The Grand Rapids Century Exhibit includes select images representing specific people, organizations or events which marked the passage of the 20th century in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by decade. The handlist for the exhibit is included in this collection, but is also reproduced within this finding aid, to act as an access tool inventory to the materials.

There is also a computer print out of the Internet version of the exhibit, which provides the illustration with the caption. Some of the items used in the wall exhibit are not included in the online exhibit, due to the lack of copyright permissions for some non-library owned images representing more recent decades.