By Joanne Nesbit
News and Information Services
A Web site documenting the early history and development of the Ann Arbor community will debut 7–8 p.m. April 10 in the multi-purpose room of the Ann Arbor District Library’s Main Library. The unveiling, reception and demonstration are free and open to the public and will help celebrate National Library Week.
The Making of Ann Arbor Project is a collaborative effort of the University Library, Bentley Historical Library and the Ann Arbor District Library. The three institutions have brought the early history of Ann Arbor to life by creating a Web-accessible, digital collection of information and images.
The text and many of the images on the site were taken from Pictorial History of Ann Arbor: 1824–1974, published by the Bentley Library. The Bentley’s visual, manuscript and printed collections include a wealth of unique local historical documentation, which, until the completion of this project, have been relatively inaccessible to the Ann Arbor community.
Web site visitors can view early photos and narratives of early businesses, families and organizations that helped shape and form the Ann Arbor community.
Speakers at the unveiling will include the University Library Director William Gosling; Bentley Director Francis Blouin; and District Library Director Mary Anne Hodel.
Following the debut, the Making of Ann Arbor will reside at www.aadl.org/moaa.
