National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall events are free and take place at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, unless we state otherwise.
June events | July events | August events | September events
List updated: 19 June.
Nessie trail
Enjoy some family fun with our trail to 'find the Nessies' along the corridor leading to the National Library at Kelvin Hall. When you have completed the trail, watch some videos about Nessie and dinosaurs on the video wall at the Moving Image Archive.
This activity, together with a display of T-Rex depictions, accompanies Kelvin Hall's Tyrannosaurus Rex exhibition.
Tuesday 16 April to Saturday 20 July
Free.
No need to book, just drop in during Kelvin Hall opening times.
June events
See also:
Workshops and tours
Edinburgh events
Restless Natives screening
The film 'Restless Natives', from 1985 is a Scottish cult classic, a comedy drama about the adventures of two Edinburgh youths. Directed by Michael Hoffman, it includes music from the Scottish rock band Big Country. To continue the Library's retrospective 1980s campaign, Back to the Future: 1979-1989, it is being in shown on the big screen at Kelvin Hall.
Wednesday 19 June
17.30 - 19.30
Free. Book 'Restless Natives screening' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Getting started with the Moving Image Archive
The National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive has been collecting and preserving films since 1976. All of Scots life can be seen: adverts, documentaries, home movies, promotional films, amateur comedies, educational programmes and more. This workshop is designed to introduce you to the archive and guide you through getting the most from searching our catalogue. Workshop lasts around one hour.
Wednesday 19 June
18.00
Free. Book 'Getting started with the Moving Image Archive' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
20th-century Glasgow on film
Curator Liam Paterson presents a tour through 20th-century Glasgow with films of the Moving Image Archive. Vintage videos of Glasgow's built heritage, streets and parks reveal how the city has changed over time. Enjoy early footage of trams in the city centre, and 1930s film of the city's transport network. Watch a young couple's day out to Glasgow to buy a new car in the early 1960s, and 1970s footage of a group of teenagers' Saturday night out in town.
Wednesday 26 June
18.30
Free. Book '20th-century Glasgow on film' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
July events
See also:
Workshops and tours
Edinburgh events
Discovering family history at Kelvin Hall
Our huge range of digital resources can help you with your ancestral research. Learn how to use them at this workshop. If you have discovered the outline of your family history and want to find out more about your ancestors' lives, our digital resources can help. Learn how to use our huge range of digital resources for your ancestral research at this workshop. The session takes approximately 90 minutes.
Saturday 6 July
14.00
Free. Book 'Discovering family history at Kelvin Hall' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Getting started with the Moving Image Archive
The National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive has been collecting and preserving films since 1976. All of Scots life can be seen: adverts, documentaries, home movies, promotional films, amateur comedies, educational programmes and more. This workshop is designed to introduce you to the archive and guide you through getting the most from searching our catalogue. Workshop lasts around one hour.
Saturday 20 July
14.00
Free. Book 'Getting started with the Moving Image Archive' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Back to the future: 1979-1989
Film screenings at Kelvin Hall
To mark key anniversaries from 1979-1989, we are screening some of the best-loved Scottish films of the decade, including 'Gregory's Girl' and 'Highlander'. The screenings extend the Library's 1980s retrospective, initiated by the website of essays and videos, Back to the future: 1979-1989.
Yoof TV — The epitome of the 1980s contemporary culture
Saturday 20 July
14.00
Free. Book 'Yoof TV screening' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Gregory's Girl (Cert 12A) — The classic '80s romantic comedy
Wednesday 24 July
17.45
Free. Book 'Gregory's Girl screening' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Local Hero (Cert PG) — Scottish comedy-drama written and directed by Bill Forsyth
Saturday 27 July
14.00
Free. Book 'Local Hero screening' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Highlander (Cert 15) — Action adventure starring Sean Connery
Wednesday 7 August
17.45
Free. Book 'Highlander screening' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Pac-Man comes to Kelvin Hall
Arcade games and 1980s films will take Kelvin Hall back to the dawn of the digital age. A week of retro-games and analogue activities, and a season of free '80s feature films. The '80s takeover also includes talks on our '80s film, sound, and video collections, and a seminar on computer games. Newly digitised '80s showreels will be on display too.
Tuesday 23 July to Saturday 27 July
During Kelvin Hall opening hours.
Free. No need to book, just drop-in.
August events
See also:
Workshops and tours
Edinburgh events
Getting started with the Moving Image Archive
The National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive has been collecting and preserving films since 1976. All of Scots life can be seen: adverts, documentaries, home movies, promotional films, amateur comedies, educational programmes and more. This workshop is designed to introduce you to the archive and guide you through getting the most from searching our catalogue. Workshop lasts around one hour.
Wednesday 21 August
18.00
Free. Book 'Getting started with the Moving Image Archive' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Thomas Annan's photographs of Glasgow
The son of a farmer from Fife, Thomas Annan (1829-1887) was commissioned in the late 1860s to photograph Glasgow city centre. The images he captured were striking and moving, highlighting the squalid conditions some of the city's residents were living in. Thomas Annan went on to become one of the most influential photographers of the Victorian era. In this talk, Anne Lyden from the National Museum of Scotland discusses Annan's impact. This event is presented by the Alexander Thomson Society.
Wednesday 28 August
18.00
Free. Book 'Thomas Annan's photographs of Glasgow' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Discovering family history at Kelvin Hall
Our huge range of digital resources can help you with your ancestral research. Learn how to use them at this workshop. If you have discovered the outline of your family history and want to find out more about your ancestors' lives, our digital resources can help. Learn how to use our huge range of digital resources for your ancestral research at this workshop. The session takes approximately 90 minutes.
Thursday 29 August
14.00
Free. Book 'Discovering family history at Kelvin Hall' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
September events
See also:
Workshops and tours
Kelvin Hall events
Discover maps at Kelvin Hall
We have around two million maps in our collection, from early maps to the latest digital ones, with over 200,000 maps on our website. This talk is a general introduction to the map collection, and includes a demonstration of how to view georeferenced maps, overlay and compare maps, print or buy historical maps. The introductory talk will last around an hour, and is followed by a 30-minute supported session to help you get the most out of the maps website.
Friday 6 September
14.00
Free. Book 'Discover maps at Kelvin Hall' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Getting started with the Moving Image Archive
The National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive has been collecting and preserving films since 1976. All of Scots life can be seen: adverts, documentaries, home movies, promotional films, amateur comedies, educational programmes and more. This workshop is designed to introduce you to the archive and guide you through getting the most from searching our catalogue. Workshop lasts around one hour.
Saturday 14 September
14.00
Free. Book 'Getting started with the Moving Image Archive' on Eventbrite or phone 0845 366 4629.
Glasgow Doors Open Day Festival
Discover all there is to see and do at Kelvin Hall
Glimpse behind the scenes with the partners of Kelvin Hall as they offer tours on Glasgow Doors Open Day. Take a look at the items held in the Glasgow Museum's stores. Enjoy a rare chance to see the film, video and sound-digitisation editing suites of the Moving Image Archive. Tour the collections stores of The Hunterian to view the objects not currently on display in the Museum and Art Gallery.
Saturday 21 September
Tours at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00 and 16.00
Free. To book a place on a tour, email kelvinhalltours@glasgowlife.org.uk or phone 0141 276 1450.