Located on the first floor of the Carnegie Library in Ayr, the Scottish and Local History Library houses a unique collection of books, pamphlets, directories, documents, maps, plans, local newspapers and photographs.

The core of the collection comprises of books and pamphlets relating to Ayrshire.

Directories for some Ayrshire towns are available but the collection relates particularly to Ayr and the surrounding district. These date from 1845-46 to 1966 (set incomplete).There are also commercial directories available for Scotland published in 1820, 1837 and 1868.

A complete run of Voters’ Rolls (Electoral Rolls/Register) for the Burgh of Ayr, dating from 1882, is available. From 1975 to 1996 there is a complete set for Kyle and Carrick District and for South Ayrshire Council since 1996.

Valuation Rolls for Ayrshire are available on open access in the Scottish and Local History Library. Dates available for Ayrshire are 1899-1942 (excluding Ayr, Irvine and Kilmarnock Burghs), Ayr Burgh from 1906-1974 and Kyle & Carrick from 1975 to 1996. South Ayrshire is available from 1996 onwards.

A wide range of genealogical material, including the Census Returns, Parish Registers, International Genealogical Index, Maps and Local Newspapers, is available on microfilm/fiche.

Microfilm copies of Census Returns for Ayrshire 1841-1901 are available for consultation on open public access in the Scottish and Local History Library. Microfilm and microfiche reading machines are available here and there is a booking system in operation for the use of these machines.

Microfilm copies of the Parish Registers for all towns and villages in Ayrshire are also available. They were kept by parish ministers before the introduction of statutory civil registration in 1855, listing births, deaths and marriages. Our earliest record dates back to 1624.

A surname index of births, deaths and marriages in Ayr from March 1766 to May 1820 is also held.

Also available on open public access are microfiche copies of extracts from the Mormon Church’s Computer File Index of Genealogical Source Material . This index is updated and increased every few years as the library acquires the new editions. Geographic areas include Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Germany and France along with several other countries.

Bound volumes to the Index of Wills covering Scotland are available from 1876-1936 and 1948-1959. This source is arranged alphabetically within each volume.

A large selection of publications, prints and maps, dealing mainly with the local area are on sale in the Scottish and Local History Library

Special Collections, available for reference use only include the Ayr Burgh Records, the Burns Collection and the Galt Collection.

Ayr Burgh Records are held here under the terms of Charge and Superintendence from the Scottish Record Office. The collection contains many of the official documents generated by and sent to the Burgh Council and dates back to the times of William the Lion, King of Scotland. The records contain charters from Robert I, King of Scotland; documents from the time of the Cromwellian occupation of Ayr in 1650s, and a letter from Professor Simpson, the inventor of chloroform from 1842. There is a complete list of the Burgh Records at the Scottish and Local History desk. Certain conditions must be adhered to when using the Burgh Records. Users are asked to sit at an assigned desk and only one volume or document can be consulted at a time. A pencil must be used. Special appointments are not necessary to view the Burgh Records.

The Burns Collection contains copies of a wide selection of editions of the work of Robert Burns, including his poetry, songs and letters. There is also a wide variety of critical works, biographies and works on the literature of Scotland in the time of Robert Burns, plus newspaper cuttings about Burns and his life and works, as well as some editions of his work in other languages.

The Galt Collection comprises a small specialist collection of wrks by novelist and writer John Galt, who was born in Irvine, Ayrshire on 2 May 1779, including Annals of the Parish (1821), The Ayrshire Legatees (1820), and The Provost (1822). Galt also wrote extensively in the periodicals of the day, and the Library holds bound volumes of his work in these publications. This small collection holds many editions of his works as well as an element of critical works.