Doors Open: Glasgow Goes Out to the Pictures

National Library of Scotland’s Moving image Archive is celebrating 50 years in existence this year.

Drop in and join us in celebrating the Doors Open Day theme of “Glasgow goes out” by discovering more about the cinemas that made us, like the ABC 1 on Sauchiehall Street and the Cosmo (now the GFT).

See a pop-up display, ‘Going to the Pictures’, about Scotland’s impact on the big screen.

Eye-catching banners detailing the golden era of cinema and early local film portrayals, are complemented by handling kits filled with cinema tickets, film strips, and zoetropes.

Discover archival photo displays of old Glasgow cinemas and tell us about your memories of going to the pictures.

Watch films from the archive in our open-access centre in Kelvin Hall.

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Behind the Scenes Tours

Celebrate 50 years of the National Library of Scotland’s Moving Image Archive with a free ‘behind the scenes’ tour of Scotland’s film and sound archives.

Based in the iconic Kelvin Hall, this is a rare opportunity to see how technicians and curators work behind the scenes to preserve and digitise film and sound material from fragile formats.

Staff will be on hand to answer any questions and guide you through the storage and care of this unique collection.

Tours will last approximately an hour, and run at: 10:30am, 12 noon Please note: spaces are limited to 10 people per tour.

Tours will be available on the day on a first come, first served basis.

This is due to limited capacity and low attendance on previous occasions.

After your tour you can explore the Access Centre, where you can browse thousands of films, and explore our digital collections.

If you have any access requirements, please contact us in advance of your visit.

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Cinema Club Crafts

Revisit the days of Saturday morning cinema trips by making your own cinema club badge, and decorating jeely jars at the National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall this Doors Open Day.

Jeely jars and badge making materials will be provided - just bring along your favourite cinema memories and get creative!

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Glasgow Cinema City Talk

National Library of Scotland and Glasgow Museums come together to travel back in time to the golden days of cinema-going in Glasgow.

Discover rare photographs and archive footage of iconic Glasgow cinemas in this unique presentation.

What can historic objects tell us about the experience of Going to the Pictures in Glasgow?

Curator Neil Johnson-Symington, of the Riverside Museum, will highlight some treasures from Glasgow Life Museums & Archives’ collections which provide some clues, such as paintings, programmes and cinema café menus.

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Image Credit: Thomas McGoran