Elizabeth Mansfield - original manuscripts

[voxwoman]

(Note to the Moderators: I am hoping that I post this message in the appropriate place).

If you haven't seen my introduction, I am the daughter of Elizabeth Mansfield (of blessed memory). I have in my possession all of her (many, MANY) papers, which includes original manuscripts of most (if not all) of her 34 Regency and 2 historical novels. I do not have the room in my house to continue to store these items, and I would much rather that they find a home other than the recycling center.

I would like to offer these manuscripts to non-profit organizations for use in their fundraising efforts. Any assistance you may be able to provide me with locating any interested groups would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Wendy Sheridan

[Anna]

The two obvious possibilities (to me) are museums and Friends of the Library organizations. I don't know what area you're in, so you may not have a Friends and if you do they may not be very effective. My mother volunteers with the Palo Alto, CA Friends of the Library, and I know that's a really solid group that gets a lot done for their libraries. I don't know how universal that is, though.

If there any fan groups for your mother's work, you could try auctioning the papers yourself and then donating the proceeds to a charitable or non-profit organization. That may be more work than you want, though.