Diaries were among the most frequently donated materials at the Schlesinger. This was a question asked by so many donors. Were they honoring a legacy or violating a loved one’s private thoughts when they handed a diary over? What was the point of leaving such things behind if you didn’t intend for anyone to read them? That’s what Jane told those people when they asked. Privately she believed that in many cases, whoever wrote the diary had probably not expected to die before she could decide what to do with it; had kicked that particular can down the road until it was too late.
