The Thomas R. and Debra Dilley Collection at the Grand Rapids Public Library is a relatively new collection, which is expected to provide information on the donors and their family history as Grand Rapids residents. Original and copied materials collected by Thomas and Debra Dilley and given to the Grand Rapids Public Library, primarily from 2006 to present, are documented here. Some earlier gift items are housed in other GRPL collections.

A large portion of the collection is expected to be the historical materials collected by the Dilley's which document the Greater Grand Rapids area. This collecting reflects the particular interests and expertise of the donors, in particular Thomas Dilley, as demonstrated by his publications on area postcard and stereographic photo views.

The Dilley's have been supporters of the Grand Rapids History & Special Collections department, even before their collection was defined. A number of postcards were given in the post, which are currently part of the GRPL Postcard Collection. Those images can be traced through that collection using the Dilley accession (gift) numbers in that collection.