This is a general collection created to document those scrapbooks which are not otherwise part of a separate archival collection of an individual or organization. Included are scrapbooks created by early staff of the library, as well as those created and given by others.

Scrapbooks in this collection may contain original objects, as collected by the author/creator, or they may be photocopies obtained in lieu of the original from a donor. Many original scrapbooks have been photocopied and some microfilmed to provide usage of the information without damage to the fragile original materials. Some scrapbooks have an index included with the item. However, there is no overall index to the contents. Some scrapbooks provide access to articles in Grand Rapids newspapers which would be otherwise difficult to locate on the newspaper preservation microfilm, due to the lack of indexing.