The Skendzel gift, as it was originally received, contained three primary segments of information:

1. Skendzel's extensive research materials and writings specific to the Polish community in Michigan and the Grand Rapids area in particular.

2. Skendzel's collection of research materials on Grand Rapids churches.

3. General historical reference materials, primarily those related to Grand Rapids.

The third segment, the general historical materials, have been set aside for separate usage of each title within the total department or library needs. Included are several titles which are general Michigan, Kent County or Grand Rapids history sources. Duplicates of these titles in good condition are often saved for later use, as the copies currently in use become physically worn and have to be replaced.

The second segment, the church references, were separated into those directly related to the Polish community, and those which served other ethnic groups or denominations. The Polish related materials were combined with the first segment, the Polish community research and writings, to form Coll. 299, Eduard Adam Skendzel Polonian Historical Collection.

The non-Polish church materials are now documented separately as Coll. 299X, Eduard Adam Skendzel Churches Reference Collection. Users of this collection looking for information on the Polish churches are redirected to Coll. 299.

Ed Skendzel grew up in the west side Polish community of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He gathered reference information from and on this community and added to this body of literature through his own writings. Both his reference materials and his writings are included in this collection.

Also included are sources which briefly reference the international, national or regional, and the Michigan Polish communities.

The focus of the collection is on Grand Rapids and Southwest Michigan Polonia, the communities, pioneering individuals and families, and the Roman Catholic churches in Grand Rapids and Southwest Michigan, which supported the community, most specifically St. Adalbert’s and St. Isidore’s.

There are materials in this collection in the Polish language. These may be written documents or oral histories. The written documents appear to be primarily original newspapers or historical church documents. It is estimated that less than a quarter of the collection is in the Polish language, sometimes with a parallel English translation. Attempts will be made in the future to find a translated version or to find a volunteer to create English transcriptions of Polish oral histories, or articles, as necessary.

The greater percentage of the materials in Coll. 299 are published written materials. Some original manuscript items such as correspondence and research notes are found, but are not extensive.

Of the published documents, some are in their original form as published, but many are photocopies. Included in the copies are some Vatican correspondence.

Church publications include bulletins, directories, histories, and some financial records. A few baptismal records are included.

Eighty-four oral histories were given in the original reel to reel tape format, and most have now been migrated to digital audio files. Skendzel prepared extensive written notes on many of these oral histories. No actual word for word transcriptions are found.

While there are a few photographs in the collection, this is a notable weakness in the original holdings. Included in the available photos are individuals from select families and images of local churches from various generations. Visual representation of individuals may be increased through use of the published sources. Little visual representation of events is found in the collection, though a reference photo related to the funeral of the murdered boxer Stanley Ketchel is found in this collection.

Roughly 25% of materials were received self-bound by Skendzel using handmade boards covered with colored sticky tape. Many of these items are photocopied materials, with a few originals items so treated. Unfortunately, the tape is not archival and is damaging other items in the collection. These items will eventually be culled from the collection, with the provision of a replacement or a reference to where the source may be obtained, so that the scope of the collection can be maintained.