William L. Clements Library

UM's Hidden Historical Gem

William L. Clements Library (April 12 2023) by Caroline Gauri.

By Caroline Gauri

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the William L. Clements Library, a campus building many University of Michigan students are unfortunately unaware exists. The Clements Library contains hundreds of thousands of rare historical treasures, including an original engraving of the Boston Massacre by Paul Revere, letters from Frederick Douglass, and Christopher Colombus’s written report of his first expedition.

The Library opened in 1923 to house the personal archival collections of William L. Clements, which he gifted to the University of Michigan along with $190,000 for the construction and furnishing of the library ("Construction"). Albert Kahn, the architect responsible for the planning of several U-M campus buildings like Hill Auditorium and Angell Hall, was hired to design the construction of the library with William Clements supervision ("Clements Library"). Kahn fashioned the library in the Italian Renaissance style, as it was heavily inspired by the work of famed 16th-century architect, Vigonla ("Construction"). Of all the buildings he designed throughout his career, Kahn said the Clements Library was the work he wanted to be most remembered for ("Construction").

William L. Clements earned his degree in engineering from the University of Michigan in 1882 prior to gaining his fortune working for his father’s industrial manufacturing company ("History of the William L. Clements Library"). Clements developed a passion for early American History and started collecting books in 1890. He purchased the library of a merchant, Aaron J. Cooke, which expanded his collection of rare books and artifacts from the 15th to 19th centuries of American history ("History"). At the time of his donation, Clements’s collection consisted of “20,000 volumes of rare books, 2,000 volumes of early newspapers, several hundred maps, and the papers of the British Prime Minister who negotiated the peace ending the Revolutionary War” ("Opening").

Portrait of William L. Clements. Photo courtesy: William L. Clements Library

"Movie scene: UM Regent William Clements showing treasures from his collection. Nathan Potter (UM 1898), Marian Welles (UM 1928) and Jo Chamberlin (UM 1928)," (1927). Photo courtesy: University of Michigan Library

Clements insisted that the library be independent of the University’s library system (which caters to undergraduate students), making his collection available only to advanced scholars. With the opening of the library, Clements stated “Let the earnest investigators, and particularly those at the University of Michigan . . . come and drink of all the knowledge stored upon the shelves of this Library” ("History of the William L. Clements Library").

Clements served on the University of Michigan Board of Regents from 1909 until his retirement in 1933. During his time as a Regent, Clements was a leader in the rebuilding of the university’s central campus after World War I. He assembled a committee of five, one of whom was Albert Kahn, to oversee building location and design ("University of Michigan Central Campus").

The name Clements has its own interesting origins as well. Clements is of either Old French or early British origin, and derives from the given name Clement, as in “son of Clement,” according to The Internet Surname Database. Clement is adopted from the Latin word ‘Clemens’ which translates to ‘merciful’ or ‘mild’ ("Last name"). The last name gained popularity in England during the mid-12th century, following the fame of a disciple of St. Paul, St. Clement ("Last name"). It appears that the meaning behind his first name is more fitting to the kind of person William Clements was and what he stood for. The name William is of Norman (English) origin but comes from the ancient Germanic name “Willehelm” which combines the elements “will, desire” and “protection” to mean the will or desire to protect (needs source). This name is suitable for Clements, as his life’s passion was to protect and preserve artifacts of early American history.

“Michigan University Regents 75th Anniversary Celebration,” (June 27, 1912). Photo courtesy: University of Michigan Library Digital Collections

As we dive into the history of the names that make up our campus, we should recognize the purpose of these buildings and take advantage of the unique resources that are made available to us. Although access to the Clements Library was once restricted, undergraduate students are now welcome to visit via appointment. This library holds incredible treasures relating to aspects of American history that are within reach but go unacknowledged by so many. It’s important that more students are educated on what lies within the walls of the Clements Library, for these artifacts communicate an important period of history for both their institution and America.

Works Cited

“Beginnings of the Collection.” UM Clements Library, 11 Dec. 2019, https://clements.umich.edu/about/history/beginnings-of-the-collection/. Accessed March 30, 2023.

“Clements Library.” Bentley Library: A Historical Tour of the University of Michigan Campus, https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/clements.php#:~:text=Albert%20Kahn%20of%20Detroit%20planned,originally%20estimated%20to%20cost%20%24200%2C000. Accessed March 30, 2023.

“Construction of the Library.” UM Clements Library, 11 Dec. 2019, https://clements.umich.edu/about/history/construction-of-the-library/. Accessed March 28, 2023.

Gauri, Caroline. Photograph of William L. Clements Library. 4 Apr. 2023. Author’s personal collection.

“History of the University of Michigan Clements Library.” History of Clements Library, http://um2017.org/History_of_Clements_Library.html. Accessed March 28, 2023.

“History of the William L. Clements Library.” UM Clements Library, 11 Dec. 2019, https://clements.umich.edu/about/history/. Accessed March 28, 2023.

Interior photo of William L. Clements Library, Smith Group, https://www.smithgroup.com/projects/william-l-clements-library-renovation-and-addition. Accessed April 12, 2023.

“Last Name: Clements.” The Internet Surname Database, https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Clements. Accessed March 31, 2023.

"Michigan University Regents 75th Anniversary Celebration, June 27, 1912; BL000145". https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl000145/bl000145. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 12, 2023.

"Movie scene: UM Regent William Clements showing treasures from his collection. Nathan Potter (UM 1898), Marian Welles (UM 1928) and Jo Chamberlin (UM 1928), 1927; HS17384". https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-hs17384/hs17384. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 12, 2023.

“Opening of the Library.” UM Clements Library, 11 Dec. 2019, https://clements.umich.edu/about/history/opening-of-the-library/#:~:text=Clements%20Library%20opened%20in%201923,peace%20ending%20the%20Revolutionary%20War. Accessed March 28, 2023.

“University of Michigan Central Campus.” SAH ARCHIPEDIA, 17 June 2019, https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MI-01-WA7. Accessed March 30, 2023.

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