The library began with the 1,500 books, 60 groups of manuscripts, 150 maps, 400 visual items and 50 broadsides, including a few early papers.
The Clarke also houses a variety of Ernest Hemingway publications, a well-known 20th-century writer born and partially raised in Michigan.
The collection includes Hemingway's papers, and photographs from his cottage on Walloon Lake in northern Michigan.
Clarke Historical Library encourages individuals, groups, and organizations to use its materials to conduct research and undergraduate study.
Its collections include a children's literature section and archives of EC Warriner, the fourth president of the university.