Wilbur Rare Book Collection

An Important Update on the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection

Dear Starr King Community,

I hope this Fall is treating you well. I am writing to share an important update about Starr King’s Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection. After many years of consideration and concerted effort, the Starr King Board supports the donation of the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection to the Harvard Divinity School Library.

For those who do not know, Starr King’s rare book collection contains approximately 1,300 volumes on the history of Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism. These works span from the early 16th century to the mid-20th century and appear in eight languages. The collection was established by Earl Morse Wilbur, Starr King’s first president and the author A History of Unitarianism, Volumes I & II – the first comprehensive accounts of the movement since the Reformation – and Our Unitarian Heritage.

The collection was housed in Starr King’s on-campus library until 2020. However, since our move from our historic Berkeley campus, the collection has been housed in climate-controlled storage in Livermore, California. As a result, for the past several years access to the collection has been limited to an online directory of books.

There are several reasons why we chose Harvard Divinity School to house this collection. Earl Morse Wilbur was a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. Moreover, Harvard was the first seminary in the U.S. to educate Unitarian ministers. As both Wilbur’s alma mater and the historic origin of American Unitarian ministry, we believe Harvard Divinity School is uniquely positioned to honor and care for this collection.

Additionally, transferring the collection to Harvard Divinity School allows more people to learn and benefit from this remarkable archive of Unitarian thought. Currently, we do not have an appropriate, climate-controlled space in our Oakland offices to house the collection. For the past two years, Lehel Molnár – our 2018–19 Balázs Scholar and archivist for the Hungarian Unitarian Church Archives in Kolozsvár – has advanced a digitization project to expand the collection’s online directory. This initiative has been supported by the Balázs Global Committee to continuing their mission of building  bridges between Unitarian Universalists in Transylvania and around the world. However, much work remains to be done to finish digitizing a collection of this size. Harvard Divinity School’s Library has the expertise and resources to properly house a collection of this significance and continue the work of describing and digitizing the collection.

At Harvard, the collection will retain the name The Earl Morse Wilbur Collection from Starr King School for the Ministry. Members of the Starr King community – including students, faculty, graduates, and donors – will be able to access the collection both in-person and online through Harvard’s online catalog as digital materials become available. We will share more information on how to access as the collection is moved in the coming months.

We know you may have questions about this transfer of our collection. If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, please feel free email me directly at skrusemark@sksm.edu. We will continue to share updates and be in conversation throughout this transition.We are proud that the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection will find a new home at Harvard Divinity School. We are confident that this transfer honors our legacy and our history by better enabling this collection to continue to inspire generations of scholars and religious leaders.

Thank you for your support and dedication to our beloved school.

Dr. Stephanie L. Krusemark
President, Starr King School for the Ministry

To read the announcement from Harvard Divinity School regarding The Earl Morse Wilbur Collection from Starr King School for the Ministry, please visit:

https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/09/wilbur-rare-book-collection-donated-harvard-divinity-school-library

Frequently Asked Questions on Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book
Collection Update

What is the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection?

The Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection is a 1,300-volume library covering the history of Unitarian Universalism from the early 16th century to the Rev. Thomas Starr King’s San Francisco ministry during the Civil War.

The collection was named for Earl Morse Wilbur, the school’s first president (1904 to 1931) and the author of A History of Unitarianism, Vol. 1 & II, the first comprehensive chronicle of the movement since the 16th century, as well as Our Unitarian Heritage.

These works appear in eight languages and are priceless treasures of Unitarian Universalist history.

Where is the collection now?

The collection was housed in Starr King’s on-campus library until 2020. However, since our move from our historic Berkeley campus, the collection has been housed in climate-controlled storage in Livermore, California. As a result, for the past several years access to the collection has been limited to an online directory of books.

Where is the collection going?

The Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection has been donated to the Harvard Divinity School Library. At Harvard, the collection will retain the name The Earl Morse Wilbur Collection from Starr King School for the Ministry.

Why are we donating the collection?

After many years of consideration and concerted effort, the Starr King Board of Trustees decided to donate the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book collection to the Harvard Divinity School Library in order to ensure greater accessibility and stewardship of the collection.

Since our move from Berkeley, the collection has been kept in climate-controlled storage in Livermore, California. As a result, for the past several years access to the collection has been limited to an online directory of books. Currently, we do not have an appropriate, climate-controlled space in our Oakland offices to house the collection. This means that the collection would continue to be housed in climate-controlled storage indefinitely, without the Starr King community having access the collection and while accruing significant expense for long-term storage.

For the past two years, Lehel Molnár – our 2018–19 Balázs Scholar and archivist for the Hungarian Unitarian Church Archives in Kolozsvár – has advanced a digitization project to expandthe collection’s online directory. However, much work remains to be done to finish digitizing a collection of this size.

Given the lack of accessibility for our community to this collection, the expense of long-term storage of this collection, and inability to rehouse the collection safely in our current offices or digitize a collection of this size quickly, it became clear that we were no longer the best school to house the collection. Harvard Divinity School has the expertise and resources to properly house a collection of this significance and continue the work of digitizing the collection – better enabling the collection to continue to inspire generations of scholars and religious leaders. It was for these reasons that the Board of Trustees made the decision to donate the collection to Harvard Divinity School’s Library.

Why Harvard Divinity School?

There are several reasons why we chose Harvard Divinity School to house the collection.

Earl Morse Wilbur was a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. Moreover, Harvard was the first seminary in the U.S. to educate Unitarian ministers. As both Wilbur’s alma mater and the historic origin of American Unitarian ministry, we believe Harvard Divinity School is uniquely positioned to honor and care for this collection.

Additionally, Harvard Divinity School’s Library has the expertise and resources to properly house a collection of this significance and continue the work of digitizing the collection.

We are proud that the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection will find a new home at Harvard Divinity School. We are confident that this transfer honors our legacy and our history by better enabling this collection to continue to inspire generations of scholars and religious leaders.

What is the status of Starr King’s existing digitization efforts?

For the past two years, Lehel Molnár has advanced a digitization project to expand the collection’s online directory. Molnár is our 2018–19 Balázs Scholar and archivist for the Hungarian Unitarian Church Archives in Kolozsvár. The initiative to digitize the Earl Morse Wilbur Rare Book Collection has been supported by the Balázs Global Committee to continue their mission of building bridges between Unitarian Universalists in Transylvania and around the world.

Much work remains to be done to finish digitizing a collection of this size. As the collection is transferred to Harvard Divinity School, Harvard will begin their own digitization efforts to ensure the collection is available online so that scholars and religious from around the world can access and be inspired by this comprehensive archive of Unitarian thought.

When will the collection be moved to Harvard?

The transfer of the collection will occur in the first few months of 2026. This enables Lehel Molnár – our 2018–19 Balázs Scholar and archivist for the Hungarian Unitarian Church Archives in Kolozsvár – to finish the current phase of Starr King’s digitization project.As the collection is rehoused at Harvard Divinity School and as Harvard begins its own digitization efforts, we will share updates on how Starr King Community members can best access the collection – both in-person and online.

Will the Starr King community still have access to the collection?

Yes! Members of the Starr King community – including students, faculty, graduates, and donors – will be able to access the collection both in-person and online through Harvard’s Special Collections Library. Additionally, at Harvard the collection will retain the name The Earl Morse Wilbur Collection from Starr King School for the Ministry.

We will share more information on how to access as the collection is moved in the coming months.

How is this decision connected to Starr King’s broader strategic work?

At Starr King, our mission is to educate people for Unitarian Universalist ministry and for progressive religious leadership in society.

The Earl Morse Wilbur Book Collection represents one of the first and most comprehensive archives of Unitarian thought. In its current state – housed in a storage facility with a limited online directory available for our students, graduates, donors, and faculty – the collection is not able to meaningfully support the formation of our students and others seeking to become progressive religious leaders in society.

By donating the collection to Harvard Divinity School, we are both acting as better stewards of this priceless archive and advancing our mission by better enabling this collection to inspire generations of scholars and religious leaders to come.