The collections include the minutes, reports, and files of these bodies, as well as early publications of the General Assembly and its predecessors and imprints of the various boards of publication. To supplement the official record, the society also collects the personal papers (including correspondence, diaries, and photographs) of Presbyterians who are significant for their service to the church, with an emphasis on mission work.

The society's holdings also contain extensive collections of secondary materials documenting Presbyterian and Reformed heritage in the United States and the international activities of American Presbyterians. The collections include early imprints of the foundation documents of the Reformed tradition such as Calvin's Institutes, a range of Bibles, and books on Presbyterian and Reformed history and biography.