The Kentucky State Archives' Research Room is open to the public. -
Monday - Thursday from 9 AM EDT - 3:30 PM EDT / Closed on Fridays
Appointments are highly encouraged so that staff can help you prepare for your visit and ensure we have resources to accommodate your research.
To speak to an Archives Research Room staff member to discuss your research needs and to schedule an appointment, please call (502) 564-1770.
Research Room staff available by phone, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm ET.
All visitors must register with the security guard before entering the Archives Research Room.
Kentucky's Historic Public Records
Our holdings include Kentucky’s city, county and state government records. The following examples reflect many of the valuable public records available for research:
- Birth and Death records for 1852 through 1910:
(1852-1862, 1874-1879, 1891-1910)
- Birth and Death City Registers for four Kentucky cities:
Covington, Lexington, Louisville, and Newport - Death certificates for 1911-1967
- Marriage records
- Census and Military records
- Judicial records (Civil, Criminal, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court)
- Wills and Deeds
- State Agency records
Registration
All visitors using the Archives Research Room must register with the security guard at the information desk and place personal items in the lockers provided. For complete details on registration please review our
Registration Form.
Many of the materials available for use in the Archives Research Room are unique and irreplaceable. Theft of or tampering with public records is a Felony Offense.
To help safeguard these archival materials, the following items
are allowed in the Archives Research Room:
Personal Items and Notes
- Pencils
- Research Notes or Scratch Paper (must be loose sheets)
Special Equipment
- Cameras, camcorders, and tripods
- Scanners (only contactless)
- Personal computers, tablets, and cell phones
-
equipment must be removed from bags and bags stored in lockers
Clothing and Personal Effects
- Sweaters and sweatshirts, indoor attire
- Wallets or purses small enough to fit into a pocket
Furthermore, the following items
are not allowed in the Archives Research Room:
Personal Items and Notes
- Food or Beverages (no edible items or liquids)
- Tobacco products
- Envelopes, notebooks or pads, binders, and folders
- Any writing utensils other than a pencil
Special Equipment
- Flash photography
- Personal copiers
Clothing and Personal Effects
- Coats, jackets, or other outerwear
- Containers of any kind (briefcases, suitcases, handbags, backpacks, bags, purses, etc...)
Research Assistance
Our staff will help you begin your research; however, they cannot perform research for you. Many of our holdings are in microfilm format. Feel free to ask our staff about our records, finding aids and/or operating our microfilm equipment.
Our vast collection of original documents is in storage and requires retrieval by Archives staff. Researchers wishing to review these records must submit a request form. Records retrieval may take up to 30 minutes. Any duplication of original documents must be done by staff. For more details please review our
Handling Historical Records and
Duplication policies.
We provide in-house access to online databases that describe our records; however we do not yet have the records themselves available online. You can search our online catalog for descriptions of our records. We also provide on-site access to the Library Edition of Ancestry.com.
Charges
There is no charge for admission. Charges for duplication include $ 0.50 per microfilm copy and $ 0.25 per photocopy, and may be paid at the end of your visit (copiers are not coin or vendor-card operated).
For further information...
You may email the Research Room:
kdla.archives@ky.gov or call: (502) 564-1770.
If an on-site visit is not possible, you can submit a written research request, using one of our forms. See our
Records Request Form page for more details. See our
Professional Researchers list if you want to hire an independent professional researcher to do research for you.
We do not collect private materials. We suggest you contact the
Kentucky Historical Society for more information about the placement of materials such as manuscripts, family files and family histories.