The Lithuanian Emigration Institute collects and researches the archive materials of Lithuanian diaspora: archival documents of diaspora organizations and individuals, periodicals, books and audio-visual materials.

The Lithuanian Emigration Institute holds valuable archive materials that were collected and donated to the Institute by Bronius Kviklys, Vytautas Kamantas, Vincas Rastenis, Jurgis Gimbutas, Karolis Drunga – Jurgis Valiulis, Juozas Danys, Bronius Vaškelis, Vincas Valkavičius, Henrikas Žemelis, Edvardas Turauskas, Ugnė Karvelis, Bronys Raila, Vytautas Alantas, Leonardas Valiukas, Aleksandras Štromas, Aleksandras Vakselis, AM&M Publications (Algimantas Mackus Books Publishing Fund), an émigré cultural journal Metmenys, Jurgis Janušaitis, Bronius Bieliukas, Liūtas Mockūnas, newspaper Akiračiai (Horizonts), Bronius Nemickas, Jonas Petrošius, Vincas Natkevičius, Adolfas Damušis, Eugenijus Bartkus,  Adolfas Venckus, Algimantas Gureckas, Kazys Almenas, Vytautas Kavolis, Raimundas Mieželis and other individuals and organizations.

New holdings are constantly added to the Institute’s collections.

The Library of the Lithuanian Emigration Institute has been founded on the basis of the Bronius Kviklys, Aleksandras Štromas and Vytautas Kavolis fund. This includes a substantial number of the literary and political-social publications produced by Lithuania and the diaspora.

The Lithuanian Emigration Institute also carries on research of Lithuanian archive materials using a variety of research methods. Current research fields include the cultural history of Lithuanian diaspora and also the history of Lithuanian diaspora literature.