Friends Collection

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The Arthur and Kathleen Postle Archives and Friends Collection are named for the late Arthur Postle and his wife, Kathleen, the latter the donor who served the college for many years as a member of the faculty.

The Friends Collection is one of the four or five largest in the world, with more than 12,000 books and nearly as many pamphlets, some going back to the 17th Century when the Society of Friends was founded. These works are supplemented with an extensive collection of Quaker genealogical materials. Personal diaries, letters, and detailed records of monthly and yearly meetings reveal the lives of thousands of Quaker men and women. Documents and Earlham's rare book collection are preserved under climate-controlled conditions. Some of these date back to the Middle Ages, and many are too fragile or rare to be housed on the open shelves. The Friends Collection draws hundreds of scholars and genealogists to Lilly Library annually. In addition to assisting these visitors, College Archivist and Curator, Thomas D. Hamm, answers nearly 400 inquiring letters each year.

-- The image of George Fox on this page is taken from Quaker Reflections to Light the Future: A Collection of Pictures (Philadelphia: Religous Education Committee Friends General Conference, 1967).