The Manuscript Division seeks to acquire, preserve, and make available for research use personal papers and organizational records documenting the scope and diversity of the American experience.

With more than twelve thousand collections and nearly eighty million items, the collections touch upon nearly every aspect of American history and culture. The Manuscript Division's holdings are strongest in American national government, federal judiciary, diplomacy, military history, American literature, women's history, Black history, history of science, and history of the Library of Congress.