New York Public Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division

The Division holds over 29,000 linear feet of archival material in over 5,500 collections. The strengths of the Division are the papers and records of individuals, families, and organizations, primarily from the New York region. These collections, dating from the eigthteenth through the twentieth centuries, support research in the political, economic, social, and cultural history of New York and the United States. The New York Public Library holds the personal papers and archival materials of Thomas Jefferson, Truman Capote, Herman Melville, H. L. Mencken, Edgar Lee Masters, Vladimir Nabokov, and more. To access the Division's materials, a research appointment is required.