Orkney Archive

Orkney Archive is situated on the upper floor of the building and holds a wealth of historical records about Orkney which everyone can use to find out more about the past.

Download a guide to the records held by the archive

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Family history

If you're tracing your Orcadian family roots we can provide access to records which may help you to find out more. These include:

• Valuation rolls, electoral rolls and census schedules
• Old Parish registers and newspapers on microfilm
• School records and photographs

Local history

We hold a wide range of records which will aid research into almost any aspect of the history of Orkney and its people, including the Orkney Room which contains thousands of publications relating to these islands plus Caithness and Shetland, dating from the 17th century onwards.

Photographic Archive

The Photographic Archive contains a large collection of Orkney images from the 1860s onwards, and prints can be purchased.

Photograph of the month: This month we look at model yacht racing in Orkney.

Sound and film

We hold an extensive collection of oral history recordings and audio visual materials dating from the 1950s onwards. Copies of recordings can be purchased.