Papers, 1894-1980, of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters (named the Michigan Academy prior to 1921), a professional association of researchers and academicians. Include minutes, financial records, membership lists, and founding documents.
The Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Literature papers is organized into three series: Minutes of Annual Meeting and Semiannual Council Meetings, Financial Ledgers and Auditor's Reports, and Organizational Files.
The heart of the documentation of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Literature is the series of minutes of the annual meeting and the semiannual council meetings. The minutes include reports of the standing committees, Treasurer's, Auditor's, and Librarian's reports, and text of all resolutions passed. (The minutes also appear in the published Annual Reports along with the program of the Annual Meeting, the Presidential and General Address, and membership lists.) The Minutes and Reports for 1894-1905 are bound and include a history of the founding of the Michigan Academy written by F. C. Newcombe.
The financial ledgers 1904-1937 are bound. Auditor's reports prior to 1964 are filed with the minutes of the annual business meeting. After 1964, the minutes files are incomplete. Therefore, the complete run of auditor's reports, 1964-1980, are separately foldered.
Much of the correspondence in this collection was of a routine nature. Many letters were exchanged regarding physical arrangements for meetings or regarding publication deadlines. Routine correspondence was separated from the collection. The organizational files also included a quantity of routine material. Membership lists, drafts of resolutions, and other material appearing in the manuscript minutes or in the published Annual Report were also separated from the collection. Beginning in 1953 membership lists were no longer printed in the Annual Report therefore membership information after 1953 was kept with the collection.