Music at The Mitchell
Music Practise Rooms
In the Mitchell Library our music practice rooms and found on Level 4. Whether you’re looking for somewhere to squeeze your bagpipes, play the piano or simply sing your heart out, our music carrels are the space for you. Please note: the music practise room cannot be booked in advance. They operate on a first come, first-served basis. With a piano they cost £3.50 per hour (concessions available) and without £1.50. Call us on 0141 287 2901 or email general.services@glasgowlife.org.uk for more details. Please note:
Music Scores
The majority of our music scores are not listed on the online catalogue, but you will find some under the composer, title or songwriter. Onsite, we have card indexes cataloguing our extensive music collection. You can search for a song, composer, type of music or instrument. We also have individual song and sheet music and old music collections like “The STV Collection”. As with any of our collections, if you can’t find what you’re looking for please speak to a member of staff.
Whether you or your group performs or studies music, we have orchestral and vocal scores available for hire. We also have a large collection of chamber music. Prices range from £25.00 to £40.00 for musical scores and £35.00 to £45.00 for vocal scores, depending upon the length of time they’re borrowed. Separate indexes for these are available within the General Services Dept on Level 4.
Music Magazines
Whether you’re a musician, historian, academic or just looking for something interesting to read, we’ll have a music magazine for you. Whatever your instrument, whatever your genre, whatever your era, speak to our staff on Level 4 and they’ll help you find something that fits. Some historical periodicals may require 48 hours notice to access.
Vinyl Collection
We have a large vinyl collection, covering most genres. Although they’re not borrowable, we have a record player on Level 4 in one of our study carrells which is free to use.
Please note: The vinyl collection is not currently catalogued. You can bring your own records in to play, or staff can give you a selection from a specific genre upon request. Alternatively, email us up to 48 hours in advance of your visit and we can check if we have the vinyl you want.
Musical Instruments
We Make Music Scotland Instrument Libraries is an initiative to get musical instruments into public libraries across Scotland. It means you can borrow an instrument for free (just like you would a book) allowing budding musicians of all ages to try something new.
We’re delighted to announce, following a successful pilot of the project, we’ll be resuming our instrument lending service in Spring 2026.
As well as loaning instruments, we’ll be hosting music workshops and live performances at the Mitchell Library. We’ll also help signpost you to local music groups and other resources to aid you on your musical journey.
We’ll provide more information about how the service will operate soon, so follow us on our social media channels to be kept in the loop. Alternatively, if you’d like to be contacted directly about the service, email your contact details to general.services@glasgowlife.org.uk and we’ll be in touch.
In the meantime, a national call-out has been made for people wishing to donate instruments to the project. If you’d like to get involved, instruments can be dropped off at the Mitchell Library and Ibrox Library.
