to the public. Official U-M archive spanning more than 200 years + 11,000 collections.

The Bentley Historical Library was established in 1935 by the University of Michigan Regents to carry out two functions: to serve as the official archives of the University and to document the history of the state of Michigan and the activities of its people, organizations and voluntary associations. Originally sharing space with the Clements Library and then moving to the basement of the Rackham

Building, library moved to its current building in 1972. The library is comprised of four divisions: the Michigan Historical Collections, the University Archives and Records Program, Digital Curation and Access and Reference Services. The library also manages the historic Detroit Observatory. Some seven decades after its founding, the library has amassed extensive holdings on the history of the state and the university, including more than 50,000 linear feet of archives and manuscripts, 90,000 printed volumes, 1.5 million photographs and other visual materials, over 10,000 maps and nearly 60 terabytes of digital content. The library's holdings are consulted by Michigan's citizens, the university's students, faculty, staff, alumni and administrators, scholars from across the nation and around the world, and others interested in the history of the state and the university.

09/01/2026

that 100 years ago construction was underway on Michigan Stadium? This early photo of its construction shows a steam shovel digging out the first trench for the stadium area!

08/28/2026

⭐ Library Update: The Bentley Historical Library's reading room will be closed on Saturday, September 5, and will also be closed as usual on Monday, September 7, for the Labor Day weekend. We hope you have a wonderful Labor Day!

08/27/2026

to students moving into U-M in 1994. As you can see, this student's family opted to carry his bags on a bench, which appears to be made out of a folded futon frame. (These days, we recommend using one of U-M's classic blue bins instead!) Happy Move-In week, Wolverines! 💙💛

08/26/2026

Happy Birthday to the University of Michigan! 🥳 The school you know today as U-M was first established in 1817 by the Michigan Territorial Legislature, many years before Michigan even became a state.

This image shows U-M's first building as it looked in Detroit, before the university moved to Ann Arbor!

08/21/2026

Kick off this year’s football season with a trip through Michigan football history! 🏈 Join us to watch historic Michigan football films on a 14-foot video screen at U-M's Frankel Detroit Observatory, and enjoy a pop-up exhibit of U-M football treasures from the Bentley Historical Library.

Explore Wolverine history, and celebrate the start of the season with us!

This event is free and open to the public, and will run from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 5, before the first U-M football game of the year. Presented by the Bentley Historical Library and the Judy and Stanley Frankel Detroit Observatory.

08/20/2026

to U-M’s Burton Memorial Tower at night almost 90 years ago. This photo of the Burton bell tower illuminated against the dark night sky was taken in Ann Arbor in 1937.

This tower recently had its historic Charles Baird Carillon bells upgraded with new clappers, to help them ring out clearly for years to come! Daily bell recitals are planned to resume when classes begin this year on August 31. 🔔❤️

Learn more: https://record.umich.edu/articles/charles-baird-carillon-gets-its-voice-back/

08/18/2026

Do you want even more fascinating Michigan history sent to you each month? You can enjoy stories from the archives, and stay up-to-date with the Bentley Historical Library, by joining our free newsletter: https://myumi.ch/ErqgJ

08/14/2026

Meet Evan Brandon, our new Archivist for Archival Processing! 🎉

Evan is working to arrange and describe new historical collections here at the Bentley Historical Library, getting them ready for visitors to enjoy.

“I’m acutely aware of the importance of preserving history and literature: we can’t understand the past if we don’t have access to primary source material today!” Evan says.

“Working in archives allows me to play a direct role in preserving history, and it’s heartwarming to know that my work might enable us to better understand our past, present, and future.”

Evan earned his graduate degree while working in the Indiana University Archives, and previously worked as an Archivist at the Lilly Library; he's excited to bring his experience working with historical collections here to the Bentley!

Outside of the archives, Evan loves playing bluegrass music on the mandolin, and enjoys thrifting and antiquing. He also has two cats, named Wesley and Lucy! (See the comments below for photos of his cats.)

Welcome, Evan! 🥳

08/13/2026

that this building became the home of U-M’s Museum of Art 80 years ago?

Before that, this beloved campus building served as a war memorial for alumni, showcased flower shows full of chrysanthemums, and contained much of the university's early art collection. It’s still part of UMMA: University of Michigan Museum of Art today! #𝐓𝐁𝐓

What's your favorite memory of UMMA?

08/12/2026

When Tessa Winkelmann first visited the Bentley Historical Library, she was a graduate student. Now, she’s an Associate Professor who teaches history at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas!

She visited us again this year to do even more amazing work here, this time as a research fellow. Her latest research focuses on how ideas about women and gender have shaped postcolonial nationalism in the Philippines.

Because several Michigan politicians and educators were part of the United States' colonization of the Philippines, she explored these topics using their collections here at the Bentley, including historical materials like letters and journals.

During her time in the reading room, Winkelmann used the James LeRoy papers, the Nanon Fay Worcester diary, and similar collections, to explore the history of Filipina women's rights in the context of voting, marriage, divorce, and more. She plans to cover these topics in her next book!

Interested in becoming a research fellow at the Bentley Historical Library? You can learn more about our fellowships here: https://bentley.umich.edu/learn/fellowships/

Address

1150 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI
48109

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 7pm
Thursday	9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday	9:30am - 1:30pm

Telephone

+17347643482

Website

http://bentley.umich.edu/

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