Component 1.5 Blog Post 2 – Glasgow Field Trip: Moving Image Archive at Kelvin Hall

As it is likely we will be using film collections in our exhibition, we arranged a research trip to Glasgow on 18th October, (using part of our budget to fund our individual travel), to visit NLS’s Moving Image Archive at Kelvin Hall. Sheena (Learning and Outreach Officer), who is mentoring us on behalf of NLS throughout our project, met us and gave us a tour and insight into the space and its function within the community.

The key insights I learnt from this trip is that the audience in the building is intergenerational and the ethos of setting the MIA in Glasgow is to spread the National Library’s collections out, making a connection to people and highlighting film as a living memory as well as a tool. It truly is an interactive and inviting space for visitors, encompassing a video wall, which plays different content silently throughout the day, a static exhibition, that gives visitors an insight into how people use film as research and touchscreen computers making available selected films from MIA by theme. There are also viewing rooms, individual research computers and a room housing a collection of books solely related to film research.

What has struck me the most on our visit is the benefits of the MIA’s location at Kelvin Hall, which is in contrast to the more traditional space at NLS George IV Bridge. The Hall itself has been redesigned into a fantastic cultural hub, combining Glasgow Life, the University of Glasgow and MIA alongside Glasgow Club health and fitness centre and a cafe. Entry is free and notably MIA does not require a library card for visitors to access its archive material. There is something very exiting about the combination of all of these different community outlets in one place. The openness of space and freedom of movement between various communities is something I hope we can explore to create the same inviting experience in our exhibition space at NLS.

A collections showcase in Kelvin Hall – Visitors can stop to view a curated selection from The Hunterian, Glasgow Museums and National Library of Scotland c. The Author (2019)