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Guidance for users

Stairwell between Adam Dome and Reid Room

Various views inside the ScotlandsPeople Centre

To make your visit as enjoyable as possible here is some guidance to help you get the most out of your visit.

Access

Entry to the Centre is through the main entrance at 2 Princes Street Edinburgh, up the steps behind the statue of Wellington on his horse.

Separate Disabled access entrances are available. Click on the link to find out more.

On entering the Centre you will be in the shop area. The main reception is at the shop, where you will be directed to one of the search rooms.

Visitors will be able to take wheelchairs, prams or buggies through any of the search rooms.

Visitors will be able to leave valuables in lockers by the main entrance. Lockers are operated by pound coins. See the facilities page for full details.

No passes are required within the Centre however visitors are restricted to public areas only and must obey signage restricting access to staff and private areas.

How to get a seat at the Centre

Booking a seat before you come. You can pre-book and pay for your seat at the Centre by phoning beforehand (see Contact page) or in person at the Centre. When you pre-book and pre-pay you will be given a seat number and allocated a username and password which you will have to use to log onto the system once you arrive. (For methods of payment see the Charges page.)

If you have booked a seat before you arrive you can go directly to your seat on arrival at the Centre with no need to go through a supervisor. There will be a number on your personal computer so you will be able to identify your seat. (Familiarise yourself with your seat location prior to your visit by looking at the room layouts in the Search Rooms pages). A supervisor will be on hand and will offer any help you may need and to ensure you are at the correct seat.

What are the advantages to pre-booking and paying?

You get a guaranteed place on the day of your choice.

No waiting once you get to the Centre, you go straight to your seat.

No seat booked. If you have not booked a seat you must go to the reception desk in the shop. The supervisor there will direct you to one of the search rooms with seats available. In the search room you will pay the day search fee. A user account will be set-up for you and you will be allocated a seat. Once you have found your seat a supervisor in that search room will offer any assistance you might need.

The costs for all our services, including prints or electronic saves, are detailed in our Charges page.

Two-hour free search. If you want a free search, ask a member of staff and you will be given advice on how to proceed. Morning sessions begin at 10:00 and afternoon sessions at 14:00. You cannot pre book these sessions. Look at the Taster Sessions page for further information on this.

How do I create an account?

Before you begin searching you will be required to have an account with a user name and password. Staff will create an account for you with a user name and password. If you pre-book a seat the details will be sent out to you prior to your visit. If you don't pre-book staff will create an account for you on arrival.

You can add money to this account at the supervisors desk and use this to pay for any printing or saved images. Instructions will be available to help you do this.

Leaving your desk

You may leave your desk at any time during the day for lunch or any other breaks. If you are for leaving for the day, please inform the supervisor.

Special requirements

Helpers accompanying disabled persons will be admitted free of charge and given a second seat at the terminal of the disabled visitor.

Adjustable desks and special monitors are available for disabled visitors. It is advisable to pre-book these. Further information is available on the Disabled access page.

Other resources

Redigitising service. If the image of a statutory record (births, marriages, deaths etc. from 1855 to present) is poor quality, report it to the Family History Officer using one of the white forms available in all the search rooms. Once the request has been checked by the Family History Officer, this will initiate a process for the image to be re-scanned and made available electronically on the computer system. Generally, the improved image will be available on the computer system within 60 minutes of the email having been sent to the imaging department by the Family History Officer.

Historical search room records. We now have computer terminals in the Reid search room which give day customers access to some of the electronic records that are available in the Historic search room.

Customers can look up Kirk Session records, Wills & Testaments, Soldiers' Wills, Valuation Rolls, Sasine records and the Scottish Criminal Index without having to go up to the Historical search room.

Screen prints can be purchased. See our charges page for details.

For more information, please speak to a search room supervisor.

The ScotlandsPeople Centre does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of these resources and they are listed as an aid to research only.

Useful websites. Users will be able to access approved websites from within the Centre. These will be genealogy-related sites which can supplement your research with information not provided by the ScotlandsPeople records. A full list of these websites can be found on the useful websites page. The ScotlandsPeople Centre does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of these resources and they are listed as an aid to research only.

Laptops

Customers will be allowed to bring in their own laptops and plug them into the sockets provided.

Once you have paid for them you can download record images from your terminal onto your USB stick and then transfer them onto your laptop at your desk.

Help

Family History Officers are on hand to help visitors with getting their search underway. Feel free to ask for advice at any point during your visit.