Special Collections and Archives

Mission Statement

The Earlham Friends Collection and College Archives supports the mission of Earlham College and its graduate programs by maintaining the College Archives and one of the world’s foremost collections of materials relating to the Religious Society of Friends. It makes these materials available to Earlham students and employees in a variety of programs and disciplines and to researchers from around the world. 

Collection Policy

The collection policy is to collect materials relating to the history of the Earlham College and its graduate programs; to maintain a comprehensive collection of published Quaker materials; to collect manuscripts relating to the history of Friends in the Midwest as well as manuscripts relating to the history of the Whitewater Valley in eastern Indiana; and to selectively collect rare books and leaves in a variety of genres that are useful teaching tools for undergraduate students. Examples include medieval manuscripts, early printed works, signed first editions.

Published Materials

We attempt to acquire a copy of any book, pamphlet, or other publication relating to Quakers or Quakerism.

Manuscript and Other Unpublished Materials

1. We serve as the repository for the records of Earlham College and its graduate programs.


2. We serve as the repository for Friends United Meeting (formerly the Five Years Meeting of Friends), Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends, Western Yearly Meeting of Friends, Northern Yearly Meeting of Friends, the New Association of Friends, and other Quaker organizations based in the Midwest.


3. We collect manuscripts, photographs, records, and other materials relating to the history of Quakerism in the Midwest, defined broadly as the area between the Ohio River, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Great Plains.


4. We collect manuscripts, photographs, records, and other materials relating to the history of Richmond, Wayne County, and the surrounding area. These include community organizations related to the mission of the college, such as social justice and peace organizations. (Morrisson-Reeves Library in Richmond is a good starting point to discover additional Richmond archival material.)


5. We selectively acquire artifacts relating to the history of the college or Midwestern Quakerism.


6. Quaker genealogical material, published and unpublished