Genesee Historical Collections Center (Archives)

The Genesee Historical Collections Center is the University of Michigan-Flint's archive. It is located on the second floor of the Frances Willson Thompson Library at 303 Kearsley Street, Flint, Mich. The GHCC is a community and institutional archive open to public researchers. 

The local community collections focus on Flint's social, cultural, political, and labor histories. The archive houses collections from social and service organizations like Rotary Club of Flint Records, Flint Lodge of Freemasons, and Dom Polski papers. More social history includes personal papers, remembrances, and journals of former residents of Flint. Political history collections include Donald Riegle's papers, which were digitized and can be found here on our digital collections website. UAW 599's complete collection is one of the largest, and Flint's Civil rights history is well represented with collections from Olive Beasley and Edgar B. Holt. Other local history collections of note include the Ruth Winchell - first licensed female commercial pilot in Flint - digital collection, the ongoing Water Crisis collection, and the H.H. Crapo room. 

Do you have something vital to Flint's history? Would you like to see your documents, photos, and other items preserved? You may not need to turn over physical custody to safeguard a document in an archive, as the GHCC has a large digitization lab. Historic materials can be scanned at high definition and immediately returned to the owner. Our collection development policy, which can be found below, covers the type of material the GHCC collects in more detail. 

The archive also contains reports, studies, and the City of Flint records. The collection is of particular interest as it outlines urban renewal efforts across Flint and various projects like the building of Riverfront Park. Significant records regarding demographics, crime, social services, Flint Community Schools, Parks and Recreation Department photographs, and other city information will also be found. There are also many cultural collections, such as the Flint Area Recordings, William C. Byrd, and Margaret St. John collection.

The University records comprise about half of the archive and describe the planning, organization, and accreditation of the University of Michigan-Flint and various departments and programs. The collection includes budget reports, directories, yearbooks, student life, and institutional study documents. All administrative documentation is stored and described in the Chancellor's Office collection, Provost collection, Cabinet meeting records, and various other departmental and committee records. 

There are several undescribed collections and a backlog of accessions we are working on processing. If you are looking for documentation or materials that you do not see described here, please reach out to archivist Callum Carr-Marquis at camarqui@umich.edu

Special Note: The Genesee County Probate Records (1833-1935) are no longer accessible through the Genesee Historical Collections Center. To learn about access to historic probate records, please visit the Archives of Michigan website here or refer to the county records guides here. 

Access to the GHCC is currently by appointment only. Please contact archivist Callum Carr at camarqui@umich.edu or (810) 762-3402 to set up an appointment.

In an effort to better serve you, we ask that patrons set up an appointment to access materials with the Head of Archives, Callum Carr, at camarqui@umich.edu. It helps to know what you will need beforehand so we can pull the relevant materials and research associated materials that may be interesting.

Walk-ins are also welcome

Genesee Historical Collections Center Hours

Monday - Friday

10 am - 6 pm

All Finding Aids (also found listed below) can be found and searched on the Digital Collections Website.

Statement on Language Description in Archives

The Genesee Historical Collections Center is dedicated to describing archival materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in collections. At the same time, our collections include language and content that may be harmful or difficult to encounter. Some collections reflect outdated, biased, offensive, or violent views and opinions. Our charge is to preserve, contextualize, and make these historical records available to the public, but they do not represent any endorsement of the language, views, or events within them.

Since the GHCC was founded in 1972,  faculty and staff have created descriptions of the collections – for example, in catalog entries and finding aids. The language and structures used in these descriptions are not neutral and are often based on established systems and standards that uphold and perpetuate many forms of oppression and bias. This language can originate from the archival donor/materials or past archivist during the description. Outdated and exclusionary terms that were standard thirty years ago in the archival profession still haunt finding aids and metadata in today's archives.

While archivists create some descriptions, other descriptive language—including but not limited to original folder titles, publication titles, and formal names—is kept in place to reflect the creators’ views. Including the creators’ original folder titles in a finding aid, for example, is a common practice because it provides important context about the materials.

Our work includes acknowledging multiple sources of expertise, such as working with community consultants to expand and improve collection descriptions. Staff are also working to systematically review and update existing collection descriptions and address harmful language as it is encountered. As we acquire and describe new collections, we work to make collection descriptions inclusive from the start. This is an ongoing and iterative process which will take time.

The GHCC welcomes the support of patrons and the wider Flint community in identifying and critiquing descriptive language. If you encounter any outdated or harmful language that you feel should be addressed, please email archivist Callum Carr-Marquis at camarqui@umich.edu or call at (810) 772 -3402 

This statement was based on the statement developed by the Bentley Historical Library’s Inclusive and Reparative Description Committee and is based on similar statements and efforts at the William L. Clements Library, Princeton University, and the University of Michigan Library.