Western Libraries

Writer's Papers and Literary Records in Archives

International Websites and Organizations

The following list is a staring point for your search for international literary archives. 

Archives of the United States of America

The Section for Archives of Literature and Art (SLA) 

The blog of the International Council on Archives (ICA) was created to share information about the diverse nature of literary and artistic collections, their cultural value and best practices around cataloguing, storing, exhibiting and promoting these treasures. Articles cover the period from 2012 to present and offer informative posts relevant to literary researches, curators and other users. 

Diasporic Literary Archives 

As writers and authors live and work in settings all over the world, and often move around, their literary papers and collections become dispersed leading to what has been coined "diasporic archives". Furthermore, as new technologies influence and inform the creation of literary works, ideas of copyright, ownership and access have risen to become significant issues. The Diasporic Literary Archives website provides a forum for a network of partners to promote international collaboration in the preservation and access to literary archives. Especially useful is the comprehensive directory of over 1000 repositories worldwide housing literary archives including author's names, dates and scope. 

Group for Literary Archives and Manuscripts (GLAM)  

Established in 2005, GLAM is a collective of archivists, librarians, curators, writers, researchers and others interested in the collection, preservation and promotion of literary archives in Britain and Ireland. GLAM's website includes an extensive location registry of literary archives throughout the UK as well as a useful list of online resources.

The University of Chicago Library: Archives and Manuscript Collection Databases, US & Worldwide

Provides a concise list of databases and searchable collections of archives and literary manuscripts around the world

Yale University Library: Manuscripts & Archives 

Provides extensive search options and an interesting blog related to the extensive literary manuscript holdings at Yale University, USA.