Orkney Archive

Please note: Archive closure:

Orkney Archives, including the photographic archive, will be closed for the week beginning 22 February 2010 and will re-open on Monday 1 March 2010 at 9.15am. This is in order to facilitate rearrangement of stock in all storage areas following recent large acquisitions. The Orkney Room will remain open during this period as will all other services provided. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

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

(Adobe Reader is required to view the guide)

Visit our Blog

Photograph of the month: Visit of the British Channel Fleet to Kirkwall, 1898.

Archive of the month: This month we take a look at the Big Tree in Albert Street, Kirkwall

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.

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.