One of the most important steps in deciphering a manuscript is establishing the document type and its function at the time of creation. Having a sense of the document's original purpose will help you to determine its relevance to your research and to interpret its contents. The finding aid may help you to identify the document type, but in many cases you may have to use your own judgment to determine what type of document you are using.

From Collection #3901 in the Southern Historical Collection

For example, telegrams functioned as a quick means of relaying a brief message. This function limited the amount of detail a sender could communicate. In the example above, bad news is delivered in a seemingly abrupt and cold manner, but knowing that you are looking at a telegram may influence how you understand the message and its tone.

Other types of documents you may find in manuscript collections:

Personal Letter From Collection #1090 in the Southern Historical Collection	Business Letter From Collection #40010 in the University Archives	Account Ledger From Collection #2454-z in the Southern Historical Collection
Legal Document From Collection #1308 in the Southern Historical Collection	Photograph From Collection #3901 in the Southern Historical Collection	Map From Collection #276 in the Southern Historical Collection
Diary From Collection #5077-z in the Southern Historical Collection	Drawing From Collection #408 in the Southern Historical Collection

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