Most of the items selected for online display as part of the Manuscript Division's centennial celebration relate to one of eight major themes or categories. Not surprisingly, these themes reflect the strengths of the division. Yet the size and scope of the division's holdings stymie efforts to categorize every document. Too many topics are reflected in the more than eleven thousand collections held by the division. Even within the relatively small sample of documents selected for online display, items exist that do not fit any of the eight general themes identified. These "orphan" documents attest to the breadth and diversity of the division's collections, and illustrate the division's mission to document all aspects of American history and culture.

am Sept-8-97