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Visit the Archives

A women sitting at a table leafing through a volume.

Visit the Archives

Archives of Michigan Reading Room

The Archives of Michigan's reading room is open to the public for research. Please contact the archives a head of your visit as some collections are stored in offsite facilities. The reading room is staffed by two archivists to help researchers into material.

Reading Room Hours

The reading room is open to the public six days a week and closed on Sundays. Please note that the archives is closed on state holidays and several other days throughout the year. Please view the holiday closing schedule for more details.

Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Reading Room Location

The Archives of Michigan is located on the 2nd floor in the east wing in the Michigan Library and Historical Center building:

702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915

There is no fee or admission charge for entering the Archives of Michigan. The public visitor lot charges a one-time fee. Learn more about parking and the building.  

Preparation for Your Visit

  • Gather as much information as possible before visiting.
  • List dates, location (county, cities, townships), and government agencies and offices related to your research topic.
  • If working with land records, identify the legal description (township, range, section) of the property.
  • Search the Archives of Michigan's online catalog to identify materials that may be of interest.
  • Review the Archives of Michigan's county guides, which list archival collections related to each county.
  • Contact Archives of Michigan staff one to two weeks ahead of your visit to confirm the collections are ready to use. Please email archives@michigan.gov or call 517-335-2576.
  • Staff respond to phone and email 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The reading room is open for onsite research from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Visit Michiganology to explore the Archives of Michigan's digital resources.
  • If visiting in a large group (5 or more people), please contact the Archives of Michigan at least two weeks in advance.

Expectations of Your Visit

  • There is a short registration process prior to entering the Archives of Michigan's reading room. Please bring your driver license or other valid photo identification to access archival material.
  • The reading room holds a non-circulating library collection in addition to archival collections. You can learn more about the material by visiting our Archives Collections page.
  • The Abrams Foundation Historical Collection are open stacks and can be browsed and used by researchers in the reading room.
  • Archival collections can be requested through archives staff in the reading room.
  • Please note that records are rarely organized by name. Most records at the Archives of Michigan were created while conducting government business and not with historical research in mind.
  • An archivist is available to answer questions you might have and show you how to use our guides, finding aids, inventories, and indexes to find resources that may pertain to your research topic.
  • We recommend that you bring your own device for research. We have one laptop available, upon request, for public use. You can access Ancestry Institution Edition in the reading room through the public wireless network.
  • We recommend that you bring your own device for digital copies, provided the device does not touch the material (i.e. feed scanners) or use a flash.
  • If you do not have a camera or phone, the Archives of Michigan has two iPads available for public use upon request to make digital copies.
  • You can make printed copies of library and archival material for free.
  • If you are visiting us for the first time, please review our reading room policies below.

Guidelines for the Reading Room

  • The Archives of Michigan provides a safe and secure environment for the public to research original and primary source materials by maintaining rules of conduct to protect the unique historical collections and the rights and safety of archives’ researchers and staff. 

    General Behavior

    All researchers are expected to respect the Archives of Michigan facilities, fellow researchers, and archives staff. 

    Individuals will:

    • Show photo identification to access the reading room.
    • Comply with all policies and procedures of the reading room.
    • Use computers and online resources for research purposes only (no streaming media).
    • Respond to emergency alarms and other situations as instructed by archives staff.
    • Adhere to open hours of the reading room.

    Individuals will not engage in prohibited activities, including, but not limited to:

    • Bringing food, beverages, and tobacco products in the reading room.
    • Leaving young children unsupervised.
    • Bringing animals, other than identified service animals, into the archives.
    • Exhibiting any threatening or intimidating behaviors, e.g., abusive language, staring, threats of violence or any type of harassment.
    • Removing books, microfilm, or archival records from the reading room.
    • Making any loud or unreasonable noise or other disturbance, including disruptive use of personal communications or entertainment devices.

    Accountability

    Anyone violating this code of conduct or other guidelines may be asked to leave the Archives of Michigan. Archives users found in violation of this code of conduct may be directed to leave the premises and suspended from access to archives facilities for a designated period of time.

    By registering as a researcher at the Archives of Michigan, you agree to this code of conduct.

  • Please observe the following rules when viewing archival records in the archives section of the reading room. These rules exist to protect records so they are available for years to come.

    Accessing Archival Material:

    • Access to records in off-site storage requires advance notice.
    • Some archival material is restricted and/or confidential per state laws.
    • Archives staff reserves the right to limit use of materials that are unprocessed, of exceptional value, or in fragile condition.
    • Archival material is not normally made available when microfilm or digital copies are available.
    • A researcher can request archival material through archives staff. Archives staff will retrieve material for researchers and deliver to an assigned table in the archives section of the reading room.
    • Materials cannot leave the archives reading room. When researchers are done using the materials for the day, they should alert archives staff.

    Handing Archival Material:

    • Bags, purses, or coats are not permitted in the archives section of the reading room.
    • Pens are not permitted in the archives section of the reading room.
    • Cameras and scanners are permitted provided they do not touch the archival material.
    • A researcher may request up to five boxes or volumes from one collection at a time.
    • A researcher may use one volume or folder from a box out on a table at a time.
    • A researcher will not be lean upon, mark, fold, trace over, or otherwise alter or deface archival material.
    • A researcher is expected to keep items within a folder in the original order.
    • A researcher will handle archival material with care and keep them flat on the table.
    • Only one researcher will be assigned to a table at a time. If two people are allowed to work at the same table, only one researcher at a time may physically handle the material. This helps avoid misplacement of documents.
    • Researchers will be asked to wear gloves when working with photographs. Gloves will be provided by archives staff.

  • Library Books and Microfilm:

    • Cameras and scanners can be used with library material.
    • Digital scans can be saved to a USB drive attached to microfilm readers/printers.
    • Paper copies can be made by microfilm readers/printers and the self-service copier are available in the reading room and are free of charge.
    • Researchers are responsible for determining the copyright status of material.

    Archival Materials:

    • Personal devices can be used to capture images of archival material. A researcher is not permitted to use a flash or a device that touches or presses down on the archival material.
    • Any researcher may elect to make copies of archival material using an iPad provided by the archives. This process produces a multipage PDF or JPEG files.
    • Researchers desiring high resolution copies of records, maps, or images may request this service from the archives for a fee.
    • In some instances, third parties may hold copyright to material available at the Archives of Michigan. Written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond fair use or other statutory exemptions. The responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permission ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.