Aberdeen Local Studies provide information and help with research on all aspects of the city and the surrounding area from the earliest period of history to the present day.

Join us to discover your family history, enjoy friendly learning opportunities, build the history of your local area, explore lots of online resources and use all our facilities and services.

We look forward to welcoming you to Aberdeen Local Studies and assisting with your research. If you have any questions or would like further information on our service, please contact the Local Studies team.

Our collections:

• Books and pamphlets ranging from sixteenth century early printed books to the latest local publications and covering the whole spectrum of local studies
• Local newspapers and periodicals dating from 1747 to the present day
• Maps of Aberdeen from 1661 to the present day; current and historical Ordnance Survey maps
• Historic photographs: our websitecontains thousands of images of Aberdeen
• Aberdeen Post Office Directories from 1824 to 1982
• Electoral registers for Aberdeen from 1909, Aberdeenshire from 1918 and Kincardineshire from 1953
• Valuation rolls for Aberdeen from 1965, Aberdeenshire from 1859, Banffshire from 1877 and Kincardineshire from 1862
• Old Parish Registers of baptisms, marriages and deaths up to 1854
• Census Returns from 1841 to 1901
• Monumental Inscriptions and Burial Records for local churchyards
• Free access to the websites Ancestry Library Edition, Find My Past and the British Newspaper Archive

Opening hours:

• Monday and Wednesday: 9am to 8pm
• Tuesday, Thursday to Saturday: 9am to 5pm