Materials cover a wide variety of topics, including Southeast Missouri regional history, the history of the Cape Girardeau area, including its people, businesses, groups and organizations, tourism, the Cape River Heritage Museum, the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Cape Girardeau Bicentennial Celebration Commission. Types of material also vary widely, including newspapers and clippings, music books and sheet music, pictures, and postcards. The content of the collection is divided into series by subject. Materials within the series are arranged alphabetically.