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Library of Congress Research Guides

Asian 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.

Overview

Attention: All researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site, or may have access restrictions, and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the division's collections are strongly encouraged to write the Manuscript Reading Room via the Ask a Librarian form or email at [email protected] to inquire about the status of collections of interest.
James Miho, a Japanese American graphic artist's conceptual diaries on display at the Asian Reading Room. Library of Congress Asian Division.
James Miho, a Japanese American graphic artist's conceptual diaries on display at the Asian Reading Room. Library of Congress Asian Division. View the bibliographic record in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

​The Manuscript Division holds the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) collection, which comprises a number of individual collections pertaining to notable Asian American authors, scholars, activists, and artists, among others. Each of these collections contains unique material, such as correspondence, manuscript drafts, diaries, photographs, organizational records, interviews, and speeches. Much of the material is in English, although some material is in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and other Pacific Islander, South Asian, and Southeast Asian languages.

Though the AAPI collection now resides in the Manuscript Division, it was first established in the Asian Division in 2007 after receiving a mandate and annual appropriation from Congress. The collection was developed after a survey of collections in the Library of Congress delineated AAPI primary and reference sources housed in multiple divisions. In November 2023, the AAPI collection was transferred to the custody of the Manuscript Division and researchers may request access to the AAPI collection in the Library’s Manuscript Reading Room Reading Room.

For additional AAPI materials at the Library of Congress, see Asian American and Pacific Islander Materials: A Resource Guide.

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