New Manuscripts Finding Aids, October 2025
The Clements Library Manuscripts Division has published eight new finding aids for collections ranging from scrapbooks to financial records. These handwritten materials are now available for anyone to research!
Colorful 19th-Century Board Games and Toys on View at the Clements Library
Earlier this month, the Clements Library opened our new exhibit, For All Ages, highlighting familiar and unique toys and board games throughout American history. Many were not only fun, but also taught practical skills and moral lessons.
Q&A with Joshua Sulser, New Clements Head of Reader Services
The Clements Library is thrilled to welcome our new Head of Reader Services, Joshua Sulser! In this Q&A, we got a chance to learn more about his path to the Clements, his research interests, and his personal collections.
New Manuscript Finding Aids, September 2025
The staff of the Manuscripts Division spent the summer dutifully arranging and describing new collections, which are now available for research!
Ephemera Finding Aids Available Now
The Clements Library Graphics Division is excited to share three new finding aids that have been in the works for a long time. Combined, these three collections hold over 17,000 unique items and continue to grow with new items being added regularly!
“Whiskers of National Reputation”: Recognizing the Beard of Moses Purnell Handy
By Cheney J. Schopieray for his friend David Johnson, who was a hairsbreadth away from trekking to Alaska for the 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships. On this World Beard Day, the Clements Library would like to doff its cap in recognition of the beard of Moses P. Handy (1847-1898).Hubert Vos, [Portrait of Moses P. Handy], Chicago, 1893, oil on canvas, 48.9 cm x 38.8 cm (29.25 in x 15.25 in.), Handy Family Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan. The Dutch...
English Piracy on the Spanish Pacific: William Hacke’s South Sea Waggoners and England’s Imperial Ambitions
Guest post by Juliet Wiersema; 2025-2026 Brian Leigh Dunnigan Fellow; [email protected] FrontispieceOrienting mapThe large manuscript atlas, A Description of all the Ports … in the South Seas of America … is tied to an infamous tale of Pacific piracy. In 168o, English buccaneers, under the leadership of captain Bartholomew Sharpe, sailed from Jamaica to the northern side of Panama. In the Caribbean, they ditched their ships and proceeded to trek across the Isthmus of Panama on foot, a...
National Nonprofit Day: Philanthropy in the Clements Collections
Happy National Nonprofit Day! Here at Clements, we are proud of the work that we do on a daily basis and are honored by the support that we get from our community. Let’s look back in time through some examples of early philanthropic endeavors.
Recently Acquired Atlases
The Maps Division has added three family atlases to the Clements Library holdings. In 19th century America, these atlases were popular with the general public and combined hand-colored maps with descriptive text about geography, history, and culture of the world.
New Manuscript Finding Aids, August 2025
The Manuscripts Division, including grad student intern Naomi Yu, have processed many archival collections that have recently been made discoverable online. The detailed finding aids they have created for each collection will be vital for future researchers utilizing our digital search tools.