Previously Coll. 252 was called the Ottawa Hills Neighborhood Association Records. In the Spring of 2006 it was decided to broaden the scope of Coll. 252, to create a home for materials received in the department from the various neighborhood associations. At the same time, staff were aware that informative materials on the neighborhoods were not being received in the department, and should be sought from the various area organizations. Calvin College student intern Emily Hamstra took on the challenge to obtain new materials from the associations, and to assist in the organization of new and existing materials to create Coll. 252.

Note: East Grand Rapids may feel like a neighborhood to those living in the Grand Rapids community. But, in fact, it is a separate incorporation, and not an official neighborhood of Grand Rapids proper. Perhaps the most comprehensive access to information about East Grand Rapids may be available in the History Room, at the East Grand Rapids Library. Ask Grand Rapids Public Library staff for assistance in finding information on East Grand Rapids in the various collections of the GRPL Archives.