Q. Can I do genealogical research in the U.Va. Library?

The U.Va. Library exists to support the curriculum of the University of Virginia. We do not have vital records, such as birth, death, divorce, or marriage certificates. Those records are available from the Library of Virginia in Richmond as part of a partnership between the Library of Virginia and Ancestry.com. You will need to have a library card from a Virginia public library, and a free Ancestry.com UserID and password in order to view the images of the documents.

This source is also worth a look: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/vital-records/

However, many of the materials that we collect are useful for genealogical research, and many of these resources may be used by the public.

Our patrons also have on-site access to a variety of full-text historical newspaper databases. In addition, the Small Special Collections Library contains many collections of family papers, which are invaluable to the family researcher.

For a broad overview of materials in the U.Va. Library that can help with your family research, see Virginia Genealogy; a guide to genealogical resources at the University of Virginia: https://genealogy.library.virginia.edu/

Here is our library subject guide for genealogy, with many useful links: https://guides.lib.virginia.edu/genealogy

Reference and Special Collections staff are happy to help start you with your research, but cannot conduct the research for you.  A list of independent researchers is available here. (http://small.library.virginia.edu/services/independent-researchers/)

(rev. BK 8/5/20)