The National Library of Serbia has a long-standing tradition of collecting, processing and preserving manuscripts and archival materials, dating back to the Library’s inception. Thanks to donors from both the country and abroad, this tradition persisted even after the complete loss of the collections during the bombing of the Library in 1941. As a result, nowadays this is the most significant manuscript collection in the country.

The collection of more recent literary manuscripts and archival materials encompasses handwritten materials and documents forming part of the national cultural heritage from the 18th century to the present day. The collection is incredibly diverse, encompassing manuscripts of significant literary and scientific works, diaries, diary records, individual letters and complete correspondences, personal and official documents and more. Most of these materials are kept within personal collections, i.e. manuscript legacies of prominent figures in Serbian and Yugoslav culture and science. The legacies of Grgur Jakšić, Milan Đ. Milićević, Sima Ćirić, Jovan Hadzi Vasiljević and Stanislav Krakov are particularly notable due to their substantial volume and historical importance. Additionally, the collection contains various archival materials sourced from literary journals like Brankovo kolo, Iskra and Polja. Apart from these, the library also houses a range of documents originating from state authorities.

Among these, the legacy collections of Grgur Jakšić, Milan Đ. Milićević, Sima Ćirić, Jovan Hadzi Vasiljević and Stanislav Krakov stand out both in volume and significance. Additionally, a significant portion of the collection comprises diverse archival materials from literary journals such as Brankovo kolo, Iskra and Polja. Besides those listed, the collection also houses a certain number of documents generated through the work of state authorities.

The materials can be searched through various card catalogues, including the author catalogue for individual manuscripts and manuscript legacies, author catalogue for correspondences and subject catalogue for literary manuscripts.