History Research Guide

Our mission is to research, study, write, present and promote the history of Midland County, Michigan and that relationship to other history subjects.

The Archives of Michigan is responsible for preserving the records of Michigan government and other public institutions. In fulfilling this primary mission, it serves as the collective memory of Michigan state government. In addition, after review, the Archives of Michigan also accepts papers from private individuals and organizations.

The Bentley Historical Library collects the materials for and promotes the study of the histories of two great, intertwined institutions, the State of Michigan and the University of Michigan.

Access digitized versions of newspapers made available from a variety of sources. Among these links are papers held by the Clarke Historical Library and also Michigan newspapers found in Chronicling America, a database maintained by the Library of Congress.

CMU's Digital Collections offer free access to Michigan newspapers, CMU scholarly works and history, historical publications, and more.​​

DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more—are free and immediately available in digital format. The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to our nation’s largest cultural institutions.

Ever since our founding in 1929, The Henry Ford has been documenting our collections, and for just as long, we’ve been sharing this information with researchers and the general public. While more than 20,000 artifacts are on public exhibit in Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, Benson Ford Research Center, and Ford Rouge Factory Tour, The Henry Ford Archive of American Innovation™ holds many more—about 250,000 objects and millions more photographs and documents within our archives. Our Digital Collections represent our institutional commitment to making these collections, and the ideas behind them, more accessible to more people in more ways than ever.

The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records.

The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States.

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and gives access to the world’s most comprehensive research collection. The British Library provides information services to academic, business, research and scientific communities.

DigiVatLib is a digital library service. It provides free access to the Vatican Library’s digitized collections: manuscripts, incunabula, archival materials and inventories as well as graphic materials, coins and medals, printed materials (special projects).

Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.