We hold several collections relating to the history of Glasgow as well as institutions, individuals, and organisations connected with the city.

The guide selects a few key collections for further description. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Please search our catalogues for more resources.

The Glasgow Typographical Society (GTS) was established in 1817 by letter-press printers in Glasgow to represent the interests of master printers and other workers in the industry. It was one of the earliest Trade Unions campaigning for a range of workers’ rights and pay. 

A particularly interesting feature of the collection is the ‘Reports of Proceedings between the Master Printers’ Association of Glasgow and the Glasgow Typographical Society’ (T-GTS/1/9/5). Dated 1904, nearly a century after the society’s establishment, this volume records the GTS presenting their case for wage increases. Documented here is their statement requesting the increase, the response from the Master Printers’ Association, and the following discussions around wages, hours, conditions, and comparison to other Scottish cities, as well as throughout Britain. 

The collection also includes minute books; quarterly reports; rules and regulations; correspondence; and financial records including income and expenditure abstracts: recording the expenditure for campaigning work the GTS carried out but also the financial assistance they gave to their members during hard times.

Founded in 1825, the Glasgow Dilettanti Society was created for the recognition and improvement of the fine arts. Membership was restricted to painters, sculptors, architects, engravers and etchers, or men professing taste and critical knowledge in one or other of these branches. During the eighteen years the society was active, they organised regular exhibitions, built up a library for its members and discussed the improvements that they could contribute to Glasgow’s architecture, proposing other artistic endeavours that they believed would help to enhance the city’s culture. Society meetings were originally held on Buchanan Street, in the city centre, but later relocated to the, then, Anderson’s University buildings. The records housed within the archive include: the society’s minutes which record the names, activities and discussions of the members at each meeting; price catalogues; and receipt books. 

The collection also holds an original letter from Robert Burns, which was discovered during the University Library’s move from the Royal Technical College building to the new McCance building in early 1964. The letter was written on 8th March 1788 from his home in Mauchline, Ayrshire. The recipient is generally thought to be William Nicol, an Edinburgh schoolmaster with whom Burns exchanged many letters. The content of the letter discusses Burns’ time in the country, his proposed travels to Edinburgh, and his warfare with three ‘formidable foes’: “The Devil, the World and the Flesh…” 

We also hold the original library of the Glasgow Dilettanti as one of our Special Collections. The collection includes exhibition and sale catalogues, biographies and critiques of artists, and texts on drawing, painting and sculpture.

The Cancer Prevention Society, Glasgow (CPS), was established in 1978 and was a pressure group focused on educating about, raising awareness of, and preventing cancers. Much of the work of the society became focused on asbestos-related cancers. One of the founders of the society was Ted (George Edward) Rushford, formally a factory inspector. He was heavily involved in campaigning for action against asbestos in education establishments. The collection features correspondence between Rushworth and organisations such as the ‘Minister of Industry and Education’ and ‘The Educational Institute of Scotland’. There is also extensive evidence of his consistent correspondence with MPs, notably Donald Dewer, and their involvement in the campaign for better planning and regulations regarding Asbestos in schools and housing. 

One focus of Ted Rushford and arguably the main feature of his personal legacy as well as that of the CPS, was his work with St. Brendan’s Primary School in Yoker, Glasgow. Ted was asked to inspect the school building, and, on this inspection, he found what he argued to be concerning levels of asbestos in the ceiling. What followed was intense lobbying of local politicians and school boards. The collection also features articles in the press which gained needed publicity not only for the school, but for asbestos regulations and provisions across the country. 

The CPS collection has also contains records of investigations into asbestos in the Red Road Flats, Glasgow. Rushford and the CPS campaigned for essential research to be done into locating the construction workers employed by Glasgow City Council in the 1960s to work on the Red Road Flats, with the intention of examining any asbestos-related issues they were experiencing.

The Kirkwood Papers document the thinking and lifelong work of Colin Kirkwood and his wife Gerri (Geraldine) Kirkwood, along with many of their collaborators and friends, in the fields of community activism and adult learning. 

Notable to Glasgow is the work that Colin and Gerri Kirkwood did during their time in Castlemilk from 1972 to 1976. The couple settled in a council-house estate in Castlemilk after returning from living in Italy. They saw it is a challenge, and a representation of the work that had to be done to rectify the state of inner-city schemes around Glasgow. During their time there, they created strong links with other community activists and fought to better the community that had potential to thrive, despite the apparent decaying effects of unemployment, poor housing conditions, and resultant antisocial behaviour.

Colin Kirkwood had a strong belief in the power of ordinary people over the rule of authority, and his initiatives were rooted in encouraging individuals to use their voices and speak out on the realities of working-class Glasgow. This is highlighted in the Writers’ Workshop publications (ref: KIR/6), including that of ‘Mud and Stars’ produced from Castlemilk Writers’ Workshop, and ‘East End Writers & Artists III’ which features the work of those from the East End of Glasgow. Stories, poetry, and artwork feature in these publications and showcase the thoughts and feelings, as well as artistic abilities, of those living in these areas of Glasgow. 

A further interesting part of the collection relates to the establishment, running of, and outcomes of the ‘Jeely Piece Club’ (ref: KIR/3/4) which was a playscheme set up and run by mothers and other volunteers in Castlemilk, for the children of Castlemilk, in 1975. The papers feature correspondence between parents, teachers, schools, community groups, and the press, highlighting the tensions between these institutions and the discourse around education in the Castlemilk scheme.

The collection also features all 34 issues of the Castlemilk Today (ref: KIR/3/1), a newspaper run and written by local community activists (friends of the Kirkwoods) as well as features from Geri Kirkwood herself on topics such as the most effective use of scheme wasteland. The newspaper highlights the day-to-day issues of those living in the Castlemilk scheme, the work that was being done by groups like the Tenants Association, and community initiatives to force change. 

Also preserved is the administrative and planning work behind Castlemilk Today including foundations of the three core values of the paper which were: individual creativity, social creativity, and enabling creativity. Minutes of meetings of those involved highlight the lengthy and consistent discussions ensuring that the publication stayed true to its intentions: being a paper for the people of Castlemilk, by the people of Castlemilk. 

This collection contains the works of Scottish artist George Wyllie (1921-2012). It includes an abundance of sketchbooks, photographs and personal diaries recording his travels across the world, as well as the thought processes and inspiration behind his performances and public artwork. Wyllie was born in Glasgow and his career turned from sailor and customs officer to rapidly acquired national and international status as an artist and sculptor. His work was heavily influenced by industry and often his artwork held political or social meaning. His most well-known works include ‘Straw Locomotive’ and ‘Paper Boat Sculpture’, yet you may recognise the ‘Clyde Clock’, located outside of Buchanan Bus Station or ‘Safety Pin’, located in Rottenrow Gardens. 

Straw Locomotive was created in 1987 and drew large crowds at the Finnieston crane in Springburn. The sculpture was transported from his workshop in Greenock to Finnieston, with a busload of spectators and a piper who followed Wyllie’s work through the streets of Glasgow to its destination where the ‘Straw Locomotive’ was ceremoniously lit on fire in front of the crowd. Photographs in the collection depict this event chronologically and newspaper articles commend Wyllie’s work. This is only one example of many artworks documented within the collection. 

Wyllie’s work was ambitious and unafraid to tackle pressing social and political issues, engaging with topics such as the climate crisis, capitalism and the decline of Britain’s industrial backbone. The sketchbooks housed within the collection provide insight into the thought processes of Wyllie and highlight the crucial stages of his work in transforming everyday materials into art. Wyllie determined that art could change ideas and ‘is an essential force in society.’

Wyllie had a long association with the University of Strathclyde, staging his first ever solo exhibition in the University’s Collins Gallery in 1976. In April 1990, the University awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.

There is a gallery and museum located on the Greenock waterfront named ‘The Wyllieum’ which houses some of Wyllie’s work and provides guided tours in aid of educating the public and preserving his legacy.

The Robertson Collection contains over 4000 volumes dating from 1678 to the present day. The collection relates to many aspects of the history of Glasgow and includes topographical works; travel histories; visitors' handbooks; maps and plans; magazines; architectural works; ephemera; and picture books of the city. The original collection was bequeathed to the University from the estate of John Robertson (1912-1990) and is the foundation for the collection, which continues to have titles added. 

Robertson was a local government officer and researcher, who served in the RAF during WWII and later attended evening classes on industrial and social history of Scotland at the University of Strathclyde. He formed good relationships with staff in the history department and was known for having an encyclopaedic knowledge of Glasgow's local history with a particular emphasis on industrial archaeology.

Some examples of works within the collection, in chronological order:

For more details on the collection: 

The Glasgow Novel Collection holds 465 works of fiction relating to Glasgow and surrounding areas, dating from 1819 to 2011. The collection includes a range of genres from crime novels to war, comedy and romance, all with a relevance to the city of Glasgow.

The collection was based on:

A small selection of titles include:

For more details on the collection: 

This guide was contributed to by Sarah Darroch and Rachael Quigley, history masters students at the University of Strathclyde, 2024-2025.