The Central U.P. and Northern Michigan University Archives will host a free presentation titled "The Skeletons in our Closet: The KKK in Michigan." The event will bring together an archivist and librarian who have dealt with criticism over records relating to the Ku Klux Klan's presence in the state. It will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, in Mead Auditorium in NMU's West Science Building. 

Archives and libraries sometimes face opposition from those who would like to forget painful or controversial portions of the nation's history and those who believe that to preserve such records is to condone their contents. Frank Boles, director of the Clarke Historical Library, will discuss the controversy that resulted when his library acquired a collection of local KKK records. Jessica Holman, director of the Negaunee Public Library, will discuss a photo of the KKK on display in her library. She will talk about community reactions to the photo and how these challenges have been handled. She will also briefly discuss the demographics of Negaunee in the 1920s and the presence of the Klan in that city.

For more information, contact the Central U.P. and NMU Archives at 227-1225.