The Elphinstone Institute Archives, part of the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, are a repository for the diverse vernacular cultural expressions found in the North-East of Scotland.
Founded in 1996, the vast majority of the collection is made up of audio and video recordings as well as photo sets. Most of the materials result from fieldwork conducted by staff and students, but also include donations from the general public, and materials collected in the course of community engagement and public-facing projects.
The archives hold roughly 4500 hours of audio recordings, 700 hours of video recordings, 450 photo sets, and 400 manuscripts. The materials consist of recordings of and/or interviews on calendar customs, song, instrumental music, craftwork, material culture, traditional narrative, everyday life, occupational narratives, vernacular architecture, and vernacular religion, and more.