Archives and Libraries

Scotland is a great place to do family history research because of the country's large number of archives, libraries and other repositories. A variety of records can also be found locally at registry offices, courthouses, public libraries, historical societies and elsewhere. Websites like Ancestry.com, Findmypast, ScotlandsPeople, and FamilySearch also provide access to many unique online databases relating to Scottish genealogy.

In addition to these great resources, we have compiled a large number of links that should prove helpful to your search. Many of these are listed below and on our other pages relating to all parts of Scotland. If you would like a professional genealogist to help you with your quest, please click below.

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UK Libraries

The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 19 3754 6060
Email: customer-services@bl.uk
Opening Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:30am-8:00pm; Friday 9:30am-6:00pm; Saturday 9:30am-5:00pm; Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm

Linen Hall Library
17 Donegall Square N
Belfast BT1 5GB
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 28 9032 1707
Email: info@linenhall.com
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:30pm; Saturday-Sunday closed

National Records of Scotland
2 Princes Street
Edinburgh EH1 3YY
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 13 1202 0451
Email: lsrhe@scotlandspeople.gov.uk
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00am-4:30pm; Saturday-Sunday closed

The National Archives of the UK
Kew, Richmond
TW9 4DU
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8876 3444
Contact Form: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/contact-us/
Opening Hours: Monday closed; Tuesday 9:30am-7:00pm; Wednesday 9;30am-5:00pm; Thursday 9:30am-7:00pm; Friday-Saturday 9:30am-5:00pm; Sunday closed

National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EW
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 13 1623 3700
Email: enquiries@nls.uk
Opening Hours: Monday-Tuesday 9:30am-7:00pm; Wednesday 10:00am-7:00pm; Thursday 9:30am-7:00pm; Friday-Saturday 9:30am-5:00pm; Sunday closed

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
2 Titanic Boulevard
Belfast BT3 9HQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 28 9053 4800
Email: proni@communities-ni.gov.uk
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm

Society Libraries

Scottish Genealogy Society
Library and Family History Centre
15 Victoria Terrace
Edinburgh EH1 2JL
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 13 1220 3677
Email: enquiries@scotsgenealogy.com
Opening Hours: Monday-Tuesday 10:30am-5:00pm; Wednesday 10:30am-7:30pm; Thursday 10:30am-5:00pm; Friday closed; Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm, Sunday closed

Society of Genealogists Library
356 Holloway Road
London N7 6PA
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7251 8799
Email: librarian@sog.org.uk
Opening Hours: temporarily closed

university Libraries

Aberdeen University
Special Collections Centre
Duncan Rice Library
Bedford Road
Aberdeen AB24 3AA
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 27 2598
Email: specialcollections@abdn.ac.uk
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00am-4:00pm; Saturday-Sunday closed

University of Edinburgh Library
30 George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)131 651 5151
Contact form: https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/contact-helpline
Opening Hours: open 24 hours every day

University of Glasgow Library
Hillhead Street
Glasgow G12 8QE
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 141 330 6704
Email: library@glasgow.ac.uk
Opening Hours: 8:00am-8:00pm Monday-Sunday

International Libraries

Family History Library
35 N W Temple Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
USA
Telephone: +1 (801) 240 6966
Email: nasupport@familysearch.org
Opening Hours: Monday 9:00am-6:00pm; Tuesday-Thursday 9:00am-8:00pm; Friday-Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm; Sunday closed

Library and Archives Canada
550 de la Cité Boulevard
Gatineau, Quebec J8T 0A7
Canada
Telephone: +1 (613) 996 5115
Email: reference@bac-lac.gc.ca
Opening Hours: Monday closed; Tuesday-Thursday 9:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-4:00pm; Friday-Sunday closed
Link to Scottish holdings

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, DC 20540
USA
Telephone: +1 (202) 707-3399
Contact Form: https://ask.loc.gov/history-humanities-social-sciences/
Opening Hours: Monday closed; Tuesday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm; Sunday closed

National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408
USA
Telephone:+1 (866) 272 6272
Contact Form: https://www.archives.gov/contact
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm (by appointment only); Saturday-Sunday closed

University of Guelph
McLaughlin Library
50 Stone Road East
Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1
Canada
Telephone: +1 (519) 824 4120
Email: library@uoguelph.ca
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am-7:00pm; Saturday-Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm

Local Resources

Many Scottish family records can be found online and at various archives and libraries located throughout the United Kingdom. Many millions of records aren't yet available online, though, and many of these are awaiting your discovery at the local level at courthouses, historical societies, churches, council offices, cemeteries, and elsewhere in Scotland. To find these and other records, click on the links below to find more information about the specific counties where your ancestors lived in Scotland. You'll find information on these pages that will lead you to the specific documentation you're searching for.

It is important to keep in mind when doing research that the names and boundaries of certain areas in Scotland have changed over the past few hundred years. Your ancestors may have lived on a certain farm in one county and when borders were redrawn records relating to your family history might have been located in another area entirely. When searching for land, court, tax, and other records it is also a good idea to search for these records in adjacent areas. Following is a complete list of Scotland's 32 council areas along with their formation dates, county seats, and names of parent counties.