This page contains research guides and bibliographies, which assist researchers in navigating the Manuscript Division’s collections. While some guides cover a broad topic such as women’s history, others focus on manuscript resources related to specific groups or historic figures such as Rosa Parks and Patsy Mink, while still others bring together resources for a specific audience, as in Resources for Teachers: Online Primary Sources.
Research Guides
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Research GuideAccessing Born-Digital Manuscript Material This guide describes how to place a request for born-digital files and provides instructions for using the tools and applications to open and view them.- Date: 2020-12-22
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Research GuideAmerican Women: Resources from the Manuscript Collections Part of the American Women series, this guide highlights collections and resources in the Manuscript Division for finding manuscript materials related to women's history in the United States.- Date: 2020-03-09
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Research GuideArchitecture Collections in the Manuscript Division This guide provides guidance in using the papers of many prominent residential, commercial, industrial, and landscape architects, as well as urban planners and community designers found the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress.- Date: 2019-02-28
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Research GuideArchival History Sources in the Manuscript Division This guide describes sources in the Manuscript Division for study of the development of American archives including the papers of archivists and their professional organizations.- Date: 2022-02-11
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Research GuideArt Topics and Resources in the Manuscript Collections at the Library of Congress Primary sources for research can be found in personal papers, official documents, and written accounts. This guide focuses on various art topics including photography, sculpture, fashion, and design.- Date: 2018-11-27
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Research GuideAsian American and Pacific Islander Materials in the Manuscript Division This guide provides research strategies to identify materials related to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the Manuscript Division, including the AAPI collection, transferred from the Asian Division in 2023.- Date: 2023-11-03
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Research GuideCold War Resources in the Manuscript Division This guide introduces primary documents in the Manuscript Division related to the Cold War (1947-1991) and describes related resources.- Date: 2023-10-17
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Research GuideEuropean Mission and Cooperative Acquisitions Project at the Library of Congress This research guide provides historical information and reports related to this collaboration of American libraries to first acquire World War II-era publications in Germany and then to distribute these materials to U.S. research libraries.- Date: 2019-09-03
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Research GuideThe Federal Paper Chase: Judges' Papers in the Manuscript Division This guide provides assistance in using the personal papers of federal district and appellate judges found in manuscript collections of the Library of Congress documenting legal, urban, carceral, and cultural history. A brief overview of the United States Federal Appellate and District Courts- Date: 2019-05-21
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Research GuideFirst Woman of Color in Congress: A Resource Guide for the Patsy T. Mink Papers This guide provides context for a selection of digitized materials from the Patsy T. Mink Papers in the Manuscript Division and includes related resources for researching Mink’s life and legacy.- Date: 2022-02-03
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Research GuideForeign Copying Program: United Kingdom of Great Britain This guide is a resource designed to help researchers navigate the extensive Manuscript holdings of material copied from archives in Great Britain related to early American History.- Date: 2020-04-08
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Research GuideGuide to the Papers of the Librarians of Congress, 1800-2015 This research guide describes the papers of thirteen Librarians of Congress. Users will find biographical information, collection descriptions, and links to primary and secondary sources regarding their work and tenure at the institution- Date: 2021-05-04
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Research GuideHolocaust Studies: Manuscript Resources at the Library of Congress Primary sources for research can be found in personal papers, official documents, and written accounts. This guide focuses on the study of the Holocaust in Europe using manuscript collections, as well as related digital and print materials.- Date: 2019-04-19
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Research GuideLGBTQ+ Resources in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress Personal papers of prominent individuals and records of organizations provide important resources for the research of LGBTQ+ history and related topics. The Library’s Manuscript Division collects and provides access to a wide variety of these collections.- Date: 2018-11-08
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Research GuideLibrary of Congress Manuscripts: An Illustrated Guide Mining the treasures of the Manuscript Division is a lifelong pursuit for researchers and staff alike. This guide highlights the most unique and diverse holdings of the division along with links to additional primary source materials available online.- Date: 2019-09-19
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Research GuideNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Records in the Manuscript Division This guide is designed to assist researchers in navigating one of the Manuscript Division's largest and most frequently used collections, the NAACP Records. The collection traces the history of the nation's oldest civil rights organization.- Date: 2020-04-09
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Research GuideNative American Resources in the Manuscript Division This guide provides curated manuscript resources at the Library of Congress for researching Native American history and cultures, including personal papers and organizational records in addition to related resources and discovery tools. This guide provides curated manuscript resources at the Library of Congress for researching Native Americans, including personal papers and organizational records in addition to related resources and discovery tools.- Date: 2022-05-31
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Research GuidePinkerton's National Detective Agency Records in the Manuscript Division The records of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, the oldest company of private investigators, includes valuable primary resources and rich documentation of the well-known family and its investigative history.- Date: 2019-10-31
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Research GuidePolar Exploration: Primary Sources in the Manuscript Division The Library of Congress holds a multitude of primary source material associated with the history of polar exploration. This guide focuses on manuscript collections from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century and selected external resources.- Date: 2019-06-11
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Research GuidePolish-American Relations, 1918 to Present: Manuscript Resources at the Library of Congress Primary sources are available in the papers of diplomatic, political and cultural figures. This guide focuses on the multitude of materials related to Polish-American relations in history, 1918 to present, found in the Manuscript Division's holdings.- Date: 2018-11-27
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Research GuidePresidential Family Correspondence: Manuscript Collections and Resources at the Library of Congress This guide describes selected manuscript resources at the Library of Congress for researching presidential family correspondence between U.S. presidents, their spouses, children, and other family members.- Date: 2021-06-21
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Research GuideReproductive History in the Manuscript Reading Room A guide to personal papers of prominent individuals and records of organizations for the research of the history of reproductive health. The Library’s Manuscript Division collects and provides access to a wide variety of these collections.- Date: 2023-06-06
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Research GuideResources for Teachers: Online Primary Sources from Manuscript Division A diverse collection of historical materials are available in the digital collections of the Library of Congress. This guide highlights the unique manuscript materials of particular interest to teachers and students.- Date: 2019-10-18
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Research GuideRichard Nixon's Political Scandal: Researching Watergate in the Manuscript Collections at the Library of Congress The 1972 break-in at the Democratic Headquarters in Washington, DC resulted in the resignation of President Nixon in 1974. This guide describes unique resources related to the Watergate scandal available for research in the Library’s Manuscript Division.- Date: 2020-07-28
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Research GuideU.S. Supreme Court Materials in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress This guide serves as a introduction to collections relating to United States Supreme Court Justices in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress.- Date: 2019-01-07