The West Lothian Archives and Records Management Service is responsible for the preservation and management of local authority records, current and historic, created or inherited by West Lothian Council. Records from service units throughout the Council are stored in the Archives and Records Centre. The archival holdings date from the 16th century to the present day and include the records of West Lothian Council and its predecessor organisations, the Livingston Development Corporation collection, and a number of private deposits including the records of Bathgate Forge. The records encompass a wide range of subjects including housing, industry, community development, town planning, business growth, landscaping, leisure and engineering. Free public access to the historical records is available in the search room.

The Archives welcomes deposits of private records related to the area, its people, its businesses and its development. The Archives can also give advice on the storage and preservation of archives. It cannot however provide valuations for archives held in private ownership.

The largest single collection held here is that of the Livingston Development Corporation. The minutes, plans and photographs are available for research use. However, some records remain closed for reasons of commercial confidentiality. A list of the collections held by the archives service and the local history library has been complied by the Scottish Archive Network. This is a lottery funded project which aims to put information about the collections held by Scottish archives on the internet, along with a knowledge base about the history of Scotland, digitised copies of Scottish wills and testaments and exhibitions.

Most of the West Lothian archives collections are held by the National Archives of Scotland, General Register House, Edinburgh. These include Linlithgow Burgh archives, Linlithgow Sheriff Court, church records, personal and business collections. The National Library of Scotland also holds some estate records. A list of what is held in private collections is also available from the National Register of Archives.

The Archives does not have records which will help with the initial stages of genealogical research. Enquiries should be made to the West Lothian Local History Library or General Register Office. General enquiries relating to the history of West Lothian should also be made to the West Lothian Local History Library.

Assistance can be given on projects for both school and further education, particularly those relating to the Livingston area. The National Archives of Scotland also has an education officer who may also be able to provide assistance by emailing education@nas.gov.uk.

Scran is a collaborative project involving archives, museums and libraries to provide interactive CD-ROMS for education.

Access to the West Lothian Archives and Records Management Service is free, but there are charges for photocopies and any complicated enquiries. Further information is available on request. At least 24 hours notice must be given for photocopies of documents over A3 size.

See also West Lothian Local History Library