The Lawrence Sommers papers contain his work in the field of Geography from the early 1940s until his death in 2007. The earliest works are from his time spent as a Ph.D. candidate researching Norway and many of his later files include further in-depth research on Scandinavia. His collection also includes travel notebooks, photographs, and slides from his many travels abroad doing research in Europe, Africa, and South America. There is also a large collection of photographs from his time serving in World War II.

Themes in the slides include man/land relations and spatial distribution. The themes of the slides reflect Sommer's training in economic geography, the influence of geomorphology (landforms), the more descriptive approach of his era, and his teaching and research interests in Western Europe, especially Scandinavia, and Norway in particular. The majority of the slides in the collection are images of post-WWII western Europe, from 1948-early 1960s. The early research is dominated by images of fishing (the Norwegian fishing industry was the subject of his dissertation). Themes reflected in the Norway slides include house types, landforms, land use, fishing, industry, harbors, agriculture, cities, new towns, streetscapes, markets, post-World War II bomb damage, and tourist sites. (source Laurie Sommers)

Sommers' papers also hold correspondences to students, book publishers, and fellow geographers. Many of his files are communications with various geographical societies, which he was an active member of, planning new conferences or organizing the association. His personal vitae and work within Michigan State University, as a board member, provost, and professor, are also thoroughly documented.

In addition, there are many handwritten drafts for Sommers' various publications and papers. The papers themselves are also included in their entirety and in their various stages of completion.

There are also two video tapes of President John DiBiaggio's inauguration at MSU, which Sommers' helped organize, and a tape of his interview for the "Geographers on Film" series