The GRPL map and atlas collection primarily includes items which correspond to the local history mission of the department, covering the Greater Grand Rapids area and Kent County foremost, with the addition of some maps for other areas of Michigan, or Michigan in general.

Other atlases and maps are housed in the Local History Public Service area, and currently not considered part of the archival holdings. However, there may be a general cross reference given in this finding aid to some of these atlases from similar holdings housed in the Archives. In some cases the original plat map, for example, is now in the Archives, and a photocopy is on the Grand Rapids History Center floor.

Included in this collection are many oversized maps, stored in flat files, on top of the flat files and in rolled tubes.

The old Map card file, which used to be the primary access tool for maps in the department, does not include maps added to the collections in recent years, and does not provide location information, which is found in either this finding aid or in the map management database.