Getting started
Familiarise yourself with the sources and processes for Scottish research. A good starting point is: Kathleen B. Cory's Tracing your Scottish ancestry (Polygon, 1996). Located at 4 SCT AID.

There are a number of other how-to books located at 4 SCT AID, but also consider general British titles which are located at 4 GBR AID.

The resources for Scottish research in the Family History Collection are not large, and most of these are for the period before 1855.

Births, deaths and marriages

Before 1855
Surname index to marriages in old parochial registers to 1855 and Surname index to christenings in old parochial registers to 1855 (on microfiche). Located at 4 SCT BDM.

These indexes are also available in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) on microfiche (located at 1 GEN BDM in Fiche Cabinet-01) and the FamilySearch CDROM database

From 1855
Some, possibly all, births and marriages 1855-1872 are included in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) on microfiche (located at 1 GEN BDM in Microfiche Cabinet 1) and the FamilySearch CDROM database.

The McKirdy Index covers deaths in Lanark 1855-1856, Bute 1855-1875, Kinross 1855-1875 and Sutherland 1855-1875. Located at 4 SCT BDM.

All births, deaths and marriages 1855-1897, plus christenings and marriages before 1855 (as above) are accessible via 'Scots Origins' Internet site. A charge applies. This is not currently available through the library's internet terminal.

Cemetery records
We have a large collection of mainly pre1855 headstone transcriptions. Located at 4 SCT CEM, subdivided by county.

Census returns

1851
Some census indexes for the following counties: Angus, Banffshire, Cathness, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh city (complete), Kirkcudbrightshire, Orkney, Perthshire and Ross & Cromarty. Located at 4 SCT CEN, subdivided by county.

1881
CDROM database. Located on the British Isles computer in the Family History area.

1891
Microfiche indexes, arranged by county, for the whole of Scotland. Located at 4 SCT CEN.

Probate and testaments
Most of the how-to books give some background about testaments. An in-depth description is given in Cecil Sinclair's Tracing your Scottish ancestors : a guide to ancestry research in the Scottish Record Office (1997). Located at 4 SCT AID. Several testament indexes are included in the BRS Index Library. See Jeremy Gibson's Probate jurisdictions : where to look for wills (1994) pp.68-9 for details. Located at 4 GBR WIL

Land
These indexes to the Particular Registers of Sasines are held: Aberdeen 1599-1660; Ayr 1599-1660; Banff 1600-1780; Berwick 1617-1780; Caithness 1646-1780; Dumfries, Kirkcudbright 1616-1780; Edinburgh, Haddington, Linlithgow 1599-1660; Elgin, Forres & Nairn 1617-1780; Fife & Kinross 1617-1609; Forfar 1620-1700; Forfar 1701-1800 (microfiche); Inverness, Ross & Cromarty, Sutherland 1606-1780; Kincardine 1600-1657, Lanark 1618-1780; Orkney and Zetland 1617-1660 (microfiche).

Bibliographies
Joan P. S. Ferguson's Directory of Scottish newspapers (1984). Located at 4 SCT BIB. Joan P. S. Ferguson's Scottish family histories (1986). Located at 4 SCT FAM. Margaret Stuart's Scottish family history : a guide to works of reference on the history and genealogy of Scottish families (1978). Located at 4 SCT FAM.

Some highlights:

4 SCT [General]
The statistical account of Scotland, 1791-1799 drawn up from the communications of the Ministers of the different parishes
4 SCT AID [Aids, guides, how-to]
Tracing your Scottish ancestry / Kathleen Cory
Strathclyde sources : a guide for family historians to the genealogical resources of Glasgow, Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirlingshire (part)
Dumfries & Galloway : some sources and places of interest for local and family history
Guide to the National Archives of Scotland
Tracing your Scottish ancestors : a guide to ancestry research in the Scottish Record Office / Cecil Sinclair
In search of Scottish ancestry / Gerald Hamilton-Edwards
4 SCT AID ABD
Links in the chain : Scottish family history resources in Aberdeen City
Libraries
4 SCT AID AYR
Sources for family history in Ayrshire
4 SCT AID FIF
Family history sources in Kirkcaldy Central Library
4 SCT AID SHE
Shetland : pre-1855 parish sources for family historians
4 SCT BDM [Births, deaths, marriages]
The parishes, registers & registrars of Scotland
National index of parish registers v. 12.
Sources for Scottish genealogy and family history
Irregular marriages at Portpatrick, Wigtownshire 1759-1826
Irregular marriages at Annan, Dumfriesshire 1797-1854
Marriages at Lamberton Toll, 1833-1849
4 SCT BDM BEW
Coldstream Bridge marriages 1793-1797
4 SCT BDM PER
Perthshire Marriage Contracts. 1687 to 1809
4 SCT BDM SHE
Shetland Islands births, death & marriages
4 SCT BIB [Bibliography]
Directory of Scottish newspapers
4 SCT BIO [Biography]
4 SCT CEM [Cemetery records, headstones]
(see above)
4 SCT CEN [Census]
(see above)
4 SCT CHR [Church records]
Catholic missions and registers 1700-1880
4 SCT CIV ABD [Civil records]
Register of merchant and trade burgesses of Aberdeen.
4 SCT CIV BAN
The burgess roll of Banff
4 SCT CIV FIF
The burgess rolls of Fife, 1700-1800
4 SCT CIV MOR
The burgess roll of Elgin
4 SCT CIV STI
Stirling burgess list, 1600-1699
4 SCT CLA [Clan]
Scottish Tartans in full color
Collins Scottish clan & family encyclopedia
4 SCT CON FIF [Convicts]
Fife convicts transportees 1752-1867
4 SCT DIC [Dictionary]
A Scottish genealogist's glossary
4 SCT DIR [Directories]
4 SCT FAM [Family histories]
Scottish family history : a guide to works of reference on the history and genealogy of ...
History of the counties of Ayr and Wigton
4 SCT GAZ [Gazetteers]
The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland
4 SCT IMM [Immigration, emigration]
Emigrants and adventurers from Glasgow and the West of Scotland
The Scots overseas : emigrants and adventurers from Southern Scotland
The Scots overseas : a selected bibliography /
Emigrants and adventurers from Glasgow and the West of Scotland
Emigrants and adventurers from Aberdeen and North East Scotland
Emigrants and adventurers from Orkney and Shetland.
Emigrants and adventurers from the Lothians.
Emigrants and adventurers from Fife.
Emigrants and adventurers from Argyll and the Northern Highland
4 SCT IMM FIF
Fife emigrants and their ships
4 SCT LAN [Land]
Owners of land, Scotland 1872
Sasine indexes (various) See above for sasine indexes
4 SCT MAP [Maps, atlases]
4 SCT MIL [Military]
Some Scottish sources on militias, fencibles and volunteers
4 SCT NAM [Surnames, other names]
Scottish surnames and families
4 SCT OCC [Occupations]
Scottish trades & professions : a selected bibliography [including a summary of ...
4 SCT OCC ABD
Roll of apprentices : Burgh of Aberdeen, 1622-1699
4 SCT OCC MLN
The Edinburgh police register : 1815-1859
4 SCT SCH [Educational]
The Matriculation Albums of the University of Glasgow from 1728 to 1858
4 SCT SHI [Ships]
Scottish maritime records, 1600-1850 : a guide for family historians
4 SCT TAX [Tax]
The people of Lonmay and Crimond : taken from the list of pollable persons in the Shires ...

LINKS
Three sites to lead you to the main Scottish sources are:

Scottish links

Cyndis List - Scotland

Scotland GenWeb pages

'The Scots Origins database contains fully searchable indexes of the Old Parish Registers of births/baptisms and banns/marriages dating from 1553 to 1854, indexes to the Statutory Registers of births, deaths and marriages from 1855 to 1898, and the index to census records for 1891.... The index to 1881 census data will be provided later this year (1999).'