The Margaret Wilbourn Gerber papers date from 1923 to 2003 and measure 18 linear inches. The papers are arranged in three series: Biographical, Clubs and Community Involvement, and Photographs.

The Biographical series (1934-2003) contains information pertaining to Gerber's personal life, education, and career. These materials include diplomas, Gerber's passports, obituaries, and class notes, as well as clippings and correspondence related to Gerber's job searches and career at Judson College. Gerber's desk calendars, which she kept over a period of 35 years, can also be found in the series, along with materials detailing her friendship with Iowa City artist Eleanor Simmons. Her school work includes a paper she wrote on contemporary schools of psychology in 1934 during her time at Columbia University. Newspaper clippings concerning Gerber's engagement and marriage, her work in the community, and Eleanor Roosevelt's 1957 visit to Iowa City complete the series.

Materials in the Clubs and Community Involvement series (1932-1986) include club programs, newspaper clippings, and a book of minutes detailing the dissolution of the Iowa City Investment Study Club. Also included are several papers that Gerber presented at Nineteenth Century Club and Raphael Club meetings. The topics of these papers range from American sculpture to the drinking of tea. A sign-in book from the 1986 ceremony honoring Gerber for her work with UNICEF may also be found in the series. Materials from presidential inauguration ceremonies include newspaper clippings, a ticket to the ceremony for Lyndon B. Johnson, and a program for the Carter inaugural festivities.

The Photographs series (1923-1995) is composed of color snapshots of Gerber and her family and friends, many of which are labeled and dated. These snapshots include portraits of Gerber and group photographs from various parties and gatherings.