The manuscript and archives collection at the National Library of Jamaica is a combination of documents written entirely by hand; handwritten and typescript copies of works by authors; documents from institutions, corporate bodies, organizations and groups as well as personal papers from individuals and families.
The collection contains records of items under such subject headings as Literature, Drama, Theatre, Art, Music, Education, Politics, Slavery and the names of places, events and personalities.
The Collection consists of unpublished material such as plantation records, correspondence, diaries and scrapbooks. Among the most notable are the following:
- Walter A. Roberts
- Letter Books of Roger Hope Elletson (a former Governor of Jamaica) – 1766 – 1780
- Sir George Nugent Papers (Governor of Jamaica, 1801 – 1806) – 1795 – 1806)
- Papers of the Archbishop Enos Nuttall – 1860 – 1916
- Dawkins Plantation Records – 1660 – 1812
- “Multum in Parvo” by John Taylor written in 1683. It gives a detailed account of early life in Jamaica.
