The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, drafts, and versions of Livesay's writings of all genres. Over half of the Livesay collection consists of papers that are strictly non-literary yet directly related to her life and work. This material is divided into five categories: autobiographical, biographical, bibliographical, business papers regarding her writing and her personal business papers. The remainder of the manuscript collection consists of plays, reviews, poems, short stories, essays, talks and addresses, and memoirs.