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Mapping the archives

British Film Institute (BFI)

British Film Institute (BFI)

As a film archive, the BFI made a decision not to collect filmstrips. It does, however, have an extensive collection of visual educational publications and periodicals, including post-war industrial film and filmstrip catalogues.

British Library

British Library

An extensive collection of books and periodicals, including educational periodicals (such as Look and Learn and Monthly Film Strip Review), company catalogues and guides for filmstrip producers and operators. While the British Library does not hold many f…

Imperial War Museum

Imperial War Museum

The IWM holds an assortment of filmstrips, booklets and catalogues. This includes Ministry of Information filmstrips from the Second World War (9505-09), and multiple series used for UK military training.

UCL Special Collections logo In black

Institute of Education

The Institute of Education Archives, part of UCL Special Collections, holds a wide variety of filmstrips, contained in two main collections, and used in formal educational settings from the 1940s until the rise of school TV in the 1970s and 80s. Over 100 …

Museum of English Rural Life 

Museum of English Rural Life 

An extensive collection of agricultural filmstrips from the 1940s-1980s, particularly from the Ministry of Agriculture. The Museum also holds related materials, including periodicals, pamphlets, photographs and 16mm films.

National Library Scotland

National Library Scotland

Alongside an extensive selection of manuals, periodicals and company catalogues, the NLS holds a range of government filmstrips, with accompanying lecture notes. These include the Ministry of Education school meals series (GEA.11), an extensive collection…

Royal Air Force Museum

Royal Air Force Museum

The Royal Air Force Museum has a total of 379 filmstrips, which cover a variety of subjects, including meteorology, aircraft recognition, and various technical subjects used for direct instruction. They also cover geography, world knowledge and RAF histor…

Science Museum Group

Science Museum Group

The Museum contains a varied selection of filmstrips, including sets produced for the Ministry of Food in the immediate aftermath of War, others for hospitals and educational institutions, and a collection of Sunday Times Current Affairs Filmstrips (1966-…

The National Archives

The National Archives

The National Archives (TNA) holds an extensive collection of written records relating to filmstrip production, policy, circulation and exhibition. These include COI and Colonial Office Records – including surveys and details on the supply of filmstrips an…